Senior Instructors
Kevin Cooper
Kevin is a retired Marine Corps veteran with a Force Reconnaissance (Special Operations) and Diplomatic Security background and is a nationally recognized Instructor in Firearms, Shoothouse Operations, Ballistic Shield, Edged Weapons Defense and Close Quarters Tactics. Kevin is also a graduate of the FBI’s Street Survival program and a certified FBI Tactical Instructor. He has served on the staff of some of the leading training organizations in the country and was also a Crisis Response Team Instructor with the Department of States Anti Terrorism Assistance Program. Kevin also recently worked as an independent contractor overseas in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia and other classified locations throughout the world. Kevin holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice and is a Masters Candidate.
Ken Mickiewicz
Ken has worked in Law Enforcement on the East Coast and in Colorado for nearly 30 years. He’s currently assigned as his department’s Training Sergeant responsible for all agency training programs. He directly supervises and teaches in his department’s Firearms, Arrest Control, and Defensive Tactics training programs. In addition, Ken works as an Entry Sgt/ Team Leader on his department’s SWAT Team. Ken holds instructor credentials from Smith & Wesson, NRA, The Practical Shooting Academy, and the KOGA Institute, in addition to a graduate degree from Regis University. He’s taught Law Enforcement firearms, defensive tactics, and officer safety tactics for 20 years.
Don Farmer
Don retired from a large metropolitan department as a Sgt with 21 yrs of service. Don’s duties included Patrol Sgt, Narcotics and Vice commander, Bomb Squad Commander with 15 years experience in EOD and WMD’s. Don was also the Assistant Swat commander in charge of the entry element. Don has considerable experience in Executive Protection and worked details for President Reagan, former President Bush and the current President Bush, and Vice President Cheney. Don is Wyoming POST certified to instruct Explosive Breaching, CQB, Sub-machine gun, Officer Survival, Defensive Tactics (PPCT), Narcotics Investigation and Explosives Recognition. Don currently works as the Supervisor for the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations Southeast Enforcement Team which is responsible for a four county area working primarily Drug and Violent Crime Investigations as well as officer involved shooting investigations.
Phillip Noblin
Phil is a Marine Corps veteran who has two combat tours, Iraq and Afghanistan. Phil also served as the Chief Instructor of the Marine Corps Explosive Breaching program at 2nd Marine Special Operations School, where his responsibilities included training Reconnaissance and Special Operations Marines in the handling and employment of high explosives for assault breaching operations. Phil was responsible for curriculum development, to include a re-structuring of the program to facilitate the MARSOC/SOCOM requirement. Phil was responsible for all classroom and range instruction, as well as range safety. Additionally Phil served as a Team Instructor for the Marine Corps Dynamic Assault Course at the Marine Special Operations School, training special Operations Marines in handgun, shotgun and rifle marksmanship, as well as CQB. When not teaching with Front Range Training Phil works as the Vice President of Invictus, a South Florida based Security firm specializing in guard services, close protection and firearms and security training. Phil is a Certified NRA Law Enforcement Instructor as well as a Licensed State of Florida Firearms Instructor.
Barry Elrod
Barry has served for more than twenty years in the United States Marine Corps in Force Reconnaissance/MARSOC . During his career he has served the Corps in several capacities as both a talented instructor and operator. Barry completed two combat tours in support of Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom. In addition to his service, Barry was trained as a Breaching Instructor at the Breaching Instructor School in Quantico and has been Breacher certified three times and currently is the Lead Breaching Instructor the Marine Special Operations Advisory Group (MSOAG). As the SNCOIC for the MSOAG Training cell and the Chief Instructor for Training Pipeline, Barry posses both the ability to teach with expertise and the knowledge base in his Cadre leadership role. Barry has also served as a Force Reconnaissance Team Leader and Platoon Sergeant and is also a graduate of IED Defeat and IED Electronics programs.
Fred Meyer
Fred has been in law enforcement for twenty years, eleven of those as a Sergeant. He currently is a supervisor assigned to swing watch in the Patrol Division. Fred is also assigned as an Entry Team Sergeant with his department’s SWAT unit, having been affiliated with the team both as an operator and Sergeant for nearly seventeen years. He serves as an instructor on the SWAT team and is also certified by the National Tactical Officers Association as an instructor in Active Shooter Response. Fred has previous experience supervising his department’s gang unit, the Target Offense unit in investigations, and experience as a department arrest and control instructor both as an officer and Sergeant.
Steve Wheeler
Steve has served as a Police Officer for more than twenty years. During his career Steve has worked as a Patrol Sergeant, Detective, and served in numerous billets on his department’s Tactical Team. Steve is currently the SWAT Team leader for his department. Steve is a certified Instructor in the following areas; NRA LE Rifle Instructor, Officer Survival, PPCT Defensive Tactics Instructor, Sniper Instructor, Active Shooter and a Firearms Instructor. Steve has been recognized as the Police Officer of the Year for his county and city and was named to the “Governors Top Ten” in combat pistol competition. Steve is also a certified Psychological Profiler and a graduate of the United States Secret Service Executive Protection class and has worked and assisted in protective details for President George Bush Sr., President George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney. Steve recently returned from Iraq where he was s member of the Counter Terrorism Special Operations Force (CTSOF) where he trained Iraqi SWAT and Emergency Response Unit personnel. Steve is currently deployed to Iraq as an LE Representative with the 82nd Airborne using his experience to capture Insurgents.
