In the Chill of the Night

Full episode available here: https://youtu.be/ts5UbfdH5ek Welcome to Episode 20 of In the Chill of the Night. In this episode, George and Pete, with a brief cameo appearance from Ray, are joined by former ATF Senior Executive Carlos Canino - two-time Florida Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, and Medal of Valor awardee. First things first though. We have all seen photo’s in the media like the one shown above of uniformed officers unloading hundreds of kilos of drugs. A record seizure that was intercepted at sea and brought to shore. So what’s wrong with this picture? What’s wrong is that these cops haven’t arrested a drug smuggler, although they are real working cops they are also real “mules” moving the shipment of drugs for transport to their final destination! Highly-paid mules of course, because of the added security they provide - and especially the protection they provide from the long arms of the law. In this episode of “the Chill”, Carlos Canino tells an incredible story of his days working undercover across South Florida and Puerto Rico. It began when he was assigned to a task force in Puerto Rico and fellow task force officers from the Puerto Rico Police Department received information from an informant about corrupt police officers – involved in the drug trade. Carlos was selected to assume an undercover role and he set out to work the case. Hear him tell how he maintained his role and the confidence of the suspects as he walks us through the events that transpired. Undercover work is complicated, stressful, and dangerous work. You’re constantly managing a hundred tasks at the same time while face to face with street-savvy armed criminals - all the while trying to stay true to your cover story. But when those criminals are cops – who know how cops work and the methods they use – the levels of stress, difficulty and danger all rise exponentially. As working cops, they are all armed. Posing as a bad

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtu.be/ts5UbfdH5ek Welcome to Episode 20 of In the Chill of the Night. In this episode, George and Pete, with a brief cameo appearance from Ray, are joined by former ATF Senior Executive Carlos Canino - two-time Florida Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, and Medal of Valor awardee. First things first though. We have all seen photo’s in the media like the one shown above of uniformed officers unloading hundreds of kilos of drugs. A record seizure that was intercepted at sea and brought to shore. So what’s wrong with this picture? What’s wrong is that these cops haven’t arrested a drug smuggler, although they are real working cops they are also real “mules” moving the shipment of drugs for transport to their final destination! Highly-paid mules of course, because of the added security they provide - and especially the protection they provide from the long arms of the law. In this episode of “the Chill”, Carlos Canino tells an incredible story of his days working undercover across South Florida and Puerto Rico. It began when he was assigned to a task force in Puerto Rico and fellow task force officers from the Puerto Rico Police Department received information from an informant about corrupt police officers – involved in the drug trade. Carlos was selected to assume an undercover role and he set out to work the case. Hear him tell how he maintained his role and the confidence of the suspects as he walks us through the events that transpired. Undercover work is complicated, stressful, and dangerous work. You’re constantly managing a hundred tasks at the same time while face to face with street-savvy armed criminals - all the while trying to stay true to your cover story. But when those criminals are cops – who know how cops work and the methods they use – the levels of stress, difficulty and danger all rise exponentially. As working cops, they are all armed. Posing as a bad guy

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtu.be/hHtweUWX4sI Welcome to Episode 19 of In the Chill of the Night. In this episode, Ray and George are joined by Kevin Grogan, a former Savannah Chatham Metro Homicide Cop. Kevin provides a gritty perspective of what it is like to suppress violent crime in Savannah. While Savannah is known for its quaint southern hospitality complete with Spanish moss blanketed trees on its quiet streets, just blocks away lurking in the shadows are dangerous criminals preying on the community. Kevin gives a first hand account of what it is like to buy drugs and guns from dangerous criminals in an effort to keep the community safer in the long run.

