Law Enforcement Talk: True Crime and Trauma Stories
John "Jay" Wiley, Bleav

Latest episode
742 episodes
- An Hour-Long Life-or-Death Battle Before His Police Career. A convoy of 20 trucks was moving through Iraq when the attack began. The soldiers protecting it were outnumbered. The civilian drivers were counting on them to find a way through. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. #LawEnforcementTalk #Free #Podcast #Radio
Staff Sgt. Chad Malmberg, a Minnesota National Guard soldier from St. Paul, led 15 soldiers in the fierce firefight south of Baghdad. For roughly an hour, his unit fought to defend the convoy and the people inside it. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin.
Three times, Malmberg left the protection of his armored vehicle to fire a rocket or throw grenades at the attackers. When the battle ended, the convoy had escaped. No soldiers or civilian drivers had been killed or wounded. Not one vehicle was lost. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
Malmberg’s actions earned him the Silver Star for gallantry in combat. He became the first Minnesota National Guard member since World War II to receive the medal. At a ceremony before about 1,000 soldiers and family members at St. Paul RiverCentre, then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty described him plainly: “He’s a hero, no question about it.” An Hour-Long Life-or-Death Battle Before His Police Career.
Malmberg credited the training, weapons, and courage of the soldiers under his command. He recalled something his father had told him when he was young:
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but it’s the size of the fight in the dog. That day, we had a lot of fight in us,” Malmberg said.
The wounds no one could see
The convoy made it out without a physical injury to a soldier or driver. But surviving a battle does not mean leaving it behind. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram.
Malmberg says many of the men he led struggled afterward with mental health challenges. He did, too. Their experience is a reminder that the effects of combat can follow service members home, even when the people around them see no obvious wound.
For Malmberg, coming home also meant beginning another demanding career. His father and uncle had served as police officers, and he followed them into law enforcement, joining the St. Paul Police Department. An Hour-Long Life-or-Death Battle Before His Police Career.
The setting had changed from Iraq to Minnesota. The responsibility to make decisions under pressure remained. Police officers routinely respond to violence, crises, injuries, and people experiencing some of the worst moments of their lives. Those experiences can accumulate, while the pressure to appear unaffected can make it difficult to ask for help.
In this special episode of the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, Malmberg speaks about his own struggles, what helped him move forward, and what he still does to maintain the life he has built. His account connects two conversations that are too often kept separate: the mental health of combat veterans and the mental health of police officers. The episode is available across major platforms including their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, with highlights shared across their Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles.
A new mission after policing
Malmberg eventually left the St. Paul Police Department and co-founded the STORM Training Group with Tom Menton. Their work focuses on defensive tactics, de-escalation, and coordinated team responses for law enforcement agencies.
The training emphasizes control, positioning, and decisions made under stress. Its aim is to give officers practical ways to manage physical encounters while reducing the chances that officers or the people they encounter will be injured.
STORM reports that departments using its training have seen reductions in use of force and injuries. Malmberg discusses those results and the thinking behind the methods in the episode. For someone who has led soldiers through combat and later worked as a police officer, training is more than an abstract policy discussion. It shapes what people are prepared to do when a situation changes in seconds. An Hour-Long Life-or-Death Battle Before His Police Career. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms.
Malmberg’s story is also about what happens after those seconds pass. A successful outcome during a critical incident can still leave lasting effects on the people who were there. He talks about both: the decisions that helped his convoy survive and the personal work that followed him home. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram.
Chad Malmberg’s life-or-death battle took place before his police career began. His story did not end when the gunfire stopped.
Listen to the Free Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or the show’s website. Follow and share the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other Social Media platforms so more veterans, police officers, and families can hear it.
The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast continues bringing listeners real conversations from the front lines of crime, policing, trauma, survival, and healing.
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Listen to the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on their website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and most major podcast platforms.
Get the Free Clubhouse App, it is Drop In Social Audio. Think of it as your own talk radio show on your phone, and best of all it is free. Be sure to look for me and follow me, that’s John J Wiley or @letradioshow you can do all that here.
The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
You can contact John J. “Jay” Wiley by email at Jay@letradio.com , or learn more about him on their website .
Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page , look for the one with the bright green logo.
Listen to the free Podcast on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show website and through major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other Social Media platforms for more real stories about trauma, survival and transformation.
Listen to the Show, share the episode, and follow the latest Radio, Podcast, and News content from the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast.
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An Hour-Long Life-or-Death Battle Before His Police Career.
