All Episodes
The Police Applicant Podcast — 184 episodes
S6.Ep. 7 - Adam's Journey: From DQ to Veteran Officer
S6-Ep. 6: Jesse's Journey- First Responder Family, LASD Academy Injury, Sgt. Friend Murdered
April 2026 Announcements
S6-Ep. 5: Colton's Journey - From Podcast Listener to NH Officer
The Boujee Barbie Show - A Sneak Peek!
S6-Ep. 4- Retired Detective Brent Cartwright: The Real Undercover Ricky
S6-Ep.3: 101 Questions to Ask Before Becoming a Law Enforcement Officer
S6-Ep.2: Why Cops Get Fired
S6: The New Boujee Barbie Show Now Available!
Welcome to Season 6!! Our 2026 Opener!!
2026 Special Episode: The LAPD Recruitment Spiral
Ep. 136 - Sgt. Dani - Midwest Policing
Ep. 135 - Michigan Officer: Academy to The Road
Ep. 134 - Getting Past The Background Investigator
Ep. 133 - Anthony's Journey: From East L.A. to Las Vegas Sergeant
Ep. 132 - Why Backgrounds Go Bad: The BI Factor
Special: Ken & Copilot on the Evolution of Police Candidates
Ep. 131 - The Dangerous Dance Between Officers & Alcohol
Bonus: An AI Generated Episode
Ep. 130 - Erik's 15-Year Journey: DQ to Firefighter to Cop!
Ep. 129 - Jonathan's Journey: 3 DQ's & 1 Non-Select to HIRED!
Ep. 128: The Current State of Recruitment w/Inv. Jesse Cohen
Special Ep: Social Media Fallout
Ep. 127 - Officer Jill: Veteran Officer & Life Coach
Ep. 126 - Sebastian: The Corrections Officer
Ep. 125 - Donovan Talks The Latest Reddits!
Ep. 124 - TN Background Inv. David Harrell
Ep. 123 - Oscar's Journey: The Ups and Downs of Getting Hired
Ep. 122 - Julio - Former LASD BI, Moved Out of State, and Came Back!
Ep. 121 - Legacy Podcast: The Sweeney/Brenton Ambush
Ep. 120 - Tyler's Journey: From DQ to Hire!
Ep. 119 - Online PHS's: Pro's & Cons
Special Update: LAPD Cuts Hiring by 50%
Ep. 118 - Trevor's Journey: Not Quitting
AI and The Podcast: Your Consultation
Ep. 117 - Michael - Indiana Officer : A Difficult Journey
May 2025 - News for YOU!
LAPD Special: Budget Crisis - Is LAPD Hiring Shutting Down?
Ep. 116 - Jen L.: Why I left California Policing for Tennessee!
Ep. 79 - The Poly! (Redux)
Ep. 115 - Marie: Ohio Candidate to Hire
Ep. 114: Ken Strange - Federal Agent, FBI, Global Assignments
Ep. 113 - Academy Fails
Ep. 112 - Inner Circle Protection: The Police Recruit and Firearms
Exciting News! Our New Books Are Available!
Ep. 111 - Scott Medlin: The Journey
Special Episode: Cmdr. Eric Tung has a New Hiring Guide!
Season 5 Opener: The Future of Police Recruitment
Ep. 109 - Jared : Central Texas Candidate
Ep. 108 - Trooper Bryan V - Adversity to Success!
Ep. 107 - Maryland Deputy Three Years In
Ep. 106 - Capt. Robin Petillo - LAPD Hiring & Recruitment
Ep. 105 - Sgt. Chris Littrell: Triumph & Tragedy
Ep. 104 - Ken & Donovan Share Their Favorite Reddit's!!
Officer Needs Help w/Fmr. LA Co. Sheriff Alex Villanueva
Ep. 103 - Portland Police Bureau
Ep. 102 - Recruiters Corner: Seattle PD
Announcements - September 2024
Ep. 101- WA State Patrol Trooper Heather Axtman
Sept. 12, 2024: BIG LAPD News!
Our 100th Episode!! Christine, Minerva, Donovan, and Ken Reunite!