RF Factor Episode 25 with James Lightfoot

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtu.be/7yKr7Halt80 In this 25thEpisode of the RF Factor, George and Pete welcome distinguished guest and former Member of Congress Jim Ross Lightfoot for a “fireside chat” on the way it was in Congress when he was there as a member and as the Chairman of a House Sub-committee on Appropriations funding such agencies as the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs and ATF. In his earthy, common man, “Will Rogers'' style he speaks from the heart about the “old days” when he and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle would vigorously disagree on an issue one minute and then all go out to dinner the next, talking about baseball and exchanging the latest news about their families back home. He – like all of us – sees that some of the issues so important to our country today often take a backseat to caustic rants and raves, and misleading claims and counterclaims, all seemingly aimed at gaining power and control rather than solving problems. Listen as he shares the one simple word that he believes needs to be done in order to return to the days when leaders in Congress were able to find common ground and “get good things done”. Indeed, he describes a couple of innovations he himself helped launch involving an agency whose mission involves one of the most concerning and contentious issues today. You will hear him opine that changes are needed, are doable, and must happen - or else . . .

In the Chill of the Night Ep 17 with Lou Valoze

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtu.be/bIPzY3qcKck Welcome to “In the Chill of the Night”, Episode 17 with special guest Lou Valoze, former ATF Agent and long-term undercover agent. Join George and Ray as Lou takes them on a trip down memory lane, from his “lost in space” years in college, to a paper-pusher job that bored him, to the ah-ha moment when he knew where he was headed – toward a “runnin and gunnin” law enforcement career of outstanding public service and personal highs and lows. Lou provides a very candid look into how he went from “grasshopper” to “Master PO” in the undercover arena. He shares some of the good, the sad, and the ugly – things that worked well along the way and some not so much. He’ll share some stories that are “pure gold” – literally – and some that are SNL funny – at least in its heyday. Like how he was selected to infiltrate his first “outlaw biker” gang and how his first run turned out – “hey man was that 1 down and 4 up”? Oh, and how in a Cecil B. DeMille type takedown in a strip club - he unintentionally launched the beat-down of an undercover colleague as he was getting ready to call in the troops. Lou did it all from, small buys to big buys, and small fries to large guys. As he matured in his roles, he perfected and embraced the Undercover Storefront Operation – he wrote a book about it: Storefront Sting: An ATF Agent's Life Undercover. Now imagine if you will, a cross between the storefront magnate extraordinaire Sam Walton and a young tough MMA Fighter of Italian heritage - that’s Lou Valoze when it comes to the storefront sting. He gravitated to the storefront operations for – pardon the pun – the bang for the buck. It was a place for buying more crime guns and kilos - check out on register 5. A way to get more guns and drugs and criminals off the street in the shortest time possible. Lou is candid about what worked and what didn’t and some of

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/IliDkPQcuZg Welcome to Episode 18 of In the Chill of the Night. In this episode, Ray and George are joined by Guest Ken Croke, a former ATF undercover Agent who infiltrated the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Gang in New York and became a patched member and Sergeant at Arms. A very unique achievement indeed, to be able to pass the strict, thorough, and albeit unorthodox process that the gang uses to vet the backgrounds of its potential members to screen out anyone, especially cops, who may pose a threat to the “club”. Unorthodox, in the sense that if you fail to pass the background – you die. Ken shares just enough of his story to make you want to log right on to Amazon and order his book: Riding with Evil, which he wrote with Dave Wedge, a New York Times Bestselling Author. Ken’s story takes you into a world of bikes and bikers, crime and violence, and drugs and depravity, told through a series of vignettes occurring over a two-year period and artistically woven together. Wince, as you listen to Ken describe the “witching hour” the primary method used by the gang to maintain order within the club. Essentially it’s a beat down of the prospects to demonstrate the toughness of becoming a member. Ken will describe what it felt like when he thought his turn had come and some very unpredictable results. Listen as Ken speaks of the wide circle of people he lived amongst everyday – people with names like Roadblock and Hogman. Squirm in your seat, as Ken thinks that his cover is blown and he may not see his family again, how he’s kicked out then invited back in, how he panics for the first time when he realizes that may have been deliberately lured away from his undercover partner. Lastly, hear him discuss the toll it takes on him and his real-life ATF agent wife and children. Most importantly, come to learn a bit more about the types of work that the brave and dedicated men and women of law enforcement do every da