Attributions
The Storm Training Group
US Army
St. Paul Police Department
Facebook
Facebook Group
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. - How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode. A former undercover police officer explains what families should know about online predators and the digital evidence that can help bring offenders to justice. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
For years, Brett Shavers worked undercover investigating drug and weapons organizations in the Pacific Northwest. Then his work took him into another dangerous world: investigations involving child sexual exploitation and online predators. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. #LawEnforcementTalk #Free #Podcast #Radio
Shavers, a former police officer and digital forensics professional, joins the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast to discuss the demands of undercover work, the trauma of child exploitation investigations, and the evidence investigators must preserve to help build a case. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin.
Why the words matter
Federal law uses the term “child pornography,” but the Department of Justice also calls the images “child sexual abuse images.” That wording makes the reality clearer: the material documents the abuse of a child. When it circulates online, victims may face the knowledge that a record of their abuse remains available to others. Federal law prohibits conduct involving the production, distribution, receipt, and possession of this material. How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram.
Online exploitation can begin wherever children communicate, including Social Media, games, and messaging apps. An offender may try to move a conversation into a private chat, ask a child for images, or pressure the child to keep the exchange secret.
How parents can help keep kids safe
Families do not need to understand every app to start an effective conversation. Parents can ask who their children talk with online, review privacy and chat settings together, and make clear that a child can ask for help without fearing blame. The Federal Trade Commission recommends talking early and regularly about online safety; parental controls can support those conversations. The episode is available across major platforms including their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, with highlights shared across their Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles.
Children should know that someone they meet online may not be who they claim to be. If a person requests sexual images, threatens them, or pushes them to keep a relationship secret, they should tell a trusted adult. Suspected online child sexual exploitation can be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline. How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms.
From a device to a prosecution
Digital forensics can help investigators identify devices and accounts, preserve electronic evidence, examine relevant files and communications, and present findings in a form prosecutors and courts can evaluate. Careful documentation matters throughout the process: investigators need to explain where evidence came from and how it was handled.
Shavers brings that investigative perspective to a difficult conversation. His career spans undercover operations and the painstaking examination of digital evidence in cases involving children. The episode looks at the human cost of this work while keeping the focus where it belongs: protecting children and holding offenders accountable. How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast continues bringing listeners real conversations from the front lines of crime, policing, trauma, survival, and healing.
Listen to Brett Shavers on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast. Find the episode through the show’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages, or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For information about his digital forensics consulting and industry-specific Books, visit Brett Shavers’ website.
Please listen, share this Special Episode, and help others discover the realities of hostage negotiation, fallen officers, television police work, and the man behind the badge.
Please listen, follow and share this remarkable story.
Listeners can find the show across Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other podcast and social media platforms.
Learn and get access to money saving tips and how to increase your net worth at www.LetSavings.com
Download the Free Ebook about ways and tips to improve your health. You can get the ebook for free at www.LetHealthy.com
Listen to the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on their website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and most major podcast platforms.
Get the Free Clubhouse App, it is Drop In Social Audio. Think of it as your own talk radio show on your phone, and best of all it is free. Be sure to look for me and follow me, that’s John J Wiley or @letradioshow you can do all that here.
The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
You can contact John J. “Jay” Wiley by email at Jay@letradio.com , or learn more about him on their website .
Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page , look for the one with the bright green logo.
Listen to the free Podcast on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show website and through major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other Social Media platforms for more real stories about trauma, survival and transformation.
Listen to the Show, share the episode, and follow the latest Radio, Podcast, and News content from the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast.
Be sure to check out our website .
Be sure to follow us on X , Instagram , Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news.
Follow the Law Enforcement Today Radio Show and Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube for more powerful interviews with law enforcement officers, survivors, first responders, and others whose lives have been changed by crime and trauma.
How To Keep Kids Safe From Pornographers, Plus the Investigations and Prosecutions. Special Episode.
Attributions
Brett Shavers
Missing Kids
D.O.J.
Facebook
Facebook Group
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. On The TV Show COPS: Hostage Negotiator and Life Behind the Badge. Special Episode
20/09/2026 | 37 mins.On The TV Show COPS: Hostage Negotiator and Life Behind the Badge. Special Episode. The retired Broward County Sheriff’s Sergeant discusses fallen officers, high-stakes negotiations, his appearance on COPS, and the experiences behind his books. When the worst happens, someone has to respond and someone has to remain calm enough to handle the crisis. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin.
Retired Broward County Sheriff’s Sergeant Glenn Topping knows that responsibility well. During a decorated law enforcement career in South Florida, he confronted hostage situations, investigated the killing of one of the deputies he supervised, experienced the loss of other law enforcement officers, and appeared On The TV Show COPS. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
Topping joins host John J. “Jay” Wiley for a Special Episode of the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast to discuss the realities hidden behind the uniform. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. #LawEnforcementTalk #Free #Podcast #Radio
“When the worst happens, someone has to respond and handle it,” is the central truth behind Topping’s story.
