Episodes

  • Informants and the Bad Choices They Make

    Informants and the Bad Choices They Make
    Oct 13 2025
    Good informants are a critically important part of the law enforcement universe. They are double-edged swords though and sources can end a promising law enforcement career very quickly. Given their importance, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies evaluate their investigators in part on how many sources they have developed and how productive they have been. The steps that precede someone becoming an informant are often one or a series of bad choices coupled with an extra helping of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. One could argue that the decision to become an informant is just the latest in a series of bad decisions. I say that now because my performance evaluation is no longer dependent on source development. Otherwise, I would probably place more emphasis on the many positive aspects of playing for Team USA.
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    21 mins
  • Complaint Duty: Tin Foil Hats and Elvis’s Love Child

    Complaint Duty: Tin Foil Hats and Elvis’s Love Child
    Aug 5 2025
    FBI field offices serve and are apart of the communities where they are located, what most people don't realize is there is an open communication channel between the FBI and members of the community. Phone calls and walk-ins take place everyday, all day. And when members of the public report suspected crimes, acts of terrorism, or espionage, it's a critically important function and they direct emergency response as the reports unfold. This vital function is referred to as complaint duty, and the person designated to receive complaints serves as the Duty Agent. Duty Agents receive information from the public and from other law enforcement agencies. They assess information, determine what action(s) should be taken in response.
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    28 mins
  • Fugitives, Traffickers and ER Docs

    Fugitives, Traffickers and ER Docs
    Jun 29 2025
    The FBI has jurisdiction when felons cross state lines to evade prosecution, referred to as Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution or UFAP. Arrests require careful planning. And yet the Yiddish proverb: “people plan, God laughs” often fits. Working civil rights cases against sworn police officers and deputy sheriffs was stressful and challenging especially since in a small FBI field office like Memphis, you may end up working alongside some of those same police officers working a bank robbery, a kidnapping or a fugitive case as Kevin and I both did. Although all three of these topics and very serious and potentially very dangerous, my partner and I managed to find the humor in just about everything. We hope you do too.
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    31 mins
  • Bank Robbery is a Very Stupid Crime

    Bank Robbery is a Very Stupid Crime
    Jun 27 2025
    Today’s episode is the continuation of a new series in which my former FBI Colleague Kevin Cearlock and I explore the funnier side of the FBI based on our own experiences and our friends. Law enforcement is full of great story tellers. Hard to say whether storytellers tend to become law enforcement officers in disproportionate numbers or, perhaps more likely, it’s the fact that ridiculous things sometimes happen during the course of one’s law enforcement career and they can make for some great stories. Some of the best stories Kevin Cearlock and I have relate to bank robberies, and this episode shares one of my favorite stories witnessed first-hand.
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    28 mins
  • You Can't Make This Sh*t Up

    You Can't Make This Sh*t Up
    Jun 27 2025
    Today’s episode is the introduction of a new series in which my former FBI Colleague Kevin Cearlock and I explore the funnier side of the FBI based on our own experiences and our friends.
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    26 mins