RF Factor Episode 24: with Deon Joseph

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/4YRp_0D3EH8 In this episode, Ray and Pete are joined by LAPD Officer Deon Joseph, who has spent a quarter of a century working amongst the homeless along LA’s Skid Row. Listen as Deon shares his unique insight into this very polarizing issue of homelessness, gained from his first day on patrol - as he crossed Spring Street into the “Mad Max” world of Skid Row. Hear Deon’s stories about his days on patrol, his time spent working undercover in the belly of the ‘beast” along the “skids”, and his continuing leadership and advocacy work in trying to help bring about much-needed change now - before it’s too late. Officer “Joe” as he is called, provides us with a “how we got here from there” glimpse into the history and evolution of Skid Row and other similar enclaves in cities across America. He is candid about questioning just how motivated certain advocacy groups may be to end the homeless crisis when their funding only lasts as long as the problem lasts. Officer Joe, outlines the various causes of homelessness from mental illness, to addiction, to people who have just fallen on hard times and how any solution must be tailored to the cause. He warms about the influx of organized criminals running various criminal enterprises from the “row” including sex trafficking and the distribution of deadly fentanyl and other drugs. Officer Joe, is a man on a quest with deeply held religious convictions that drive him to advocate for a group of people that most folks would prefer not to engage with - or even look at. He speaks for those who can’t speak for themselves. Please - please - please listen to Officer Joe’s three common-sense solutions to dealing with today’s homeless crisis and the inherent problems that affect us all - real solutions rather than another costly band-aid proposal. As a hint as to his Deon Joseph’s Homelessness Solution Number 3, Officer Joe will tell you

RF Factor Episode 23: with Joe Sullivan

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/JVLCDaZFZoI In this 23rd episode of the RF Factor, Pete and George welcome a distinguished guest, Joe Sullivan, former Deputy Commissioner of Patrol Operations and 30 year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department. Joe has experience across just about every element of the department’s special operations and has played a role in just about every critical event occurring in the City during his tenure there. Hear Joe’s thoughts on leadership and accountability, his answer to the question posed to him of whether it’s better for a police commander to be loved or feared within the department may – or may not – surprise you. Most importantly hear Joe’s views on the involvement of the community he served – a common theme throughout his interview. A theme that led him to discuss the importance of using evidence-based data to deploy resources and lead operations that meet the community's needs and concerns by targeting the “right criminals in the right places”. Hear Joe talk about the importance of balancing cross-jurisdictional teamwork, policy-driven tactics, and leveraging technologies, and how regional intelligence centers and focused ones like Crime Gun Intelligence Centers and how crucial they are to helping maintain that balance. Joe’s thoughts on the recruitment and training of new officers are refreshing and provide hope for the future of policing. Most importantly, however, Joe raises a warning on the future of policing in America – a warning heard from our other guests by the way – Joe points out that the preservation of the peace and protection of the public is simply not the sole responsibility of the police and it was never meant to be and it could never succeed that way. We actually rely upon an integrated system involving communities of people and branches of government at various levels. Our system of justice also has many elements and the police are simply one of those el

RF Factor: Episode 22 with Mitch Sklar and John Zebrowski

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/eVG9ACSggyc We have all heard the age-old question concerning leadership. Are leaders born or are they made? Unfortunately, in today’s challenging times we do not have the luxury of waiting for the answer to that question. Instead, we need to find ways to train tomorrow’s leaders today, and at the same time provide today’s leader's opportunities to grow. Listen to George and Ray speak with Mitch Sklar, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (SACOP), and Chief John Zebrowski, President of SACOP, as they discuss some of the challenges police leaders currently face. The guests identify some of the attributes and actions that go into making a great police executive today and provide insight into how aspiring leaders could be preparing today for tomorrow. Mitch and John offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what makes SACOP a unique and exciting organization aimed at cultivating the very best in police executive leadership. Make sure you listen to their vision for the future - a call to action - as to how we can ensure that character and leadership elements can be forever woven into our law enforcement organizations.