His journey stretches from Queens, New York, to the United States Army and eventually to one of the largest public safety agencies in the nation. It is a story of service, violence, loss, resilience, and the loving family that helped give his life new meaning. On The TV Show COPS: Hostage Negotiator and Life Behind the Badge. Special Episode.
From Queens to the United States Army
Glenn Topping grew up in Queens, New York, with his parents and two sisters. As a young boy, he had no way of knowing that his path would eventually lead him into military service, South Florida law enforcement, hostage negotiation, television, and writing. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram.
He began his career as a military police officer in the United States Army and became a veteran sergeant. After leaving the Army, he entered civilian law enforcement in South Florida and went on to become a decorated deputy sheriff sergeant with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
His progression from a young boy in Queens to a military police veteran and experienced sheriff’s sergeant later became an important part of the story told in his autobiographical work.
“A young boy’s pursuit of a dream” became more than the theme of a book. It became a description of Topping’s life.
Serving With the Broward County Sheriff’s Office
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office, commonly known as BSO, is one of the largest full-service public safety agencies in the United States. It employs more than 5,400 people, including nearly 3,400 sworn law enforcement officers, detention deputies, and fire rescue personnel. On The TV Show COPS: Hostage Negotiator and Life Behind the Badge. Special Episode. The episode is available across major platforms including their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, with highlights shared across their Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles.
For years, BSO was also recognized as one of the country’s largest fully accredited sheriff’s offices before losing that accreditation by unanimous vote in 2019.
The size and scope of the agency reflect the community it serves. Broward County is part of the Miami metropolitan area and the South Florida region. With 1,944,375 residents recorded in the 2020 census, it is Florida’s second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous county in the United States.
Policing such a large and diverse county brings officers and deputies into contact with nearly every kind of emergency. For Topping, some of those calls and investigations would remain with him for the rest of his life.
Deputy, Police, Trooper Killed: The Cost Behind the Headlines
The phrase Deputy, Police and Trooper Killed may appear as a headline, but for law enforcement families and agencies, it represents an intensely personal loss.
Topping experienced that reality when he investigated the killing of one of the deputies under his supervision. He also confronted other line-of-duty deaths involving law enforcement officers throughout his career.
Those cases were not merely files or statistics. The fallen officers were colleagues, friends, subordinates, and members of an extended law enforcement family.
“Life-and-death situations changed his life forever,” Topping’s story makes clear.
The loss of family members, friends, colleagues, and coworkers, many to violence, left lasting scars that did not disappear when an investigation ended.
In this Special Episode, he speaks about the difficult responsibility of investigating an officer’s death while also processing the grief that comes with losing someone he knew and supervised. His account reveals a side of police work rarely seen by the public: officers may be expected to mourn, lead, investigate, and continue answering calls at the same time. On The TV Show COPS: Hostage Negotiator and Life Behind the Badge. Special Episode. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms.
Sheriff Negotiation: When Every Word Matters
Topping also served as a hostage negotiator for the sheriff’s office, an assignment in which patience and communication can mean the difference between life and death.
A Sheriff's Hostage Negotiation is far more complicated than simply talking to a person in crisis. Negotiators must remain composed while communicating with people who may be armed, suicidal, emotionally unstable, or holding others against their will.
At the same time, they must coordinate with tactical officers, commanders, emergency personnel, and other members of the response team.
Every word matters. So do timing, tone, patience, and the ability to listen.
The goal is often to slow a dangerous situation down, establish trust, gather information, and create an opportunity for a peaceful resolution. Yet negotiators must work with the knowledge that a sudden action or misunderstood phrase could change everything.
Topping’s experiences offer a rare look at the emotional control required to communicate during a crisis while lives hang in the balance. They also show why the work can remain with a negotiator long after the scene has been cleared.
On The TV Show COPS: A View From Inside the Patrol Car
Topping was also featured On The TV Show COPS, placing part of his law enforcement career before a national television audience.
Produced by Langley Productions, COPS premiered on the Fox network on March 11, 1989. The American documentary television series is currently in its 38th season and has become known for following police officers and sheriff’s deputies during patrols, calls for service, narcotics investigations, prostitution stings, and the execution of search and arrest warrants. Some episodes have also featured state and federal agencies. On The TV Show COPS: Hostage Negotiator and Life Behind the Badge. Special Episode. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast continues bringing listeners real conversations from the front lines of crime, policing, trauma, survival, and healing.
The show’s style traditionally uses no narration, scripted dialogue, incidental music, or added sound effects. Instead, viewers experience events through the officers’ comments and the actions of the people they encounter, creating the program’s familiar “fly on the wall” perspective.
