ATO: BRIDGING THE DIVIDE

"Law enforcement had different plans for me"

ATO Family please welcome retired Dallas SWAT and current Texas Attorney General Fugitive Unit Chris Webb is back on the mic for another episode. He sat in his own episode to talk about his incredible career and also a vision that he had back in 2019 to continue to serve his brothers and sisters in the first responder community by creating a retreat that puts mental health and wellness on the forefront. Chris and his amazing wife, Judge Rainey Webb, put their amazing minds together and created a comprehensive approach to give back to the community.

However, the 2020 pandemic had different plans for this retreat and would shelve this program. Then life unfolded for Chris as he got back into law enforcement and began a journey with the Texas Attorney General’s office. Chris became focused on his new career and mission but never fully gave up on his dream for his first responder retreat.

This is a different story of Chris Webb’s life journey. It isn’t the story of him applying and fighting to become a member of the Dallas SWAT team, or enduring critical incident after critical incident, or stepping away from a career to be there for his family.

This is the story of Chris and Rainey Webb’s dream coming to fruition as the idea of the Righteous Oaks Retreat became a reality. Here to help tell this story has the Great Misty Vancuren and the highly respected Mesquite PD Assistant Chief Doug Yates behind the mics to talk about taking this leap of faith in joining The Webbs and the Warrior Healer, Dr. Tania Glenn, on this Righteous mission.

The Righteous Oaks Retreat is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. Every donation is tax deductible.

For more information or to donate to this incredible cause please go to the link below.

https://righteousoakretreat.com

"Always come home".

This is the story of a young Dallas Officer who had ambitions of fighting crime, serving the city and starting a new family. Mitchell Penton embraced the Northeast Patrol Division’s fast pace and settled in with several other young officers that became a blue family. Mitchell loved being a cop….was a loyal son, a devoted father, and husband and everyone in his life looked to the future to travel with him on this journey.

But life being what it is - a series of intersecting lives and incidents, out of anyone's control changed all of that on February 13th, 2021, on an icy morning in Dallas, Texas. Officer Penton was struck and killed by a drunk driver as he worked an accident scene on North Central Expressway and Walnut Hill.

He left behind an expectant wife, stepson, amazing parents and a brother and sister.

Today we are hearing from his parents, Tim and Kathy, as they give a peek into who Mitchell Penton was as a child, a soccer player, a goofy and fun-loving kid, to his decision to serve as an Officer.

They take us on their own journey from the night of February 13th, 2021, to the conclusion of a trial in May of 2023.

This story is a powerful reminder of the fleeting nature of life and of the importance of cherishing our moments.

It encourages us to live in the present, to appreciate the people and experiences around us, and to make the most of the time we have.

Please welcome the Penton family to the ATO stage.

Critical Incident:

February 13, 2021:

Police Officer Mitchell Penton was struck and killed by a vehicle operated by an intoxicated driver at about 1:45 am. He was working at the scene of a vehicle collision in the northbound lanes of the North Central Expressway at Walnut Hill Lane. He was securing traffic with the emergency lights from his patrol car when a vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver, traveling at a high rate of speed, hit the back of his patrol car. The collision pushed the patrol car into Officer Penton. Officer Penton was transported to Baylor University Medical Center when he died from his injuries. The driver of the vehicle that struck Officer Penton was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter of a police officer and intoxication assault. In 2023, he was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years.

Welcome back to the show for our 80th episode and we will be taking you back in time to the age of hair bands, the cold war, and the rise of cocaine in the United States. Ground zero for cocaine distribution into the US was Florida and specifically the city of Miami as it rolled into our country from Columbia. With all the cocaine that was pouring in brought not only the ungodly amount of cash but also extreme violence.

Movies and documentaries have been made about this era, specifically Cocaine Cowboys, as the beautiful city of Miami turned into a warzone and became known as the drug capital of the world.

Today’s guest was at the heart of this war as he hired on with Miami Metro-Dade Police Department, the drug capital of the world, and quickly formed a reputation as a hardworking and honest cop who quickly gained a knack for undercover work.

He joined the Police Department in 1981 and began undercover work in 1986. This man worked in various positions that include SWAT, Homicide Bureau, Robbery and Public Corruption and excelled in all of them.