RF Factor Ep 21 with Bob Scales

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtu.be/sTDiEac7z3Y The RF Factor is proud to present Episode 21: Just the Ma’am – Just the Facts Somewhat of a “Sherlock Holmes / Sgt. Joe Friday "himself, Bob Scales, is former Federal and State prosecutor, City Councilman, Government Affairs Director, Asst. Public Safety Director, Senior Policy Analyst, now CEO of Police Strategies, LLC. Watch and listen, how this experienced Chief Executive Officer, with a demonstrated history of working in the law enforcement industry and local government, shares his work and insights on matters of Police Reform with Ray and Pete. Bob’s main message on Police Reform, parallels that of Sherlock Holmes, in that it is a capital mistake to opine or develop a theory as to the need for it - before one has the data upon which to base it. To Bob, it’s all about the data – the data and the facts. Every law enforcement and Government leader may want to listen as Bob candidly shares his observations and experiences with Police “Consent Decrees”. You be the judge. Bob’s Team works every day to provide data analytics and dashboard systems for law enforcement agencies. They help police departments make data driven decisions and develop evidence-based policies and training. Another key takeaway from this Episode of the RF Factor, and one that every Police Chief may want to think about, is a proactive approach to look deep inside his or her agency to ask the right questions and collect the right data about the manner in which they provide services. The strategy here being to get out in front of a potential problem and fix it. Also, to be prepared before a crisis to inform and educate the public should questionable accusations arise, with hard data and facts in hand. People want the truth, it is key to building and sustaining trust and confidence in policing services. Abraham Lincoln is credited with pointing this out saying: I am a firm believer in the people. If gi

In the Chill of the Night: Ep 16 with Jonathan Green and Peter Forcelli

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtu.be/FP6chxRPEHU A few months back, ATF Special Agent Pete Forcelli, now retired, introduced us to the ultra violent Sex Money Murder Gang that terrorized a Bronx Housing project some years ago. As a follow up to that 6th episode of "In the Chill of the Night '', we rejoin Pete and the guy who wrote the book, Sex Money Murder, A Story of Crack, Blood, and Betrayal, investigative journalist Jonathan Green for a deeper dive into the operations of this brutal gang. Pete and Jonathan bring you into the crack cocaine caked turf of the Soundview Projects and give you the benefit of their two perspectives, Pete's a cops and robbers one - of crime and punishment, and Jonathan's - a more humanistic perspective that underscores how some kids were able to leverage their street smarts to remain alive amid all the deadly violence and make the best of broken lives. Join George and Ray as they take a wild ride back to the early 1990’s to learn how the Feds brought an end to the carnage SMM delivered to the streets.

RF Factor Episode #20 with John Mueller

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtu.be/J5wdczxYPZI Join Ray and George on this latest episode of the RF Factor, as they tease out leadership, crime fighting, and community centered principles from the experiences of John Mueller, Police Commissioner for the City of Yonkers, New York. Listen as John reminds us of one of Sir. Robert Peel’s core ideals of policing: the police can only earn public support by respecting community principles, and winning their approval will always require hard work to build a sound reputation. John’s strident message of precision policing and accountability ensure that justice for the victims, resolution to their families, and peace to affected communities is squarely in the minds eye of the officers he commands. Listen and learn as John describes what he means when he says, What about tonight??? In other words, when a city is in crisis, a successful day’s end can only be achieved when the police and the community collaborate together to address problems as one.

