Our Instructors

Sandy Wall

Director of Training
Officer M. L. "Sandy" Wall is a Master Peace Officer and a 28-year veteran of the Houston Police Department. He has worked in Patrol, Narcotics, and has served 22 years on the HPD SWAT Detail. He has served as an Entry Team Leader for more than 10 years.
He is now retired and is the Training Director for Safariland Training Group. He is also the founder of Less Lethal Solutions, Inc. and the inventor of "TheWallBanger".
He continues to teach for numerous Agencies and Associations both domestic and abroad and continues to carry his Peace Officer's Commission with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. He has been recognized in the U.S. Federal Courts as an expert in Less Lethal Munitions and Tactics. He is on the Advisory Board of the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association, Tactical Response Magazine, and instructs for the FBI, ALERRT, TTPOA, NTOA, LTPOA, ATOA, Florida SWAT Association, CATI, and the US State Department.
Accomplishments include:

• Three Police Chief's Commendations for his actions
• Houston Police "Officer of the Year" award.
• He was the 1999 winner of the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association state-wide "Super SWAT" competition.
• Holds the Houston Police Department's highest rating of "Distinguished Expert" in firearms qualification.
• Recipient of the TTPOA Excellence Award
• Authored several articles for numerous publications, to include Command, Tactical Edge, Law and Order, and Tactical Response.
• Certified instructor in firearms, impact munitions, chemical agents, distraction devices as well as many other levels of force.
• Three-term past president of the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association
• Recipient of the 2006 National Association of Police Officers "Top Cop Award" for the State of Texas.
• Recipient of the TTPOA "Life Time Achievement" Award

Glenn Alfaro

Glenn has served as a San Bernardino County (CA) Sheriff's Deputy for the past 24 years. His current assignment is Recruit Training Officer at the Basic Academy. Past assignments include Narcotics/ SWAT Division, Investigation, Patrol, Corrections, Mobile Field Force and Training. He has previously served on CA POST Committees for Firearms/ Chemical Agents and Force Options Training and Arrest and Control. Glenn has been a Training Academy of BAE Systems Instructor since 2000.

Joel Ashe

Sgt. Ashe has served the last 21 years with Orange County (Fl) Corrections. He previously served 5 years with the Maitland Police Department. Joel currently serves as Platoon Leader for the Orange County Corrections Special Response Team. Joel is instructor certified in Mobile Field Force, Chemical Munitions, Specialty Impact Munitions, Firearms, Shoot House, Dynamic Entry, Mechanical Breaching, and Hostage Rescue. Joel currently teaches the Corrections Tactical Operators Course and has been with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 2003.

Eric Augustus

Eric has worked the last 16 years in Hollywood (FL) Police Department including 14 years with the SWAT Team. During his time in SWAT, has been Team Leader for 10 years. He has served in the Florida Army National Guard for 19 years with the 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne). Eric has been with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 1997.

David Blasingame

David has served the last 18 years with the Irving (TX) Police Department and has been assigned with the Irving SWAT Team for eleven years, the last two as Team Leader. He has been a Training Academy of BAE Systems Instructor since 2001.

Steve Cox

Steve has been in law enforcement since 1986 with the last 19 years in the State of Texas. He is currently assigned to the Special Operations/SWAT Section of his department where he serves as Team Leader. His past assignments include Patrol, Criminal Investigations and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force. Steve has a B.S. Degree and is a member of the NTOA and TTPOA. Besides being an instructor in Chemical and Less-Lethal munitions, Steve also instructs numerous other SWAT related courses and has been an Instructor with BAE Systems since 2007.

Paul DaPra

Paul has over 15 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and has over 5 years in the military. For two of those years he was assigned as an instructor at Silver Flag Alpha, which is the Air Force Security Police desert warfare-training center.

Paul has over 8 years SWAT experience including extensive experience as the lead chemical agent team member. He has been teaching for the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 1996.

Rich Emberlin

Rich has been with the Dallas Police Department since 1987. During that time he has served as a Field Training Officer in patrol and worked undercover in Narcotics before joining the SWAT team. He has been a member of Dallas SWAT for over 11 years and currently serves as an Entry Team Leader. Rich has instructed on the local and state levels in such areas as Tactical Pistol, Impact Munitions, Chemical Agent, OC, and Diversionary Device Instructor, and has instructed for the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association. Rich has been featured on A&E episodes of “Dallas SWAT”. Rich has been with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 2006.

K. Thor Eells

Thor has over sixteen years of law enforcement experience with the Colorado Springs (CO) Police Department. He has served in patrol, investigations, and SWAT. Thor has spent more than five years as a member of the full-time tactical team, where he was assigned to the entry team. He is an Instructor in SWAT-related courses nationwide and has extensive experience in less-lethal munitions and has been certified as an expert witness. Sgt. Eells is also a certified paramedic. He has been an instructor with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 1997.

Johnny Hyde

Johnny has more than 22 years of law enforcement experience and corrections experience. He has served the last 16 years with the Palm Beach County (FL) Sheriff's Office, six of those as a Counter-Sniper with the Special Response Team and eight years with the Emergency Field Force Team. Johnny is still active in the United States Marine Corps with over 26 years of duty. For the last 10 years, he has been assigned as a Reserve Agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service specializing in Anti-Terrorism. Johnny has been an instructor with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 2001.

Mike Johnson

Mike has been with the Tucson (AZ) Police Department since 1996. He has been assigned to Patrol, Community Response Team, and the Gang Tactical Unit. He is also a member of the Tucson SWAT Team, the Mobile Field Force Team, and is an AZ POST certified instructor. He has been an instructor with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 2003.

