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All Episodes

The Police Applicant Podcast — 184 episodes

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Title
1

S6.Ep. 7 - Adam's Journey: From DQ to Veteran Officer

2

S6-Ep. 6: Jesse's Journey- First Responder Family, LASD Academy Injury, Sgt. Friend Murdered

3

April 2026 Announcements

4

S6-Ep. 5: Colton's Journey - From Podcast Listener to NH Officer

5

The Boujee Barbie Show - A Sneak Peek!

6

S6-Ep. 4- Retired Detective Brent Cartwright: The Real Undercover Ricky

7

S6-Ep.3: 101 Questions to Ask Before Becoming a Law Enforcement Officer

8

S6-Ep.2: Why Cops Get Fired

9

S6: The New Boujee Barbie Show Now Available!

10

Welcome to Season 6!! Our 2026 Opener!!

11

2026 Special Episode: The LAPD Recruitment Spiral

12

Ep. 136 - Sgt. Dani - Midwest Policing

13

Ep. 135 - Michigan Officer: Academy to The Road

14

Ep. 134 - Getting Past The Background Investigator

15

Ep. 133 - Anthony's Journey: From East L.A. to Las Vegas Sergeant

16

Ep. 132 - Why Backgrounds Go Bad: The BI Factor

17

Special: Ken & Copilot on the Evolution of Police Candidates

18

Ep. 131 - The Dangerous Dance Between Officers & Alcohol

19

Bonus: An AI Generated Episode

20

Ep. 130 - Erik's 15-Year Journey: DQ to Firefighter to Cop!

21

Ep. 129 - Jonathan's Journey: 3 DQ's & 1 Non-Select to HIRED!

22

Ep. 128: The Current State of Recruitment w/Inv. Jesse Cohen

23

Special Ep: Social Media Fallout

24

Ep. 127 - Officer Jill: Veteran Officer & Life Coach

25

Ep. 126 - Sebastian: The Corrections Officer

26

Ep. 125 - Donovan Talks The Latest Reddits!

27

Ep. 124 - TN Background Inv. David Harrell

28

Ep. 123 - Oscar's Journey: The Ups and Downs of Getting Hired

29

Ep. 122 - Julio - Former LASD BI, Moved Out of State, and Came Back!

30

Ep. 121 - Legacy Podcast: The Sweeney/Brenton Ambush

31

Ep. 120 - Tyler's Journey: From DQ to Hire!

32

Ep. 119 - Online PHS's: Pro's & Cons

33

Special Update: LAPD Cuts Hiring by 50%

34

Ep. 118 - Trevor's Journey: Not Quitting

35

AI and The Podcast: Your Consultation

36

Ep. 117 - Michael - Indiana Officer : A Difficult Journey

37

May 2025 - News for YOU!

38

LAPD Special: Budget Crisis - Is LAPD Hiring Shutting Down?

39

Ep. 116 - Jen L.: Why I left California Policing for Tennessee!

40

Ep. 79 - The Poly! (Redux)

41

Ep. 115 - Marie: Ohio Candidate to Hire

42

Ep. 114: Ken Strange - Federal Agent, FBI, Global Assignments

43

Ep. 113 - Academy Fails

44

Ep. 112 - Inner Circle Protection: The Police Recruit and Firearms

45

Exciting News! Our New Books Are Available!

46

Ep. 111 - Scott Medlin: The Journey

47

Special Episode: Cmdr. Eric Tung has a New Hiring Guide!

48

Season 5 Opener: The Future of Police Recruitment

49

Ep. 109 - Jared : Central Texas Candidate

50

Ep. 108 - Trooper Bryan V - Adversity to Success!

51

Ep. 107 - Maryland Deputy Three Years In

52

Ep. 106 - Capt. Robin Petillo - LAPD Hiring & Recruitment

53

Ep. 105 - Sgt. Chris Littrell: Triumph & Tragedy

54

Ep. 104 - Ken & Donovan Share Their Favorite Reddit's!!

55

Officer Needs Help w/Fmr. LA Co. Sheriff Alex Villanueva

56

Ep. 103 - Portland Police Bureau

57

Ep. 102 - Recruiters Corner: Seattle PD

58

Announcements - September 2024

59

Ep. 101- WA State Patrol Trooper Heather Axtman

60

Sept. 12, 2024: BIG LAPD News!

61

Our 100th Episode!! Christine, Minerva, Donovan, and Ken Reunite!

62

Ep. 99 - Westminster Police Department Recruitment

63

Ep. 1 -Recruitment Corner: Fond du Lac PD

64

Ep. 98 - Evan's Journey

65

Ep. 97 - The Wealthy Police Officer

66

Ep. 96 - Nick Lopez: 5 years and Out, Now Helping LEOS

67

Podcast News! Meet & Greet, Subscriber Benefits, and Your Feedback!

68

Ep. 95 - Sheriff Brian Kozak - Laramie Co. SD (Wyoming)

69

Ep. 94 - Kristofer Healey - "The Consequences of Bad Hiring."

70

Ep. 93 - "You Shouldn't Be a Background Investigator!"

71

Ep. 92 - Eric Tung-Recruitment Standards, 30x30, and Leadership

72

Ep. 91 - Recruit Physical Training & Mental Health

73

Coming Soon: Bad Investigators Episode

74

Ep. 90 - Scott Stone: What's the CVSA? EyeDetect?

75

Ep. 89 - Priebe Strong: Courage and Survival

76

Ep. 88 - The IA Sergeant

77

Ep. 87 - Federal Law Enforcement with Joe Lebowsky

78

Ep. 86 - The Police Family: What I Wish I Knew

79

Ep. 85 - How Are Background Investigators Trained?