With all the accolades and legendary lawman reputation he also managed to be an amazing father to his children as he mentored and raised some incredible kids. The listeners have heard his name before on the show as the Candelaria twins praised him and emulated their lives and career after him. One half of the twins, Bryan Candelaria, share the mic as a guest cohost to show some love to their pops.

He was their hero.

ATO family……Omar Coming.

Critical Incident:

June 1992, during a narcotics bust, Omar Carillo was involved in a officer involved shooting as the suspect attempted to rob him. The entire incident was captured on video.

The murder of Jimmy Ryce

On September 11, 1995, fifteen days before his 10th birthday, nine-year-old Ryce was riding the bus from school. He was dropped off, along with ten classmates, and had to walk less than a block to his home. According to his confession, Chavez blocked Ryce's path with his pickup truck and forced him at gunpoint into the truck. Chavez took Ryce to his trailer on a nearby ranch where he raped him. About four hours later, when he heard a helicopter hovering above, Ryce ran to the door and tried to open it only to be shot in the back by Chavez, who held the child until he took his last breath. Then, Chavezdecapitatedand dismembered him.

• Corporate Security Director @ Frito Lay
• Director @ Pepsico Global Security
• Mortgage Fraud Investigator @ Citimortgage

“Act Outside the Box”

Welcome back ATO Family

Today we welcome the Boss of Dallas PD back to the mic as we talk about the Dallas Police Department’s mission in making mental wellness a priority.

Over the last couple of months Dallas has endured tragedies with officers taking their own life as well as losing officers to medical emergencies.

Chief Eddie Garcia is here to talk about making his employee’s health a priority and is dedicated to establishing a culture to come forward and get help more importantly, trust in the system.

The first responder’s world has long stigmas in Officers seeking help. We are very good at saving people but often do not make our own mental health a priority.

Our mission is daunting, and change is intimidating but with a leader like Chief Garcia at our helm we have HOPE in changing a culture for generations of Dallas Police Officers. You are NOT ALONE!

If you would like to see our policies for the Dallas Wellness unit, email us at [email protected]

Support the good, condemn the bad, honor the fallen.

Our next guest grew up in a very small town in NORTHERN Minnesota, which is why his accent is still so strong despite the fact he hasn’t lived there since 2005. He spent his childhood playing every sport possible, with a year-round focus on hockey. He played hockey in college at Hamline University where he graduated with a degree in criminal justice. Upon graduating college, he joined the Dallas Police Department in 2005. Admittedly, he chose southwest division (ch4) as his first choice but was luckily assigned to God’s country – southeast patrol division.

In 12.5 years with the Dallas Police Department, he was fortunate enough to work in multiple capacities, SE patrol, NE Patrol, SC Patrol, NW Patrol, Operation Disruption, Auto Theft, Vice, Narcotics Street squad, Narcotics meth lab squad, and ended his career as a “SAFE” detective.

After the events of July 7th, 2016, he evaluated what he really wanted to do “for his next 30 years” and decided law enforcement was likely not it. Despite an amazing career, he resigned from the Dallas Police Department in January 2018.

He moved with his eventual wife to Maui, Hawaii where he was the supervisor of the welfare fraud investigations for all of Maui County. While in Maui he started a website or “blog” where he wrote articles about his experiences in law enforcement and reactions to current events as they happened. This blog has evolved and changed over the years and now primarily exists as a “Facebook page”. He says the simple goal of the page is helping and supporting officers however possible.

Whether it’s via fundraising in times of financial hardship or just a voice of support when needed and appropriate.

The motto of the page is simple: Support the good, condemn the bad, honor the fallen.

After a move from Maui to San Diego, he was offered a job in finance which has ultimately proven to be his “second calling in life” after law enforcement. He is currently in the process of building Wood Financial Consulting, a comprehensive financial practice that will help people with everything from personal finance and budgeting to planning for their retirement. He is most excited to work with law enforcement clients to improve their financial situation so they can work less and spend time doing the things in life they enjoy – not working extra jobs!

ATO Family welcome badge #8672 to the stage.

https://guardianfinancialstrategies.com/

Critical Incident:

The case of Robert Sparks, who was convicted for fatally stabling his two stepsons and his wife in the Dallas home in 2007.