Most episodes contain three self-contained segments, often concluding with one or more arrests.
But even an unscripted television program can show only part of what an officer experiences. Cameras may capture the call, pursuit, or arrest, but they cannot always reveal the years of training behind an officer’s decisions or the emotional consequences that may follow.
Topping’s appearance on COPS gives him a distinctive perspective on the difference between watching law enforcement on television and living with the responsibility of the badge every day.
Books Inspired by Violence, Loss, and Survival
Beyond his military and law enforcement service, Glenn Topping is an accomplished author of several Books rooted in experiences that shaped his life.
His most recent book, Look, a Quarter: A Young Boy’s Pursuit of a Dream, chronicles his journey from childhood in Queens through military service and a decorated law enforcement career in South Florida.
The book explores both the good and the bad: childhood dreams, professional success, life-and-death encounters, and the losses that permanently changed him. Topping writes about family members, friends, colleagues, and coworkers who died, many as a result of violence. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium, Blogspot and Linkedin.
Yet his story does not end in tragedy. It ultimately leads to the loving family he built and the purpose he found after years of confronting violence and death.
His first novel, The Hurt, grew from another traumatic experience. It follows Topping’s story surrounding the drive-by shooting death of a friend from a South Florida club where they worked during the early 1980s. On The TV Show COPS: Hostage Negotiator and Life Behind the Badge. Special Episode.
The title captures the lasting damage caused by violent crime, not only to the person killed, but also to the friends, relatives, coworkers, and witnesses who must live with what happened.
The Hurt is available online through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Xlibris, Kindle, and Nook.
A Special Episode About the Reality Behind the Badge
This Special Episode is more than a conversation about a retired deputy or a famous television program. It is an examination of what police work can demand from the people who perform it.
Glenn Topping’s story moves from military police service to South Florida law enforcement, from Sheriff's Hostage Negotiation to the investigation of a subordinate deputy’s death, and from appearing On The TV Show COPS to writing Books about violence, grief, hope, and survival.
His experiences provide an unfiltered look at the responsibilities officers carry when the public calls for help and the memories they may continue carrying decades later.
Listen to Glenn Topping’s full interview on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast. The free Podcast is available on the show’s website and major platforms, including Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and more.
Follow the Law Enforcement Today Radio Show and Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube for more powerful interviews with law enforcement officers, survivors, first responders, and others whose lives have been changed by crime and trauma.
Please listen, share this Special Episode, and help others discover the realities of hostage negotiation, fallen officers, television police work, and the man behind the badge.
Please listen, follow and share this remarkable story.
Listeners can find the show across Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other podcast and social media platforms.
Learn and get access to money saving tips and how to increase your net worth at www.LetSavings.com
For a community of like minded individuals from all over the planet that want to improve their lives, relationships and business. Learn what they need, and develop the life that they’ve always wanted.
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Download the Free Ebook about ways and tips to improve your health. You can get the ebook for free at www.LetHealthy.com
Listen to the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on their website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and most major podcast platforms.
Get the Free Clubhouse App, it is Drop In Social Audio. Think of it as your own talk radio show on your phone, and best of all it is free. Be sure to look for me and follow me, that’s John J Wiley or @letradioshow you can do all that here.
The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
You can contact John J. “Jay” Wiley by email at Jay@letradio.com , or learn more about him on their website .
Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page , look for the one with the bright green logo.
Listen to the free Podcast on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show website and through major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Listen to the Show, share the episode, and follow the latest Radio, Podcast, and News content from the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast.
Be sure to check out our website .
Be sure to follow us on X , Instagram , Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news.
Follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other Social Media platforms for more real stories about trauma, survival and transformation.
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On The TV Show COPS: Hostage Negotiator and Life Behind the Badge. Special Episode.
Attributions
Amazon
Kindle
Wikipedia
COPStv
Facebook
Facebook Group
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.Police During Apartheid in South Africa: The Truth About Their Job and the Hidden War
16/09/2026 | 39 mins.Police During Apartheid in South Africa: The Truth About Their Job and the Hidden War. Former South African police sergeant Nick Howarth reveals the violence, trauma and political warfare he witnessed as a teenage officer in his book, War in Peace: The Truth About the South African Police’s East Rand Riot Unit, 1986–1994. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. #LawEnforcementTalk #Free #Podcast #Radio
Nick Howarth was not merely an observer during one of the most turbulent periods in South Africa’s history. He was on the ground, wearing the uniform and confronting violence that would leave permanent scars on his life. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin.
Howarth joined the South African Police Force in 1986. He was only 17 years old, fresh out of high school, when he entered a world of burning barricades, political unrest, tribal warfare and mass casualties. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
He eventually served as a section commander in the Internal Stability Division, a specialized anti-terrorist and riot-control unit. During nine years of police service, Howarth witnessed scenes of violence and suffering that most people could scarcely imagine.
