Daniel Malek is a Marine in the United States Marine Corps. He served between 2000-2008 as a corporal and served in Iraq as an OIF Vet. He Joined the LAPD in 2005 where he has worked patrol, the gang unit & is now a field training officer, where he trains probationary officers.

Malek and I have worked patrol at the same precinct for the better part of 10 years. Him and I have always had intense conversations about what it takes to be on patrol. Through the years I have seen his progression and maturity develop as we have gone through politically murky times.

He’s a genuine warrior, father and a real cop’s cop. After podcasting with him I can truly say that both young coppers AND brass can learn a ton from his insight and approach to policing.

Thanks for listening and supporting what we do.

I hope you enjoy this podcast.

TIMELINE:

00:02:00 - The Beard: Yay or Nay

00:05:00 - Tradition: Marine Corp vs Law Enforcement

00:08:00 - The "Dragon Wagon"

00:14:00 - Training: Applying USMC principles to law enforcement

0018:00 - Transitioning: From Marine to Street Cop

00:28:00 - Caliber of Probationers, then vs now

00:37:00 - "Shogun” by James Clavell

00:44:00 - Transformation

00:47:00 - Muay Thai

00:55:00 - Physical Fitness

00:58:00 - Retirement

00:59:00 - Hypothetically speaking, advice and insight to his daughter the police officer.

01:08:27 - In honor of Marine Sgt. Major Robert J. Cottle, Killed in Action March 24, 2010

THE FALLEN BUT NOT FORGOTTEN PODCAST:
“The Bloodhound Warrior: Pain, Peace and the Facade of Perfection, with Joe Cirrito”
___________________________________

I sat down with my friend and fellow street copper, Joe Cirrito. We take a deep dive into how he gets through the pain of his endurance runs and extreme workouts.

Joseph Scott Cirrito was born and raised in New York. He went to Lona College where he played football and studied abroad at Trinity College Dublin Ireland. Before his illustrious carreer in law enforcement, he was a teacher at Herman Lehman High School and coached football, track and baseball

He worked alongside his friend, fallen officer Dominic Pezullo, who tragically died in the line-of-duty when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11. Both Joe & Dominic spoke about becoming police officers together. Joe then moved to Los Angeles to fulfill that pact with the Los Angeles Police Department. While in the hiring process, he taught for the LAUSD 2002 to 2005 before starting the LAPD Police Academy in March of 2005.

Joe has been assigned to patrol in 3 different geographical areas of Los Angeles, “Safer Cities”, gang unit for 2 different precincts, Senior Lead Officer, Gang & Narcotics Division as a K9 bloodhound handler and now works as a field training officer where he trains probationers.

Joe conceptualized and built a homeless outreach program in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, which he coined, H.O.P.E. (Homeless Outreach Partnership Endeavor ). The program was a success & would ultimately be adopted by the LAPD and implemented city-wide.

Joe ran over 400-miles with Kristina Tudor, and a volunteer support team of 30 officers, from Los Angeles to Sacramento in full uniform to honor fallen officers. This run was called “Project Endure”. His efforts raised funds for the nonprofit, Bluecoat Foundation, a 501(C)(3) that supports families of law enforcement agents who have died in the line-of-duty.

Since then, Joe has continued his passion for running ultra marathons and endurance runs while honoring fallen officers. He completes a yearly 24-hour nonstop workout, (yes…24-hour nonstop workout), that he dedicates to his friend, Dominic Pezullo, and all first responders who perished on 9/11.

