Ep. 43 • Kevin Macon • 31 Years in Policing - Leaving It All On The Field. 🏈

This episode is a deep, unfiltered sit-down with Kevin Macon, a recently retired San Diego Police Department sergeant with nearly 31 years on the job, 19 of them spent working gang units, and a lifetime of stories earned the hard way. Kevin takes us from a Midwest childhood in Michigan to making a reluctant family move to San Diego, where football became his lane. From Patrick Henry High School to San Diego State, he shares what it was like playing center alongside legends like Marshall Faulk, lining up against the real "U" Miami teams, and walking onto the Rose Bowl field for the first time knowing your life just changed. The brotherhood of the locker room, the reality check of seeing & competing with NFL Athletes up close, and coming to terms with the knowledge he wasnt going to go all the way in football. From there, Kevin transitions into policing San Diego, starting in his own neighborhood and eventually spending nearly two decades in gang units. He breaks down what that job actually looks like. Mutual respect with killers, 120 mph pursuits, park shootings with dozens of officers present, surgery rooms where bullets are recovered, and the constant balance between enforcement and coming home alive. It's candid, blunt, and stripped of Hollywood nonsense. The conversation also hits the culture shift after George Floyd, the toll it took on officers and families, and what it means to work a job where you're meeting people on the worst day of their lives. Kevin shares lessons on communication, restraint, and why professionalism kept him complaint-free in some of the most volatile environments imaginable. The crew also compares the many parellels between high stakes police work and the stress of combat deployments and relentless pressue in both professions. Between the heavy moments are classic Liberty Risk stories. Baker to Vegas chaos, being mistaken for Warren Sapp in Cabo, undercover mishaps, Midwest tailgates that restore your faith in people, and the humor that keeps you sane when things get dark. Now retired, Kevin opens up about identity after the badge, learning how to slow down, focusing on family, and what brotherhood really means when the uniform comes off. From football fields to gang units to retirement, this episode is about respect, purpose, and building a life you're proud to walk away from. Raw, hilarious, and grounded in lived experience - this is Liberty Risk at its best.   🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Our Patreon page is now LIVE! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ Here you can get exclusive access to the behind the scenes action, the hidden conversations between breaks, a private community chat, and LOTS more, including discounts on Liberty Risk merch as well as some of our partner brands. Come check it out and join the conversation! https://www.patreon.com/LibertyRisk    Macon is currently enjoying the slower pace of retired life and doesn't have social media, or a website, although we're working on getting him to come hang out for the monthly cigar nights on our Patreon channel 🤞🏼🤞🏼 Liberty Risk Hosts: ✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326 ✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent ✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts   Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by: ✖️ Liberty Risk Merch - https://www.liberty-risk.com/collections/shop-all ✖️ Industry Threadworks - https://www.industrythreadworks.com ✖️ Archive 3PL - https://archive3pl.com ✖️ Krupto Strategic Media - https://kruptostrategicmedia.com ✖️ K-Squared Advising - https://www.k-squared.cc