RF Factor Episode #19 with Neil Schuehle

WATCH FULL EPISODE HERE: https://youtu.be/8YM_1abofms Join Ray and special Guest Host George Belsky on this latest episode of the RF Factor, as they tease out leadership concepts from the experiences of Neil Schuehle, former reconnaissance Marine, and Company Commander. Listen as George, a former Infantry Commander himself and Law Enforcement Senior Executive, and Neil take a short walk down memory lane, then with Ray, begin ferreting out some key leadership points from Neil’s – and George’s - exemplary Military service to our nation. Listen, watch, and learn why Balance Counts. The ability to balance the many aspects of one’s personal life, right down to the uniform you wear and the equipment and tools that you use. Stay tuned in, as they discuss the importance of managing both mental and physical stamina, and hear how and why they arrive at the conclusion that leaders must recognize when to move forward, influencing those things they can and when to take a step back.

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/dSYdckytDTk If we aren’t actually “on the eve of destruction” it seems that we could well be headed that way. Things have certainly seemed as bad and worse back in the day but we found a way out. Tom Hogan, is a lawyer, a former Federal and State Prosecutor, a writer, commentator, and the host of “Gunfire and Tears”, a sub-stack of Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses of Prosecutorial Policies, launched 2 months ago, who knows the problem well. He also knows what works and what doesn’t and what we can do to stave off the “eve” of criminal impunity. Listen as he joins Ray and Pete on the RF Factor to give us his views of the issues from a broad 30,000-foot view right down to a “where the rubber meets the road” view – on the street today. He doesn’t hold back and tells it like it is. Indeed, Tom doesn’t give us a convoluted head-pounding bunch of academic gobbledygook, rather he provides his four pillars of action – a set of common-sensible and clearly defined set of actions designed to preserve the peace and protect the public. For law enforcers, prosecutors, forensic experts, everyone in the Criminal Justice System AND every citizen who thinks rising crime and criminal impunity may be moving us toward the “eve of destruction” as a society - this episode of the RF Factor is a must listen/watch situation. Tune in to listen and ponder Hogan’s Four Pillars.

In the Chill of the Night Episode 15 Derek Maltz

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/Wk_pMAnnacQ Join Ray and Derek Maltz, former DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division, as they discuss the nation’s fentanyl crisis and how social media, cartel greed, China, trends in trafficking patterns, and the potency of this drug have created the perfect deadly storm leaving grieving families throughout the nation. Derek is a staunch advocate for the countless victims of the opioid scourge, which regretfully grows by approximately 300 Americans every day. He passionately describes how the story of how “one pill can kill” is going on throughout America. Unsuspecting victims find themselves ingesting a deadly cocktail of this powerful drug the traffickers are using to increase profit margins. Some may ask why should we care? Because, kids should be learning from their mistakes, not dying from them! Derek’s insights outlined here are critical toward understanding this problem, and advancing solutions to keep Americans safe.

In the Chill of the Night Episode 14 Rich Norcross Searching for the Good

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/Wfsh3wgRn9g “We went back to the house with a search warrant this time. The suspected child abuser was upstairs in his bedroom. His mother called up to him - that we were back to speak to him. He yelled down. It struck me that the tone of his voice was markedly different from our visit just hours ago and that the profanity he used was so disrespectful to his mother even for a bad guy.” Listen to Officer Richard Norcross tell Ray and Pete how in a blink of the eye – he found himself trapped in a surreal fatal funnel of gunfire. How before it ended hours later, in that close-knit New Jersey neighborhood, the shooter would kill his partner Investigator John McLaughlin, and his brother, Officer John Norcross. How he himself, with five gunshot wounds, would technically die twice - and be brought back from the brink of death. Nothing would be the same, for Richard, and the many families impacted - including the neighbors whose homes were riddled with bullets. The months he spent recovering offered ample time to think about how to move on from what would be the worst day in so many lives including his. When you search for the bad things in life you’ll find them. What is equally true is that when you search for the good – you’ll find that too. Richard Norcross chose to look for the good – the many lessons learned, the courage and dedication to duty exhibited that day by so many. Rich would go on to share what he learned with law enforcement officers across the nation. In the nearly 25 years that have passed since that fateful day, his shared experiences have undoubtedly saved lives and it helped him heal too. May God Bless, Investigator McLaughlin, both Officers Norcross, and law enforcers everywhere. Thanks for the work that you do!