Ep. 99 - Westminster Police Department Recruitment
Ep. 1 -Recruitment Corner: Fond du Lac PD
Ep. 98 - Evan's Journey
Ep. 97 - The Wealthy Police Officer
Ep. 96 - Nick Lopez: 5 years and Out, Now Helping LEOS
Podcast News! Meet & Greet, Subscriber Benefits, and Your Feedback!
Ep. 95 - Sheriff Brian Kozak - Laramie Co. SD (Wyoming)
Ep. 94 - Kristofer Healey - "The Consequences of Bad Hiring."
Ep. 93 - "You Shouldn't Be a Background Investigator!"
Ep. 92 - Eric Tung-Recruitment Standards, 30x30, and Leadership
Ep. 91 - Recruit Physical Training & Mental Health
Coming Soon: Bad Investigators Episode
Ep. 90 - Scott Stone: What's the CVSA? EyeDetect?
Ep. 89 - Priebe Strong: Courage and Survival
Ep. 88 - The IA Sergeant
Ep. 87 - Federal Law Enforcement with Joe Lebowsky
Ep. 86 - The Police Family: What I Wish I Knew
Ep. 85 - How Are Background Investigators Trained?
Ep. 84 - Joe Libowsky: How to Prepare for The Hiring Process
Ep. 83 - The Meet & Greet Interview
Ep. 82 - The Psych Interview with Dr. Nicole Vienna
Ep. 81 - Officer Survival Series: Scott Stone - Partner Shot and Killed
**FREE PHS Review for One Lucky Subscriber!**
Ep. 80 - Alpharetta PD (GA) Is Hiring! - Interview with The Captain
November 2023 - We got a negative critique! WHAT?
Special Event! In-Studio Meet & Greet with Alex! Eps. 31 & 56
Ep. 78 - Officer Survival Series: The Meagan McCarthy Story
Special Announcement: Farewell Minerva?
Ep. 77 - The Arizona Tribal Officer: From the Academy To Patrol
Ep. 76 - The Murder of LASD Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer & The War On Cops
Ep. 75 - Cido's Journey: 5 years - 17 Agencies - 31 Applications then HIRED!
Ep. 74 - The Blue Hero Project: In Support of The Thin Blue Line
Ep. 73 - Recruitment Issues & Questions with Kent (WA) PD
Ep. 72 - Westminster PD (Colorado) is Hiring!
Ep. 71 - Michael's Journey: The Georgia Cop
Sept. 16th-The So Cal Meet & Greet with Donovan & Minerva!
Ep. 70- Jesse's Story: From DQ to Hire!
Special Announcement: Apple Podcast Listeners - You're Missing Episodes!
Ep. 69 - The Tribal Police Officer
Ep. 68 - Chad's Journey - Application to FTO
Ep. 67 - Adria Is Back!! NorCal Reserves Are Different Than SoCal!
Ep. 66 - The Reserve LASD Deputy - Kobe Bryant Crash
ALERT: Having problems subscribing? Let's get this fixed.
Ep. 65 - The School Police Officer
The Background Chronicles
Intro: In Pursuit of The Badge with Donovan Heavener
Welcome to our New Subscribers!!
Ep. 64 - John's Journey: From DQ's to Self-Sponsored and Hired!
Ep. 63 - Mickey's Journey: From Sleeping in My Car to Being Hired!
Special Event!: Virtual Meet & Greet with the Investigators and Fans!
Ep. 62 - Christine Is Back (Again!)
Ep. 61- Rachael Flick: Heroes Live Forever
Ep. 60 - The Canadian Officer - What's the Canadian Hiring Process Like?
Midweek Update: March 27, 2023 - Scrub the Internet!, Ads?, and Rate The Podcast
Special Episode: Pete James - Founder of Officerprivacy.com
Ep. 59 - Mean Christine Is Back! What's our original co-host been up to?