Sparks was executed by lethal injection on September 25, 2019.

July 7th, 2016, shooting in downtown Dallas, Texas that left 5 Officers dead and several wounded. Commonly referred to as 7/7.

" I do not recognize my own reflection staring back at me"

On September 11th, 2001, todays guest woke up to head to work to the World Trade Center to lead a meeting on an upcoming event. Her stress began as she sat behind a wreck on the way to the twin towers. The life of a Secret Service Agent is calculated and the importance of being punctual is paramount as she parked and quickly entered the WTC to make her meeting.

The world watched as the North Tower was struck by an airliner at 8:46 am and the destruction and terror unfolded that day.

The South Tower was struck at 9:03 am and the city became aware that the first plane crash was no accident.

At 9:37 am Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon and then at 10:02 and Flight 93 crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. In a little over an hour after the coordinated terror attacks started both Towers of the World Trade Center in New York had fallen.

America was under attack and today we sit down with a survivor who was in the North Tower as the first plane struck and she gives a detailed account of her day watching this terror unfold until she went home that night.

The story did not stop for this guest as she went home however the nightmare was just beginning as she began to see how PTSD is real and can create despair and loss of hope. This guest will walk us through the years of struggle that led her to her basement to take her own life to stop the pain.

This episode is just not an episode about the terrorist attacks on 9/11 but more importantly discusses the real battle, that so many people fight daily with PTSD.

Today’s guest not only survived the incident, not only survived the mental decline, not only survived the thoughts of suicide but now has a new “Why” in life. She fights for so many as she educates others in trauma management and tells her story in hopes that others can learn and survive and thrive themselves.

ATO Family please welcome Samantha Horwitz to the stage as she takes us back to September 11th 2001.

www.samanthahorwitz.com

www.abadgeofhonor.com

Critical Incident:

TheSeptember 11 attacks, commonly known as9/11,[d]were four coordinatedIslamistsuicide terrorist attackscarried out byal-Qaedaagainst theUnited Stateson Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning,19 terroristshijacked four commercialairlinersscheduled to travel from theNew EnglandandMid-Atlanticregions of theEast CoasttoCalifornia. The hijackers crashed the first two planes into the Twin Towers of theWorld Trade CenterinNew York City, two of theworld's five-tallest buildingsat the time, and aimed the next two flights toward targets in or nearWashington, D.C., in an attack on the nation's capital. The third team succeeded in crashing intothe Pentagon, the headquarters of theU.S. Department of DefenseinArlington County, Virginia, while the fourth plane crashed in ruralPennsylvaniafollowing a passenger revolt. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and instigated the multi-decade globalwar on terror.

Even today several survivors are still suffering from this day with PTSD and unique forms of cancer.

May We Never Forget!

“Struggle and pain, and fear and shame, are part of the human condition.”

Welcome back ATO family!

Today we give the stage to Lifeologie founder Melanie Wells (LPC-S, LMFT-S, RYT, PYT) as she educates us on the difficulties of navigating life and relationships.

The first responder world endures much trauma in the work life but even more in the homelife as marital issues, bad coping skills, bad communication skills, and divorce is prevalent in our profession. This is the topic we have not tackled yet but we couldn’t find a better guest to share her expertise on the topic.

Melanie specializes in couples and marital therapy – particularly last-ditch marriage counseling. She enjoys taking on the trickiest, stickiest relationship issues after couples have all but given up. She also works with a variety of other issues, including spousal abuse, women’s issues, codependency and divorce recovery.

This mean fiddle player grew up in the Texas panhandle and she and her family gravitated to the world of music. However, Melanie found a new passion in serving others and helping them have better qualities of life.

Her unique approach and insight, stemming from real life relationship trauma, has helped so many people of all walks of life and careers.

The sad truth is that no one is immune to relationship issues as it will find you if you are rich, poor, successful, member of SWAT or a firefighter donning a helmet to serve. We are all vulnerable to this epidemic.

Sit back and listen and learn from the Great Melanie Wells.

www.wefixbrains.com

www.thelispyschool.com

www.thedawgproject.org

“A Front Row Seat to Life”

 ATO Family today we are celebrating our milestone 75th episode with a true piece of Dallas Police and ATO history with David Rodriguez.

