IADLEST Nationally Certified Instructors


Peggy Schaefer Leads a Dynamic and innovative team comprised of training program reviewers, content experts and software specialists.

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Dave Harvey has served as a military police officer, a Chief of Police and a POST Director.

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Dan has 30 years of service in Public Safety and actively trains IADLEST courses all around the US.

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Mark has over 40 experience both as a police officer and as a POST and academy director.

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Dave Wulff

Dave currently teaches Criminal Justice and Homeland Security at Campbell University and Methodist University.

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Mike Wilson

Mike served in the US Army Special Forces, police SWAT and DT instructor.  He has worked for the State Department overseas.Instructor Bio

Pam Tully

Pam retired from the NC State Bureau of Investigation after starting her career as a patrol officer. 

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Bruce Alan Barnard

Bruce is a former federal prosecutor and a retired FLETC Senior Legal Instructor who has trained over 30,000 law enforcement officers.

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Hector Hernandez

Hector is  a veteran, an immigrant, an entrepreneur, a former law enforcement officer, a professional dog trainer, and now a public speaker,

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Richard Whitehead

Joining the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Austin TX, in 1986 Rick worked his way up through the ranks to Commander. He now provides professional public safety services and consulting for corporations and agencies across the country.

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Michael Parker

Michael Parker is a consultant after 32 years of service with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), California, the second largest policing agency in the United States.

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Steve Gregory

Steve is California’s first working journalist to become a POST-certified instructor.

Steve is an adjunct instructor with the Los Angeles Police Academy

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Robert Brzenchek

Robert's background includes law enforcement officer, military member in the intelligence community, emergency management specialist, UAV instructor, and higher education administrator.

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Mike Quinn

Michael trains law enforcement agencies and lectures internationally in the areas of police ethics and accountability with a specific focus on peer intervention/active bystandership.

He retired from the Minneapolis PD.

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Paul Cunningham

Paul is a Master Peace Officer licensed by the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement and holds numerous certifications, including several instructor certifications from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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Michael Ferguson

Michael is the lead instructor of Criminal Justice at Kilgore College.

He served with the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office in Longview, Texas.

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Tony Moore

Tony is a recognized expert on social media investigations, cryptocurrencies, and emerging internet trends and holds Basic and Intermediate Instructor Certifications with California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training

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Scott Donaldson

Scott currently serves as Director of the Collin College Law Enforcement Academy located in McKinney, Texas. Scott is responsible for directing, managing, and promoting all activities of law enforcement training, instruction, staffing, activities, facilities, professional relationships and regulatory guidelines.

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Steve Ashley

Steve is an active law enforcement trainer, risk manager, consultant, and author, and frequently serves as an expert witness in use-of-force, motor vehicle operations, police procedures, and corrections practices cases.

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John Edwards

John is the author of two books, thirty-one different law enforcement training curriculums, and many national and international publications regarding police operations, leadership, and management.

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John Ferguson

John teaches academy level classes at the Arkansas POST's LE Academy.  He holds Instructor, Firearms, Senior Police Officer and Level II Chief of Police certifications

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Kris Merithew

Kris has served over 25 years as a sworn officer.  His current speciality is Mathematics and Physics as they apply to the Investigation, Analysis and Reconstruction of Fatal Traffic Crashes

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Alberto Alonzo

Alberto currently serves as a Commander with the Tulane University PD.  He trains in Tactical Combat Casualty Care, EMT and Firearms.

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Michael Brave

Michael is a certified TASER instructor, legal advisor and a specialist in risk management.  He has been a certified police officer since 1983.  He is a qualified instructor in a variety of areas, and has delivered training in five countries outside of the US

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Kerry Mensior

Kerry is a Sergeant with the San Diego PD.  He also earned the designation of Master Training Specialist in the Navy.  He is qualified to teach a wide range of topics.  His current emphasis is Communications.

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Uliks Gjonaj

Uliks is the creator of the Commando Defense Academy Swiss in Switzerland.  He earned his initial certifications in the USA.  He is certified in multiple forms of hand-to-hand and weapons training.  He delivers training to officers throughout Europe, Israel and the US.

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John Combs

John retired from the N. Carolina DOJ in 2016 as Program Director for Subject Control/Arrest Techniques and PT Instructor Training.  He has over 30 years experience in law enforcement and is still a reserve deputy sheriff.  He has instructor certifications in Firearms, Explosives and HAZMAT among others.

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John Lanier

John is a retired lieutenant with over 30 years experience.  He is a 2nd degree black belt in karate, and teaches defensive tactics and physical fitness at Stanly Community College as well as training LE officers throughout the state.

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Kevin McCullough

Kevin has over 37 years experience in law enforcement.  As the Senior Law Enforcement Specialist for the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group he provides training, policy development assistance, and conducts legal and claims investigations for over 300 OK police departments.