Mike Eckstine
Mike Eckstine served with the United States Army Rangers, 2/75bn and has training in small unit tactics, squad tactics, small arms tactics, hand to hand combat, close quarter battle, air assault, small boat ops, jungle warfare, mountaineering, light vehicle operations and light infantry tactics. Airborne qualified, SCUBA certified and has worked as a military small weapons armorer. As a civilian Mike has been a nationally registered paramedic (NREMT-P) and has been both a primary and adjunct instructor for EMT-B/P courses for accredited college programs as well as a CLS instructor.
Jason Streeter
Jason served six years in the United States Marine Corps which included Infantry and Scout Sniper experience within the 2nd Marine Division, Close Quarter Battle and Explosive Breaching assignments with Marine Corps Security Forces in WA, a Combat Water Survival Instructor, and operational experience in Somalia. Jason has over 10 years Law Enforcement experience in Wyoming where he has served as a Patrol Supervisor, K-9 handler, Tactical Team Commander, Firearms Instructor, Less Lethal Instructor, and Field Training Officer. Jason was assigned as the Lead Firearms Instructor at the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy to include instructor duties in the areas of emergency vehicle operations, building searches, high risk traffic stops, OC certification, and physical fitness.
Lee Richardson
Mr. Richardson is an experienced professional with over 22 years in EMS operations as a paramedic. Lee has been teaching medical, fire service, rescue, and law enforcement courses for more than 18 years. Additionally, Lee has an extensive background in Coordinating and administering EMT Basic and Advanced Paramedic courses at the National Registry level. Lee is a Certified Firefighter, NREMT Paramedic, Flight Medic, Rescue Technician, HAZMAT Technician with WMD, Law Enforcement Officer, PSD, and Tactical Paramedic to name just a few. He also holds instructor / coordinator level credentials for numerous Fire, EMS, Rescue, Law Enforcement, and HAZMAT courses and is a state representative for the NREMT in Texas.
Keith Butler
Keith Butler is a Ret. MAJ United States Army with over 28 years active duty military experience, including 5 years with United States Marine Corps. Keith is also a Nationally Certified Physician’s Assistant and Board Certified through the State of North Carolina with over 15 years of experience in his field. Keith has specialized in Emergency Medicine with extensive experience in tactical environments. Keith’s military career has been almost exclusively dedicated to the Special Operations community and their respective units. Keith is a former 18 Delta and has been cross trained in weapons, operations, and intelligence. Keith’s unique skill set include Special Forces, Ranger, Airborne, Combat Diver (SCUBA), Combat Dive Supervisor and Dive Medical Technician, HALO, Master Parachutist, and Aeromedical PA. Keith also has extensive and significant experience in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Instructors
Ed Rasor
Ed has extensive Tactical and Tactical Medical operations and training experience gained over 25 years of military and specialized experience including deployments to the Middle East. Mr. Rasor served as an operator in Airborne and Special Forces units and as an (18D) Special Forces Medical Instructor at the John F Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. Drawing on his Special Operations Medical Instructor training and his extensive Tactical experience, Mr. Rasor has been involved in planning and execution of operations, training and field medical support for U.S. and foreign VIPs in hostile territories.
Wes Gasner
Wes has over 15 year’s law enforcement experience and his duties have included Narcotics, Patrol Sgt and over 10 years as a firearm instructor. Additionally Wes has over 12 years SWAT experience and was also the Assistant Swat commander in charge of the entry element. Wes has considerable experience in Executive Protection and worked details for former President Bush and the current President Bush, and Vice President Cheney. Wes has been an instructor for noise flash diversionary devices, chemical munitions, Patrol Rifle, Tactical handgun, SWAT and shotgun and is alsoa certified Explosive Entry Technician. He has worked security details for Federal FEMA sites that included New Orleans, LA. Wes has also worked as an Independent Contractor in Afghanistan in support of the war on terror
Tim Young
Tim has been working in Law enforcement as both a Deputy Sheriff and as a Police Officer for over 15 years. Tim currently works for a northern Colorado metropolitan agency in the patrol division. He has been an Entry Operator on the department’s S.W.A.T. team for the last eight years. On the S.W.A.T. team his responsibilities include being the Explosive Breacher, and one of the team’s Firearms Instructors. As the Explosive Breacher, he has been responsible for both creating and deploying over 40 explosive breaching charges for the team. Tim was the team’s first Explosive Entry Technician and set up the program. Additionally, Tim is a department Firearms instructor, and has been an Arrest Control Instructor for the past nine years. Tim has received instruction certifications from The Practical Shooting Academy, The Koga Institute, and The Federal Bureau of Investigations.