David was born in 1948 and grew up in a segregated West Dallas and joined the Vietnam War right after high school. At this time Dallas PD had their recruiting doors wide open for veterans of this war and David walked right through those doors and into DPD’s open arms in 1969 and graduated in academy class #107.

He made his name as a legendary FTO in the Northwest Division and was awarded an award for Trainer of the Decade.

At age 46 years old David wanted to try something new ventured to the growing Narcotics Unit to battle the deadly drug wars in Dallas in the 90’s

David fell in love with the high speed dynamics of the Narcotics Division and embraced this new role and this new war on drugs.

But life being what it is- a series of intersecting lives and incidents, out of anyone’s control changed David’s life and career.

In January of 1994, while executing a Narcotics Search Warrant. David was shot four times by a suspect and became paralyzed from the chest down.

After a lengthy period of rehabilitation, David found himself unable to perform his duties and was forced to retire.

David did retire from Dallas PD but he did not stop working. He recognized the need help his fellow officers who found themselves in similar circumstances and focused on his new mission.

He helped Bill Carollo, Eddie Crawford and Tom Popken create the Assist the Officer Foundation.

Sit back and listen to a true story of resiliency and determination.  Badge #2776 the ATO is yours……

Critical Incident:

 January 1994 Narcotics officer involved shooting that left Detective David Rodriguez paralyzed.

Welcome back to another message from the host as we sit down with Kathleen,Justin, and Alex from the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers to discuss the 23rd Annual Freedom Run.

This run was created in November 2001, after the deadly 9/11 attacks, to honor first responders dedication to serving their communities across the country.

DAYL was formed in the 1920s and is now nearly three thousand members strong as they are the only bar organization in Dallas dedicated exclusively to the needs of young lawyers and the community service projects about which they are most passionate.

If you would like to give the ATO feedback or just say hello please email us [email protected].

Until next time……..

If you would like to participate, sponsor or volunteer at the Freedom Run please check the links and sites below.

www.dayl.com

Website: WWW.FREEDOMRUN.COM

Date and Location: September 9, 2023 at 8:00amat Trinity  Groves

Instagram: dayl.freedomrun

Facebook: The Freedom Run

Price Increases: August 14th at 12:00am

Registration Coupon: JBTD_23 

Episode 74

Garland Texas Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Detective Tony Godwin

****Sensitive Material Warning****

Welcome back ATO Blue Family.

Today we are sitting with a true expert in his field, a law enforcement Hall of Famer, a Detective that investigates some of the most horrific crimes against the truly vulnerable…..children.

Garland Pd Detective Tony Godwin has been a Detective with the Garland Police Department (30thyear). Assigned to the Northern Texas ICAC Task Force for almost 18 years now.

He has conducted in excess of 3,500 criminal investigations as the primary Detective into offenses related to the exploitation of children. He is a certified computer and cell phone forensic examiner. Tony has conducted joint criminal investigations while assisting the Federal Bureau of Investigation, The United States Postal Service, the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, the United States Secret Service and other local Law Enforcement agencies in an effort to combat child exploitation and child pornography on the World Wide Web.

In this episode we delve into the seedy underworld of Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) and take the listener down a dark road as we hope to bring awareness and educate the listener on this awful topic and crime.

Tony is the best in the business and is a national expert on this topic and recently was inducted into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame.

He has owned Law Man Laser Engraving for over 15 years to show off his creative side as well as leave behind a business for his family.

Tony is also cohost of the hit podcast Catfish Cops as they dissect case studies and provide information so that other children and parents do not become another victim in this horrible world.

They also provide information and victims resource on their site https://Catfishcops.com.

You can reach him at [email protected] custom award work and engraving.

As you heard in the Great Clint McNear’s episode this guy is a loyal friend and truly dedicated to helping others. More evidence is Tony’s battle with the Texas Legislative as the is attempting to change laws in Texas to help these children that are victims of these crimes.

Sgt. Jessica Criddle returns to the mic as a guest cohost for this show.

ATO listener sit back and soak in the words of an incredibly humble human being and a true treasure to the law enforcement profession.