Patrick Kemmerer

Rick is retired from the Maryland Division of Correction after 23 years. He retired as the full time Director of Tactical Operations at Maryland DOC HQ. Rick's responsibilities included project manager for all tactical operations, firearms projects, and defensive tactics projects. Rick was also the use of force specialist. He also held previous positions as training coordinator, firearms instructor, lead tactical instructor trainer and unit manager of the Special Handling Unit. Rick has moved on to his second career in law enforcement as a Patrol Deputy with the Washington County ( Maryland ) Sheriff's Office. He has been with The Training Academy of BAE Systems since 2003.

Mike Mello

Mike is currently employed by the Huntington Beach (CA) Police Department as a Sergeant for Patrol. Mike has over 20 years law enforcement experience including FTO, Beach Detail, Air Support, Special Enforcement Unit, Gang Unit, Use of Force Coordinator and Tactical Team Leader. He has over 13 years teaching experience in various areas. He has been an instructor for the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 2000.

John Mulcahy

John has over 15 years of law enforcement experience with the Southbridge Massachusetts Police Department where he currently works as a Patrol Sergeant. He serves as a Tactical Team Leader for a 17 city Joint SWAT Team and is an instructor in numerous areas. He has been with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 2003.

Douglas Ross

Doug has over 17 years experience in law enforcement and has been with the Longmont (CO) Police Department since 1989. He currently is assigned to Patrol and serves as the Tactical Team Leader in SWAT. He is the lead instructor in Field Force Tactics, Active Shooter and less-lethal. He is also a Monadnock® Instructor Trainer and has been with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 1996.

Lloyd Rue

Lloyd has over 29 years of law enforcement experience and is currently serving with the St. Martin Parish (LA) Sheriff's Office. He has previously served as SWAT Commander, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Lloyd has served as a firearms instructor for over 20 years. He is currently serving as Director of LA POST Basic Law Enforcement Academy. He has been an instructor with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 1996.

Jeffrey M. Satur

Jeff has over 22 years experience in law enforcement. Jeff has been with the Longmont Police Department (Colorado) since 1989 and is currently assigned to Detectives as a Sergeant. He has served in patrol, detectives and SWAT. Jeff has been a member of the tactical team since 1991 and currently serves as the Tactical Team Leader. He is also certified as a Bomb Technician through the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School. Jeff is an instructor in SWAT - related courses and has an extensive experience with less-lethal munitions. Jeff graduated from the FBI National Academy in 2007. Jeff has been an instructor with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 1996.

Simon Robb

Simon has over 12 years experience in Law Enforcement. He began his career with the Clay County Sheriffs Office (Florida) in 1997 where he served for 5 years. During this time he was assigned to Patrol, the Traffic Motorcycle Unit, Traffic Homicide, and was a member of the SWAT team for four years. Simon has been with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (Florida) since 2002. During this time he has served in Patrol, Career Criminal Unit, Gang Intelligence Unit and was a Special Deputy with the U.S. Marshal's Task Force Fugitive Apprehension Team. Simon has been a member of the SWAT team since 2004, serving as Grenadier and Team Leader. Simon is now a Sergeant assigned to Patrol and continues to serve as an Assistant Team Leader with SWAT. Simon has a B.A. from the University of North Florida and is a Florida Firearms and General Instructor. Simon is an instructor on numerous SWAT related topics and has been a Safariland Training Group instructor since 2008.

Dave Standen

David has been a police officer for 26 years. As a police officer with the Springfield , MA Police Department he has worked patrol, with the DEA task force and as an Academy Instructor assigned as the recruit training coordinator and primary defensive tactics instructor. For the last 10 years, Standen has worked as the defensive coordinator for the Municipal Police Training Committee, which is the state agency responsible for police training and standards for all municipal Police Departments in Massachusetts . In this position, he has written the State's Defensive Tactics Program and Use of Force Program. He has certified and re-certified hundreds of instructors in defensive tactics, OC, baton and use of force. He is certified in numerous disciplines relating to defensive tactics, use of force and firearms and is a frequent presenter at ASLET, ILEETA and Monadnock® Seminars. He is also an International Instructor for the Monadnock® Training Council. He has co-author of two books entitled "Vehicle Stops: Safety Strategies and Tactical Procedures" and " Terry Stops: Safety Strategies and Tactical Procedures ." He has been with The Training Academy of BAE Systems since 2004.

Sam Todd

Sam Todd is a 16-year veteran of the Kent (OH) Police Dept. A Sergeant for the last six years, his current assignment is Detective Bureau Sgt. He has been a member of Metro SWAT for the past 14 years with assignments to the Entry team, Sniper Team, and Firearms and Tactical Instruction Staff. Sam is the current Sniper Team Leader and Sr. Team Leader on Metro SWAT. He is the departmental Rangemaster and a certified instructor in Chemical and Less Lethal Munitions, Rapid Deployment and a basic academy instructor. Sam is the current President of the Ohio Tactical Officers Association and is a current member/Instructor of National Tactical Officers Association. Sam was awarded the NTOA Valor Award in 1996 for actions during a 1995 high risk warrant. He has been with the Training Academy of BAE Systems since 2006.

Daryl F. Johnson

Daryl is currently employed as the Operations Manager/Chief of Security for a NASA Protective Services contract in New Orleans. After a 20 yr military career, he spent the next 13 years in law enforcement as an officer at Colorado Springs Police Department and 2 yrs as Captain of Police at Alabama State University. Daryl has worked as a full time SWAT Team member as well as a training academy instructor. Daryl is a 6th Degree Black Belt (Master Instructor) of Sanuces Ryu Jiu-Jitsu. He has instructed DT, firearms, and use of force to military, law enforcement and martial arts organizations nationally and internationally. Daryl is an Advisory Board member for ILEETA and an active NTOA member. Daryl has been an instructor for the Safariland Training Group since early 2009.