___________________________________

TIMELINE:

00:02:15 - Tobacco Pipes
00:08::00 - Finding peace in a frenzied mind
00:11:00 - Trail runs & daydreams
00:13:20 - Laziness
00:14:20 - Pain
00:17:35 - Inspiration
00:20:20 - “The inner governor” -Goggins
00:23:00 - The spirit of a bloodhound
00:24:00 - Extreme measures
00:28:00 - The power of people
00:36:46 - The bond with Kristina Tudor
00:38:20 - Lt Humphries
00:39:45 - Mileage count vs humility
00:42:25 - The treachery & the beauty of California’s “Grapevine”
00:49:45 - Books & leaderships. “The Need to Lead” by Dave Berke & books by Jocko Willink.
00:55:00 - Perfection in policing
00:59:50 - Figure it out
01:04:27 - Skittles galore & brown piss
01:07:30 - Project Endure 3 and shark repellent
01:08:10 - What’s next?
01:13:00 - Joe shares a heartfelt dedication to Deputy Andrew Nunez of San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department End of Watch October 27th 2025



#thefallenbutnotforgottenpodcast #bluecoatfoundation #endurancerun #ultramarathon #thedom #dominicpezullo #projectendure #officerjoecirrito #nonprofit #deputyandrewnunez #sanbernardinosheriffsoffice #davidgoggins #jockowillink #daveberke #theneedtolead #policeofficer #podcast #lawenforcement

On this episode I have a conversation with Ismael Carlos. Ismael has worked as an officer for Santa Monica College PD and is currently a police officer fo the Los Angeles Police Department. He served in the United States military as a tanker in the Marine Corps and served in Combat in Iraq. Carlos dedicates this podcast to his Godson, Ethan Carlos, who passed away recently at a very young age. Please support the Ethan Carlos Foundation, a nonprofit organization, by going to ethancarlos.org.

This podcast holds a ton of value for all of us in law enforcement and for those in the military. Please listen, tell us what you think and share this episode with someone you think it can help.

Timestamps:

00:01:25 - 1999: Joining the US Marine Corps
00:03:00 - Rio Hondo: Paying your own way through the academy
00:05:00 - We got a tanker job, "Sign me up!”=
00:06:00 - Straight outtta Whittier
00:08:00 - From Tankers to Black & Whites
00:10:00 - Deployment after the September 11th attack
00:12:30 - Warriorhood
00:14:00 - Pushing in, arriving in Kuwait
00:17:00 - The “Death Letter"
00:19:00 - Faith and survival
00:21:00 - Survival mode, training, completing the mission then processing
00:23:00 - Maturity and self-awareness
00:25:00 - Being scared vs Cautionary fear, mental preparedness of a warrior
00:27:00 - Experiencing loss during combat
00:31:00 - Appreciation
00:33:00 - The newer generation of officers
00:36:00 - Leadership
00:45:00 - Getting into a shooting
00:46:36 - An officer's wellbeing is part of the department's assets
00:48:00 - Burnout
00:49:00 - 2020 Riots
00:51:00 - Empathy-forward leadership
00:53:38 - Self reflection: What type of leader will I be?
00:55:00 - Dedication: Ethan Carlos

#thefallenbutnotforgottenpodcast #bluecoatfoundation #usmc #policeofficer #podcast #lawenforcement

On this podcast episode I have a conversation with Tania Owens, widow Sgt Steve Owens. Sgt Owens died in the line-of-duty on October 5th 2016 when he responded to a burglary call in Lancaster, California. This was a very emotional interview as it was recorded at Sgt Owen’s mother’s house. Sgt Owen’s daughter also joined in the talk to give her insight as the child of a fallen deputy.

Timeline:

00:01:16 - Discovering Law Enforcement

00:03:00 - Undercover Narcotics

07:38:00 - Child Abuse Investigator

00:12:00 - The legacy of Steve Owen

00:14:30 -The love story

00:21:00 - The value of the heart of a God-fearing man

00:24:00 - A daughter’s perspective

00:45:30 - A word of advice to spouses of law enforcement

00:49:00 - The last moment together

00:50:15 - The phone call

00:52:00 - The arrival at the hospital

01:10:00 -Anger, regret & sadness

01:12:00 - Bear hugs

01:15:00 - After care

01:17:00 - The legacy of leadership and humility

01:19:55 - Prayer

In honor of Sergeant Steve C. Owen, Los Angeles County Sheriff

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, California

End of Watch Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Officer Andre Burton is a Field Training Officer in the LAPD. His passion for his career goes back into a rich family history of first responders in the City of Los Angeles.