His experiences are detailed in his gritty firsthand memoir, War in Peace.
“It is the story of a man, a uniform, a fractured nation, and the impossible task of keeping the peace when peace had already broken down.”
A Teenage Police Officer Thrust Into Warfare
At an age when many teenagers are still deciding what they want to do with their lives, Howarth was beginning a dangerous career as a police officer in South Africa. Police During Apartheid in South Africa: The Truth About Their Job and the Hidden War.
The former athlete joined the police believing he was entering a profession devoted to maintaining law and order. Instead, he was quickly thrust into a conflict that often resembled urban warfare.
Howarth and the other officers in his unit patrolled townships in armored Casspir vehicles. They responded to burning barricades, bombings, massacres, shootings and widespread political violence.
The officers frequently found themselves caught between heavily armed groups while attempting to protect residents, recover victims and prevent further bloodshed.
“Bombs, massacres, the murdering of women and children, courage, cowardice, heartache, defeat and victory became part of Howarth’s life.”
The constant violence eventually took an enormous psychological toll. After nine years in the specialized unit, Howarth left police work because of the accumulated stress and trauma. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram.
The uniform was gone, but the memories remained.
The Hidden War During Apartheid in South Africa
During the final years of apartheid, a brutal conflict was raging inside many of South Africa’s townships.
The violence was driven in part by a struggle for political influence between supporters of the African National Congress, led by Nelson Mandela, and the Inkatha Freedom Party, led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The conflict unfolded as the National Party government gradually relinquished power and South Africa moved toward democratic rule. Police During Apartheid in South Africa: The Truth About Their Job and the Hidden War.
More than 20,000 people reportedly died during approximately four years of extreme political and tribal violence.
Yet much of the bloodshed remained hidden from South Africa’s population and the international community. Strict restrictions on journalists and news organizations limited what the local and foreign media could report.
According to Howarth’s account, people outside the townships had little understanding of the daily brutality taking place there.
It was “a brutal African war” that remained largely outside the view of much of the world.
Police During Apartheid in South Africa
Discussions about police during apartheid in South Africa are inseparable from the oppressive system they served and the documented abuses committed under that system. Howarth’s book does not erase that history. Instead, it presents one officer’s firsthand account of working inside a specialized unit during the country’s violent transition. The episode is available across major platforms including their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, with highlights shared across their Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles.
War in Peace: The Truth About the East Rand Riot Unit focuses on ordinary law enforcement officers caught in the middle of political upheaval, community unrest and open warfare.
Howarth describes officers confronting attacks from armed self-defense units, responding to scenes of mass violence and attempting to protect civilians in an environment where the source of the next attack was often impossible to predict.
The book offers a perspective that Howarth believes has been overlooked in sanitized historical accounts and traditional news coverage.
His story raises difficult questions: What was the job really like for the police officers sent into those townships? How did repeated exposure to mutilations, murders and mass casualties affect them? And what happens when a teenage recruit is expected to function like a soldier in a conflict with no clearly defined battlefield? Police During Apartheid in South Africa: The Truth About Their Job and the Hidden War.
Violence That Left Permanent Scars
Howarth describes a world in which women, children and elderly residents were not spared. Race, religion, language, age and gender offered no guaranteed protection from the violence.
He witnessed sacrificial mutilations, symbolic killings and tremendous suffering among township residents. He also saw courage and compassion emerge under the most horrific circumstances.
The violence became so common that it threatened to destroy the humanity of everyone exposed to it.
Howarth watched himself drift into what he described as “the dark depths of hell” while trying not to show fear or emotional weakness. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms.
He spent nine years working in that environment.
They were “nine years that changed his life forever and left scars that not even time can heal.”
The emotional consequences did not disappear when his shifts ended. Eventually, the stress and violence convinced him that he could no longer continue as a police officer.
Why Nick Howarth Wrote War in Peace: The Truth About the East Rand Riot Unit .
For decades, Howarth carried these experiences privately.
He said that writing War in Peace: The Truth About the East Rand Riot Squad gave him an opportunity to document what he saw and explain how the conflict affected the officers and civilians trapped inside it.
The memoir is graphic because the reality was graphic. Howarth does not attempt to soften the violence or present a comfortable version of events.
The book explores bloodshed, political manipulation, endurance and the psychological cost of repeatedly confronting death.
It is also the autobiography of a young man forced to grow up inside an environment defined by fear, hatred and uncertainty.
“This is a story that has never been told before and is so incredible that it is hard to believe it actually happened.”