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Paul Taylor

Paul is a Senior Instructor and Course Coordinator for the Force Science Institute. He is also a PhD Candidate at the State University of New York where he studies police decision making.  He has over ten years of practical law enforcement experience including time as a department training manager, patrol sergeant, field training officer, and use-of-force instructor.

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Nancy McGee

Nancy served for more than 29 years in theMissouri DPS Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control.   McGee developed and administered the division’s retail beverage server training program, training thousands of servers of alcoholic beverages on proper service techniques and the detection of false identification.

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Al Cobos

Al Cobos has over 30 years of law enforcement experience with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.   He holds a Master’s Degree in Emergency Services Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocational Arts from California State University.

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Ed Kafel

Edward Kafel has been a sworn deputy with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office since 1998.  He has been assigned to the Training Section for the last 16 years.  He is his agency’s primary use of force (UOF) instructor and has developed and taught UOF and de-escalation in his agency’s basic law enforcement academies and annual in-service training.

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Anthony Bandiero

Anthony is the owner of Blue to Gold Law Enforcement Training, a company dedicated to training officers around the country in constitutional law. Blue to Gold’s primary focus is search and seizure, use of force, and interview and interrogation practices.

Anthony worked as a law enforcement officer with experience as both a municipal police officer and sergeant with a state police agency.

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Andrew Casavant

Andrew began his law enforcement career in 1976. Serving with various agencies, he held positions in patrol , field training, SWAT and training. In 2000, he accepted a full time position as the Asst. Director at the University of Illinois, Police Training Institute. In 2004, he went to IRAQ as the Bureau Chief, for the DOJ, in charge of all advanced , specialized and reform training.

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Andrew Williams

Andrew Williams currently serves as a Director of the Firearm Instructors Regional Association located in Trinidad and Tobago. Andrew is responsible for directing and promoting all activities of Law Enforcement training for Instructors. His Law enforcement focus currently is in Instructor Development.

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Kimberly Shaw

Kimberly started her career as a sworn police officer at Temple University Police Department in 1985, and was promoted to Detective in 1993. Early in her career, she became a certified police instructor, teaching in-service and professional development classes to sworn law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania.

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Brian Brooks

Brian began his law enforcement career in 1995.  He is now the Deputy Director of the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy.

 He’s a Custody & Control, Firearms, and Use of Force Instructor,  and instructs classes for the advanced leadership courses at the Academy.  

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Joe Binns

 Joe is a 25 year veteran with the Town of Garner Police Department. He is currently serves as the Bureau Commander over Operations.   Joe has been a certified Instructor 2003 and has taught thousands of hours of inservice as well as creating advanced training in leadership, firearms, public information, and Incident Command.   He holds both firearms and fitness specialized certifications.

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Jon Blum

Jon has more than 27 years of law enforcement and training experience.   As the Basic Law Enforcement Training (or POST) Coordinator for the North Carolina Justice Academy, Jon managed all curriculum research, development, and revision efforts for the State mandated  entry-level certification course.

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James Born

James has been Director of Operations, American Institute for Professional Development, Criminal Justice Curriculum Designers, since 1989.

In the Army he was a Senior Military Police Instructor.  He teaches forensics and crime scene investigation.

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Lon Bartel

Lon became an officer in 1997 and was a LE trainer for over 17 years.  He is recognized by the AZPOST as an expert in defensive tactics, firearms and has been a Master TASER Instructor for 12 years.  He has been certified by Force Science Institute as a Use of Force analyst, and is an Advanced Specialist.

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Salvatore Alioto

Salvatore served on the Wauwatosa PD. He served as a crash reconstructionist, crime scene technician, field training officer and department trainer. In 2006 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant, and then to Lieutenant in 2015.  He currently works for VirTra, Inc. as a law enforcement subject matter expert.

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Michael Clark

Michael served with a federal law enforcement agency.  He was certified in EMT, Combat Lifesaver, Firearms and DT Instructor.  As an academy instructor he has taught firearms, less lethal, and active shooter.

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Derrick Crews

Derrick serves with the Kernersville PD and has over 20 years experience.  He trains defensive tactics, physical fitness, de-decalation, impact weapons and Taser. 

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Don McCrea

Don is a dynamic trainer, expert witness in search and seizure & use of force, author, and peace officer. He spent the past nine years as an academy instructor. Don also founded Premier Police Training, a national training company.

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Nicole Florisi

Nicole started her public safety career in 1999.  She is a recognized expert in DRE, SFST and Domestic Violence.  She was lead negotiator for her department's SWAT team. 

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Tony Montanarella

Tony served eight years in the Marnines and seventeen years as a police officer. He has served as and supervised FTO training, as well as firearms and tactics training.  As part of VirTra he assists users in maximizing the power of their simulator system to enhance officer safety.

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