Timestamp:

00:01:38 – Podcast guest open invite!
00:02:11 – The start of a career in law enforcement
00:03:13 – A deeply rooted family affair
00:05:45 – Love story of Ruby Earl Boyd, one of the first Black sheriff to patrol Firestone
00:07:00 – Patrolling the streets and coming across living history
00:09:00 – A sign of the times “Draw down”
00:13:00 – Dorothy Fitzgerald
00:14:00 – The Fire Academy vs Police Academy
00:16:00 – Ancestry and memorabilia
00:18:26 – The good ol’ pension. Worth a gander.
00:21:00 – Street cop vs. promotions
00:23:00 – Observing FTO culture
00:25:00 – How a trainee learns
00:28:00 – Recounting podcast with Sheriff Villanueva
00:30:00 – Passion, motivation & defining a good street cop.
00:37:00 – 2014, a tragic year for LAPD
00:39:00 – Pursuits, ambushes, OIS’s & the emotions that follow
00:53:00 – Chris closes out with a follow up invitation

THE FALLEN BUT NOT FORGOTTEN PODCAST:

Military, Law Enforcement & a Horse Named Lyra

David O’Brien is a United States Marine and an LAPD Police Officer. He has worked the Gang Unit and is currently assigned to night watch patrol.

Timestamps:

00:01:18 The Clapperboard Intro

A gift from Chris's spirit sister, which adds a professional touch to this laidback podcast of sharing memories, experiences and riveting moments of a patrolman's career

00:01:47 - Natalie Blue

00:03:30 - Horses and dogs

00:16:30 - Military vs. Law Enforcement

00:28:00 - Purpose and navigating trauma

00:36:00 - The mindset & deadly force

00:45:00 - Tradition

00:49:00 - Leadership

00:56:00 - (video goes out-audio only)

00:57:45 - Fear

1:01:00 - Cloning complacent officers

1:06:00 - The 5 Commandments

1:09:00 - Discipline

1:15:00 - Culture

1:22:00 - Legacy

1:27:00 - O'Brien dedicates this podcast to Police Officer II Fernando Uriel Arroyos End of Watch January 10, 2022

THE FALLEN BUT NOT FORGOTTEN PODCAST

Summary:

Patrick Sloey is a Field Training Officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. He has worked multiple agencies and now trains probationers on how to be proficient street coppers. We work side-by-side on patrol. We do a deep dive into self-care and managing the inevitable traumas that come with police work both in the professional life and the personal life.

Time stamp

00:01:26 - Neon moon by Brooks & Dunn

00:02:31 - "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius

00:05:21 - Strength through support systems

00:10:00 - Career choices

00:14:00 - Adapt or drown

00:18:20 - The "Almost" incident

00:27:00 - Managing the feelings

00:30:00 - Preventive care & a personal trainer

00:35:00 - The stigma of therapy

00:42:50 - Drinking responsibly

00:43:55 - Podcast Dedication: Sgt Adrian Jordan, EOW December 29th 2024

#thefallenbutnotforgottenpodcast #bluecoatfoundation #stress #selfcare #policeofficer #podcast #lawenforcement

On this episode I sat down with Christian Wecker. Wecker authored the book, THE TICKET, and has over 30-years law enforcement experience. 3 of those years are with MTA and 27 years are with the LAPD. He’s worked 77th, Harbor, Newton, Wilshire and is currently assigned to the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Timestamp & Topics

00:01:16 - TC at Crenshaw & Florence

00:03:00 - When a call for help takes a turn

00:04:30 - Why Promote?

00:06:20 - Street Cop Pride

00:07:25 - The art of storytelling

00:11:29 - Self publishing

00:14:00 - Non-cops & the inside view

00:16:00 - Promotion & disconnect

00:19:00 - Impossible circumstances & doing the right thing

00:23:52 - Relationships: command staff vs street coppers

00:32:00 - Empathy

00:34:00 - Alcoholism & mental wellness

00:39:00 - Policing with confidence

00:44:00 - Deadly force

00:47:00 - Transitioning out of the police profession

00:54:00 - Podcast dedication: Officer Ricardo Lizarraga, EOW February 20, 2004