The first paperback edition became a bestseller, leading to the release of an e-book edition. However, readers should understand that the subject matter is disturbing. Police During Apartheid in South Africa: The Truth About Their Job and the Hidden War. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast continues bringing listeners real conversations from the front lines of crime, policing, trauma, survival, and healing.
As its description warns, “This book and his story are not for the fainthearted.”
The Truth About Their Job
The truth about their job, according to Howarth’s account, was that these officers were expected to operate as policemen, soldiers, rescuers and witnesses to history, all at the same time.
They were policing communities overwhelmed by political instability and armed conflict. Their decisions were often made in seconds, under attack and surrounded by civilians.
Howarth’s story does not offer simple answers or attempt to settle the larger historical debate surrounding apartheid. Instead, it provides one man’s personal testimony about what he witnessed, what he was ordered to do and what nine years of relentless violence did to him.
His experiences demonstrate that surviving physical danger does not mean escaping unharmed. Some wounds remain invisible, emerging through stress, traumatic memories and the struggle to rebuild a life after leaving law enforcement.
Nick Howarth Shares His Story
Today, Nick Howarth lives in South Africa. He joins the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast to discuss his police career, his specialized unit and the experiences that inspired War in Peace: The Truth About the East Rand Riot Unit. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium, Blogspot and Linkedin.
During the interview, Howarth talks about becoming a police officer at 17, spending nine years in an anti-terrorist and riot unit, confronting warfare in the townships and ultimately leaving law enforcement because of the violence and stress. Police During Apartheid in South Africa: The Truth About Their Job and the Hidden War.
His account offers listeners a rare glimpse into police work during apartheid in South Africa and the hidden conflict that accompanied the nation’s transition to democracy.
The interview also examines the personal consequences of serving in a violent environment and why Howarth felt compelled to finally put his memories into a book.
Listen to the free podcast interview with Nick Howarth on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast. It is available through the website and on major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
Follow and share the episode on Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms to help bring attention to this extraordinary story of police work, political warfare, trauma and survival.
His website is townshiptales.com
This episode of the show is brought to you in part by Mars Men. You hit your 30s and 40s, and things start to feel different. Now that I’m in my 60s, I’ve really noticed the change. My energy drops faster. Recovery takes longer. Workouts don’t have the same impact they once did. Most importantly, what worked for me in my 20s simply doesn’t work anymore. So, I started looking for answers. Honestly, the testosterone-support space can be confusing, and much of it sounded sketchy. I don’t want to become a professional bodybuilder. I just want to look and feel more like the old me. Thankfully, I found Mars Men, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Mars Men is made in the USA, third-party tested, and formulated to support healthy testosterone levels, energy and stamina. It’s now available at GNC stores nationwide.
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Please listen, follow and share this remarkable story.
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Learn and get access to money saving tips and how to increase your net worth at www.LetSavings.com
For a community of like minded individuals from all over the planet that want to improve their lives, relationships and business. Learn what they need, and develop the life that they’ve always wanted.
We host weekly rooms on the Clubhouse Drop In Social Audio App. The App and Your Confident Life rooms are free of charge. You can get more information about Clubhouse and Your Confident Life for free here.
Download the Free Ebook about ways and tips to improve your health. You can get the ebook for free at www.LetHealthy.com
Listen to the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on their website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and most major podcast platforms.
Get the Free Clubhouse App, it is Drop In Social Audio. Think of it as your own talk radio show on your phone, and best of all it is free. Be sure to look for me and follow me, that’s John J Wiley or @letradioshow you can do all that here.
The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
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Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page , look for the one with the bright green logo.
Listen to the free Podcast on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show website and through major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Listen to the Show, share the episode, and follow the latest Radio, Podcast, and News content from the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast.
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Police During Apartheid in South Africa: The Truth About Their Job and the Hidden War.
Attributions
Township Tales
Amazom
Facebook
Facebook Group
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.- Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed. He escaped the doomed aircraft moments before takeoff. What happened next triggered years of depression and inspired the question that rebuilt his life. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
Kurek Ashley was living the life many aspiring performers only dream about. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. #LawEnforcementTalk #Free #Podcast #Radio
The retired actor now living in Australia was working in the Philippines on Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection, an action movie starring Chuck Norris. He was surrounded by friends, building a Hollywood career and looking toward a promising future. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin.
Then, on May 16, 1989, everything changed.
Ashley had recently stepped out of a helicopter being used during filming. The aircraft took off without him to perform a low-level aerial maneuver, but it never completed the mission.
The helicopter suddenly veered, plunged into a ravine and burst into flames.
Four people died in the immediate aftermath. A fifth member of the production later died from his injuries.
Ashley escaped the aircraft without a physical injury, but he could not escape what happened next.
His close friend, key grip Mike Graham, died in his arms while being transported to the hospital. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram.