Ep. 58 - The Texas Parole Officer
Ep. 57 - The Probation Department Surveillance Officer
Ep. 56 - Alex (Ep. 31) Update Story
Ep. 54 - A Conversation with Retired Lt. Colette on Law Enforcement
Ep. 53 - Joanna's Journey: Childhood Trauma and Cop Fight
Ep. 52 - Conversation with The Training Officer
Mid-Week Christmas Announcements! - December 12, 2022
Ep. 51 - Nov. 2009: Lakewood, WA Officers Gunned Down
Ep. 50 - Sgt. J - Hiring & Policing in Texas
Ep. 49 - Inv. Jim Shumway: The Oregon BI
Ep. 48 - Jay's Story: Sheriff to PD
Ep. 47 - Your Q&A's w/Adria McClain
Ep. 46 - A Conversation with Cmdr. Aaron Clem - Kennewick, WA PD
Special Event - YouTube Live: The Ride Along
Meet The Investigators in Olympia Washington!
Mid-week Announcements - Sept. 14, 2022
Ep. 45 - Ofcr. Ian Whittington Returns - Passed Probation!
Special Event - YouTube Live: The Oral Interview
Special Episode: LAPD Hiring in Crisis w/ Special Guest JJ Williams
Ep. 44 - Ron's Story: The Nebraska Deputy Sheriff
Ep. 43 - Kent PD (WA): The Recruiters, War Stories, and Being a Cop
Ep. 42 - Thomas' Story: I Failed The Academy, Went Back and Became President of My Class!
Ep. 41 - Special Edition: The Women of Law Enforcement
Ep. 40 - Jarrod's Journey - "Are you ready for a street fight?"
You guys are AMAZING! (and other news!)
Ep. 39 - Conversation with the LT - The Academy, Education, and Women in LE
Ep. 38 - LAPD Ofcr. Ruben Avalos - "I didn't quit!"- 33 apps, 10 DQ's in 10 years
Ep. 37 - Richard's Journey: An Amazing Comeback Story!
Ep. 36 - Nathan's Journey: "I Just Got Hired!"
Ep. 35 - Sgt. Steve Gould - Small Town Policing
Ep. 34 - Donovan Heavener: Washington State Background Investigator
Ep. 33 - Sgt. Steven Zollars - Concord, NC Recruitment Supervisor
Special Episode: Ben Darby-Officer Needs Help
Ep. 32 - Interview with The Chief
Facebook & YouTube Live! - Saturday March 26, 2022
Ep. 31 - I Was Hired and in The Academy - Then My BI Showed Up
Mid-week News! - March 5, 2022
Ep. 30 - A Day in The Life: SWAT Operator
Ep. 29 - Christina Dages - "The Matthew Dages Story"
Ep. 28 - Nick Wilson: The Resiliency Project
Ep. 27 - Sgt. Rob Ellis - Washington State Patrol
Ep. 26 - Legacy Podcast: Delfin/Black Ambush
Ep. 25 - The Prison Sergeant
Ep. 24 - The Corrections Department Background
Ep. 23 - I quit the academy on the FIRST DAY!
Ep. 22 - My BI has my file!
Ep. 21: A Day In The Life - 911 Dispatcher
Ep. 20 - The Academy Experience
Ep. 19 - Let's Navigate The PHS!
Ep. 18 - Applicant Roundtable: We Answer Your Questions!
Ep. 17 - The Psych Evaluation w/Dr. Nicole Vienna
Ep. 16 - How To Stand Out As a Candidate
Ep. 15 - "I Am Blue Line Family"
Ep. 14 - A Day In The Life: Homicide Detective
Ep. 13 - DQ'd for 4 Years!
Ep. 12 - Academy Fail to Victory!
Ep. 11 - Meeting the Background Investigator
Ep. 10 - Sgt. Betsy Smith: The Police Exodus - Applicants Stay On Course!
Ep. 9 - The DQ
Ep. 8 - The Academy Drill Instructor
Ep. 7 - The Academy
Ep. 6 - Preparing For The Academy w/Sean Thompson
Ep. 5 - Social Media & The Police Applicant
Ep. 4 - The Polygraph Examination
Ep. 3 - You Lie, You Die
Ep. 2- The Oral Interview
Ep. 1 - Trailer