James Kouns
James is a ten year Fire and EMS veteran and is currently employed with a major metropolitan Fire Department in Texas as the Special Operations Duty Paramedic. James’ duties include city wide response with all specialty teams and serves as the lead tactical paramedic for the Police Department’s SWAT team. James is a certified EMS instructor, PHTLS Instructor, firefighter, paramedic, hazardous materials technician, weapons of mass destruction response, weapons of mass destruction medical specialist, WMD - Live Agent Technician (Aniston, AL)COBRA Class, dive/swift water rescue, tactical paramedic / instructor, DHS Instructor- Response to Terrorist Bombings. Additionally James is certified in ACLS, BCLS, and PEPP.
Brad Johnson
Brad is a current police officer with eighteen years experience in a major metropolitan police department. Brad is currently a SWAT Team Leader on his agencies full time SWAT Team. Brad is responsible for twenty-two full time SWAT Operators and eight K9 Handlers. Brad has participated in numerous SWAT call-outs and the execution of High Risk Warrant services. Brad is one of seven Explosive Entry Technicians on his team and in 2005 alone his team responded to over 350 SWAT callouts. Brad has taught numerous classes at his agencies academy related to high risk operations and active shooter. Brad holds a BS degree in Business and Corporate Recreation.
Michael J. Downey II
Mike is a USAF Security Forces member and currently assigned to the Pentagon in WashingtonD.C. He serves as the Personal Security Officer for a Senior Military Official. In his 16 years of experience he has performed protective service missions, law enforcement duties, flight line security, combat arms training and has served as an emergency services team member. He was the Chief of the Firearms and Tactics Unit for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). Mike is a certified instructor in pistol, shotgun, rifle, machine gun, submachine gun, foreign military weapons, defensive tactics, antiterrorism driving, use of force, baton, and chemical munitions. He has trained over 100,000 military and international students, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers throughout the world.
Alden Hill
Alden is a twenty-year veteran of a busy northern Colorado police department. He has been on the S.W.A.T. team since 1989 and is a senior operator on the entry team. Alden is a certified OC/Specialty Impact Munitions/Distraction Device/Chemical Munitions instructor and Pepperball instructor and is also a Colorado P.O.S.T. certified officer safety instructor and has been since 1989. Alden has trained with numerous S.W.A.T. teams around the country and has helped provide Active Shooter training to his department and other agencies around the country. He has trained extensively with HK weapons systems and is a veteran of numerous S.W.A.T. activations over the years, ranging form hostage incidents, barricaded suspects and countless high risk warrant services. Alden has also spent time on hi agencies Gang Unit and has received the police department’s Medal of Valor on two occasions. Alden is a graduate of Colorado State University with a degree n Business Administration.
James Scott
James has over 12 years of military experience and is currently a member of an US Army Special Forces ODA. James’ experience includes extensive training in firearms, combat tactics, and convoy operations. James has spent more than 3.5 out of the last 5 years on the ground in Iraq, both as a member of a civilian PSD team and as a soldier in the Special Forces. James’ duties in Iraq included; running convoys throughout the central and northern sections of Iraq, providing personal protection to Tier II individuals, running counter-terror direct-action missions, and training the Iraqi Special Forces in urban combat techniques and Convoy Operations. James is a certified Wilderness/Urban EMT.
Chance Harlow
Chance Harlow recently served in the United States Army 82nd Airborne Division 2/504 PIR and 3/73 CAV and has experience in Mounted Infantry Tactics, having led over 300 patrols, squad tactics, small arms tactics and heavy weapons tactics. Chance is skilled in convoy operations, react to contact, IED’s, MEDEVAC and CASEVAC operations, ground fighting techniques, close quarter battle, light infantry tactics, CLS, reconnaissance and surveillance. He is Airborne and Recon qualified, and has completed Combined Arms Training courses. Chance has significant experience in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Gevin Parker
Gevin has an extensive background in Tactical, Tactical Medical, and Civilian Medical operations. He has ten years experience as an 11Bravo serving in a variety of units including LRS, Airborne, Air Assault and Light Infantry. He has nine years experience as a 91B/68W Health Care NCO totaling in 19 years of military service. His military training includes ABN, AASLT, Rappel Master, SERE and he is a MACP Instructor (Combatives). Mr. Parker is an instructor and course manager of over 1500 students through the CLS program. He has been a Washington State paramedic for 6 years and has served as a SWAT Medic for the Metro Pierce SRT. As a SWAT Medic he has been though multiple training courses including TEMS courses and CQB/Advanced Hostage Rescue. His medical certifications include ACLS, PALS, PHTLS, PEPP and PHTLS and NREMT-P
Vance Silvia
Vance is an Army Medic (68-W) who is also an NREMT-P with over a decade of experience associated with Emergency Medical Service. Positions include: Flight Medic Readiness NCO /Flight Paramedic and Flight Paramedic for Flight for Life. Experience in working in the most austere environments as well as the ability to manage and lead a large unit of personnel. Proudly completed two tours supporting Operation Enduring Freedom as a combat flight medic. Currently serving as the Readiness NCO for COANG Medical Command. Licensed Paramedic-Colorado.