For Ashley, surviving was only the beginning.
A Hollywood Movie Set Became the Scene of a Tragedy
The fatal helicopter crash happened near Tagaytay in the Philippines during production of the Chuck Norris film. Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed.
The aircraft was carrying eight people when it went down near a large unfinished mansion. The helicopter fell approximately 40 feet into a ravine before erupting in flames.
The crash initially claimed four lives: key grip Mike Graham, gaffer Don Marshall, cinematographer Gadi Danzig and Filipino pilot Jojo Imperial. Actor and stunt performer Geoff Brewer later died from his injuries, bringing the final death toll to five. Contemporary reports confirmed the four initial deaths, while the film’s production history records Brewer’s later death.
Three other people aboard the helicopter survived with serious injuries. Chuck Norris was not on the aircraft.
Ashley had been on the helicopter shortly before it departed.
That one decision, to step out before takeoff, separated him from the friends and colleagues who were carried into the ravine. The episode is available across major platforms including their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, with highlights shared across their Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles.
It was the type of moment that can divide a life into two distinct parts: everything before the crash and everything after it.
He Survived Without Physical Injuries, but the Trauma Followed Him
Ashley walked away physically unharmed, but the emotional and psychological consequences were devastating.
The former Hollywood actor struggled with severe depression for approximately two years. He had witnessed the sudden deaths of people he knew and loved. One of his closest friends had died in his arms.
The questions that follow a traumatic survival can be relentless.
Why did he get out of the helicopter?
Why did he survive when others did not?
What was he supposed to do with the life he had been given?
Those questions could not be answered by another movie role or another achievement. The success he had once pursued no longer held the same meaning. Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms.
The crash had taken five lives. It had also shattered Ashley’s understanding of his own life and forced him to search for a new purpose.
From Actor to Author and Speaker
Ashley eventually experienced what he describes as a personal transformation rooted in love.
Instead of allowing the tragedy to define the rest of his life, he began rebuilding from the inside. His pain became part of a larger mission: helping other people change the thoughts, emotions and decisions shaping their lives.
The Actor On A Fatal Helicopter Crash, How His Life Changed story eventually became inseparable from Ashley’s work as an author and speaker.
He went on to write the book "How Would Love Respond?", presenting a spiritual toolkit for directing the thought patterns that influence success, failure, relationships and personal fulfillment.
At the center of the book is one powerful question:
“How would love respond?”
For Ashley, those four words are more than the title of a book. They represent a way to interrupt fear, anger and despair before making a decision. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast continues bringing listeners real conversations from the front lines of crime, policing, trauma, survival, and healing.
The question asks people to pause and consider whether their next response will be driven by pain, or by the person they want to become.
The Question That Changed His Decisions
Ashley’s transformation did not erase the helicopter crash or bring back the friends who died.
It changed what he did with the pain.
His message is that people may not control every tragedy that enters their lives, but they can work to control what that tragedy creates within them. Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium, Blogspot and Linkedin.
That belief became the foundation of his work as a speaker and personal-development leader. He has shared his message with audiences around the world, encouraging people to examine how their thoughts produce the emotions and actions shaping their lives.
His mission grew from one of the darkest days imaginable.
It is a reminder that survival alone is not always the end of a traumatic event. Survivors may carry guilt, grief, depression and unanswered questions long after their visible injuries have healed, or even when there were no visible injuries at all.
A Career That Included Recognizable Hollywood Films
Before devoting his life to writing, speaking and personal transformation, Ashley worked as an actor in Hollywood productions.
His credits included appearances connected with titles such as Airheads, Maniac Cop 2 and Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection, along with other movie and television projects.
Yet his most important role may have begun after he stepped away from Hollywood.
The survivor became an author.
The actor became a speaker.
The man overwhelmed by depression began helping other people confront their own pain and reclaim their lives.
Kurek Ashley Tells His Story on the Podcast
Kurek Ashley is the guest on this compelling episode of the nationally syndicated Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast. Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed. Listen to this powerful episode of the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast as Kurek Ashley discusses the fatal crash, nearly dying afterwards and finding the higher purpose that ultimately changed his life.
He discusses the day a movie set became the scene of a fatal helicopter crash, the death of his friend, the depression that followed and the transformation that gave his survival a new meaning.
This is not simply a story about an actor or a Hollywood accident.
It is a story about trauma, survivor’s guilt, purpose and the decision to build a new life after the old one has been destroyed.
Ashley also explains the message behind his Book, How Would Love Respond?, and how one question can change the direction of a decision, and possibly an entire life.
From Tragedy to a Mission Built on Love
Five people ultimately died because of the helicopter crash connected to Delta Force 2.