RF Factor Mike Sena Episode 17

WATCH FULL VERSION: https://youtu.be/mV0PgucRSnk “On September 11th I got a call – he asked if was I watching what was going on – he said we want to create a new organization in California to deal with this type of threat information – I said I was in - we didn’t even have a name for it – there was no road map but off we went building relationships along the way.” Mike Sena the Executive Director of the Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (NC HIDTA) and the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) walks his talk when it comes to intelligence sharing so come watch and listen as he engages with Ray and Pete about his lessons learned along the long and winding road he is still traversing toward a utopian level of intelligence sharing - where the knowledge of one is truly - the knowledge of all. Mike has a diverse twenty-seven (27) year law enforcement career as a veteran investigator with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the California Department of Justice, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. He serves as the president of the National Fusion Center Association (NFCA), is the chairman of the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC), and is the chairman of the HIDTA Directors' Intelligence Committee. He also serves on law enforcement and homeland security advisory committees for members of the President’s Cabinet, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Attorney General of the United States.

RF Factor with Rachel Bolton King Episode 16

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/AymCeEsh9mE In this RF Factor Podcast, Dr. Rachel Bolton-King, Associate Professor, at Staffordshire University, joins Ray and Pete in a discussion of the challenges facing the entire criminal justice system when it comes to processing comprehensive, accurate, and timely forensic intelligence in general, and in the generation of actionable “crime gun intelligence” in particular. She has an advanced degree in the use of forensic technology, and as a Churchill Fellow, she has traveled extensively outside of the United Kingdom to study ballistic information networks such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) in the United States. Through this work, she has developed a keen understanding of the issues and concerns surrounding the development and use of crime gun intelligence across a wide group of global practitioners. As the Editor in Chief of the Justice Journal of the School of Justice, for “The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences”, she writes extensively on her life’s passion to help improve communication and understanding of the forensic sciences across the world’s criminal justice systems. To follow Rachel’s research and Churchill Fellowship investigating latest advances in gun crime technologies, please visit her blog: https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/research4justice/justice-toolkit/gun-crime-investigations/

RF Factor with Sasha Larkin Episode 15

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/K2H6_345T-8 From Ballet Bar to Patrol Car to Command Bars She took a path less traveled in leaps and bounds from professional ballet dancer to top cop. Listen, and be inspired, just as Ray and Pete were, as Sasha Larkin, Deputy Chief, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, puts the CP in the word COP. Her passion is contagious as she describes how she adopted a mantra of “command presence” to sustain her success “on the job” and her deeply held - almost spiritual - belief in the need for more engaged community policing. Make sure you catch her somewhat unnerving description of why not once - but three times - the mechanics in the police garage had to replace the hood of her patrol car!

In the Chill of the Night Episode 13: The DC Sniper with Mike Bouchard

WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/1sNwY4uTgHk For 23 days in October of 2002, the more than five million people living across the region known as the Washington DC Beltway lived in fear for their lives. They had a right to be. Somebody was shooting at them as they went about their daily routines, gassing up their cars, waiting for a bus, going shopping and just relaxing outside on a bench. It would change the behavior of thousands - you’d see them running zigzag patterns across parking lots to the safety of indoor shelter. Others would sit slumped down in the driver seat of their cars after locking the gas pump nozzle to hands-free, hoping that they would be concealed from the killer's sights. At first, it seemed as though the killer or killers were ghosts, that is until they began to regularly engage with and taunt the investigators with their demands. Law enforcement responded with dogged determination. It ended with the capture of an unlikely duo of stone-cold killers -- but not until 10 innocent people would die and 3 more would be seriously injured. Watch and listen to retired ATF Special in Charge, Mike Bouchard, one of the operation’s senior commanders, take you inside what has been called the largest manhunt ever conducted in the United States.