Ashley survived because he had exited the aircraft shortly before its final flight.
The physical escape took only moments.
The emotional escape took years.
His journey from Hollywood actor to bestselling author and international Speaker shows that surviving tragedy and healing from it are not the same thing.
Healing required Ashley to confront his depression, reconsider the meaning of his life and transform unbearable loss into a mission focused on helping others.
The interview is available through the show’s website and across major platforms, including Apple, Spotify and YouTube. Follow and share the episode on Facebook and Instagram to help bring greater awareness to PTSD, and the long road from trauma to recovery.
You can also follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for more true stories involving police officers, survivors, crime victims, veterans, and first responders.
The question at the center of his work remains simple:
“How would love respond?”
The answer changed Kurek Ashley’s life.
His story may change the way others respond to their own pain.
Listen to the Free Interview
Listen to this powerful Podcast interview with Kurek Ashley on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast. The free interview was aired on numerous major Radio Stations and is available on the show’s website and podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify. Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed.
Follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other Social Media platforms for more real stories about trauma, survival and transformation.
Please listen, follow and share this remarkable story.
Learn more about Kurek Ashley, his Book and his work as a Speaker are at KurekAshley.com.
Listeners can find the show across Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other podcast and social media platforms.
Learn and get access to money saving tips and how to increase your net worth at www.LetSavings.com
For a community of like minded individuals from all over the planet that want to improve their lives, relationships and business. Learn what they need, and develop the life that they’ve always wanted.
We host weekly rooms on the Clubhouse Drop In Social Audio App. The App and Your Confident Life rooms are free of charge. You can get more information about Clubhouse and Your Confident Life for free here.
Download the Free Ebook about ways and tips to improve your health. You can get the ebook for free at www.LetHealthy.com
Listen to the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on their website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and most major podcast platforms.
Get the Free Clubhouse App, it is Drop In Social Audio. Think of it as your own talk radio show on your phone, and best of all it is free. Be sure to look for me and follow me, that’s John J Wiley or @letradioshow you can do all that here.
The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
You can contact John J. “Jay” Wiley by email at Jay@letradio.com , or learn more about him on their website .
Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page , look for the one with the bright green logo.
Listen to the free Podcast on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show website and through major platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Listen to the Show, share the episode, and follow the latest Radio, Podcast, and News content from the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast.
Be sure to check out our website .
Be sure to follow us on X , Instagram , Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news.
Actor on a Fatal Helicopter Crash: How His Life Changed.
Attributions
Kurek Ashley
Los Angeles Times
A.F.I. Catalog
Cannon Group
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Paramount Pictures
Facebook
Facebook Group
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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About Law Enforcement Talk: True Crime and Trauma Stories
True Crime with a twist. By and from those that have been there. Crime stories from those that investigated crimes and caught criminals. Also victims of crimes tell about their experience. Plus trauma stories, by those that have been through it. Often crime based, but not always, people talk about the trauma, how it impacted them and how they built their lives after. Law Enforcement Talk: True Crime and Trauma Stories Radio Show and
It is a True Crime Show, a Law Enforcement Officer Show and a Human Interest show all in one. Get a glimpse of life behind the badge, investigations of true crimes, violence they encounter and experience. Law enforcement officers, first responders, military veterans, victims of crime and their families tell their stories of the trauma they experienced mostly regarding True Crime incidents. They also talk about how they built their new lives they wanted afterwards. While many people think the show is about Law Enforcement Training, or Law Enforcement specific topis, it is not, think of True Crime Podcasts with a twist.
The Law Enforcement Talk Show goes to radio first. Therefore it is required that I use a clock for the length of segments. You've probably seen on television news interviews that they have a hard break. It's the same with radio. The stations have to be able to program in their commercials, news, weather, traffic reports etc. These are called avails, they are NOT Optional. Every guest knows about and is informed of the length of the segments and that I will interrupt them if needed to go to the break. The interviews are recorded and the guests know that the segments must be in a certain length and it is required and they get to tell their stories to millions of people for free.
The bi-weekly podcast version of the syndicated Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show, with numerous affiliate US Radio Stations, broadcasting once a week to millions of people.
The show host, John "Jay" Wiley, is a radio DJ and Retired Baltimore Police Sergeant. The show started as a podcast, before being recruited by terrestrial AM-FM radio stations and has been in continuous operation since March of 2017. You can reach him at jay@letradio.com.
Background song Hurricane used by permission from the band Dark Horse Flyer, get more information about them and their music on their website.
You can follow us and connect on social media, if you are in the Clubhouse Drop In Audio App make sure you follow our club LET Radio and Podcast. You can also find and follow the host of the show John J Wiley on the Clubhouse Drop In Audio Chat program.
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