80

Ep. 84 - Joe Libowsky: How to Prepare for The Hiring Process

81

Ep. 83 - The Meet & Greet Interview

82

Ep. 82 - The Psych Interview with Dr. Nicole Vienna

83

Ep. 81 - Officer Survival Series: Scott Stone - Partner Shot and Killed

84

**FREE PHS Review for One Lucky Subscriber!**

85

Ep. 80 - Alpharetta PD (GA) Is Hiring! - Interview with The Captain

86

November 2023 - We got a negative critique! WHAT?

87

Special Event! In-Studio Meet & Greet with Alex! Eps. 31 & 56

88

Ep. 78 - Officer Survival Series: The Meagan McCarthy Story

89

Special Announcement: Farewell Minerva?

90

Ep. 77 - The Arizona Tribal Officer: From the Academy To Patrol

91

Ep. 76 - The Murder of LASD Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer & The War On Cops

92

Ep. 75 - Cido's Journey: 5 years - 17 Agencies - 31 Applications then HIRED!

93

Ep. 74 - The Blue Hero Project: In Support of The Thin Blue Line

94

Ep. 73 - Recruitment Issues & Questions with Kent (WA) PD

95

Ep. 72 - Westminster PD (Colorado) is Hiring!

96

Ep. 71 - Michael's Journey: The Georgia Cop

97

Sept. 16th-The So Cal Meet & Greet with Donovan & Minerva!

98

Ep. 70- Jesse's Story: From DQ to Hire!

99

Special Announcement: Apple Podcast Listeners - You're Missing Episodes!

100

Ep. 69 - The Tribal Police Officer

101

Ep. 68 - Chad's Journey - Application to FTO

102

Ep. 67 - Adria Is Back!! NorCal Reserves Are Different Than SoCal!

103

Ep. 66 - The Reserve LASD Deputy - Kobe Bryant Crash

104

ALERT: Having problems subscribing? Let's get this fixed.

105

Ep. 65 - The School Police Officer

106

The Background Chronicles

107

Intro: In Pursuit of The Badge with Donovan Heavener

108

Welcome to our New Subscribers!!

109

Ep. 64 - John's Journey: From DQ's to Self-Sponsored and Hired!

110

Ep. 63 - Mickey's Journey: From Sleeping in My Car to Being Hired!

111

Special Event!: Virtual Meet & Greet with the Investigators and Fans!

112

Ep. 62 - Christine Is Back (Again!)

113

Ep. 61- Rachael Flick: Heroes Live Forever

114

Ep. 60 - The Canadian Officer - What's the Canadian Hiring Process Like?

115

Midweek Update: March 27, 2023 - Scrub the Internet!, Ads?, and Rate The Podcast

116

Special Episode: Pete James - Founder of Officerprivacy.com

117

Ep. 59 - Mean Christine Is Back! What's our original co-host been up to?

118

Ep. 58 - The Texas Parole Officer

119

Ep. 57 - The Probation Department Surveillance Officer

120

Ep. 56 - Alex (Ep. 31) Update Story

121

Ep. 54 - A Conversation with Retired Lt. Colette on Law Enforcement

122

Ep. 53 - Joanna's Journey: Childhood Trauma and Cop Fight

123

Ep. 52 - Conversation with The Training Officer

124

Mid-Week Christmas Announcements! - December 12, 2022

125

Ep. 51 - Nov. 2009: Lakewood, WA Officers Gunned Down

126

Ep. 50 - Sgt. J - Hiring & Policing in Texas

127

Ep. 49 - Inv. Jim Shumway: The Oregon BI

128

Ep. 48 - Jay's Story: Sheriff to PD

129

Ep. 47 - Your Q&A's w/Adria McClain

130

Ep. 46 - A Conversation with Cmdr. Aaron Clem - Kennewick, WA PD

131

Special Event - YouTube Live: The Ride Along

132

Meet The Investigators in Olympia Washington!

133

Mid-week Announcements - Sept. 14, 2022

134

Ep. 45 - Ofcr. Ian Whittington Returns - Passed Probation!

135

Special Event - YouTube Live: The Oral Interview

136

Special Episode: LAPD Hiring in Crisis w/ Special Guest JJ Williams

137

Ep. 44 - Ron's Story: The Nebraska Deputy Sheriff

138

Ep. 43 - Kent PD (WA): The Recruiters, War Stories, and Being a Cop

139

Ep. 42 - Thomas' Story: I Failed The Academy, Went Back and Became President of My Class!

140

Ep. 41 - Special Edition: The Women of Law Enforcement

141

Ep. 40 - Jarrod's Journey - "Are you ready for a street fight?"

142

You guys are AMAZING! (and other news!)

143

Ep. 39 - Conversation with the LT - The Academy, Education, and Women in LE

144

Ep. 38 - LAPD Ofcr. Ruben Avalos - "I didn't quit!"- 33 apps, 10 DQ's in 10 years

145

Ep. 37 - Richard's Journey: An Amazing Comeback Story!

146

Ep. 36 - Nathan's Journey: "I Just Got Hired!"

147

Ep. 35 - Sgt. Steve Gould - Small Town Policing

148

Ep. 34 - Donovan Heavener: Washington State Background Investigator

149

Ep. 33 - Sgt. Steven Zollars - Concord, NC Recruitment Supervisor

150

Special Episode: Ben Darby-Officer Needs Help

151

Ep. 32 - Interview with The Chief

152

Facebook & YouTube Live! - Saturday March 26, 2022

153

Ep. 31 - I Was Hired and in The Academy - Then My BI Showed Up

154

Mid-week News! - March 5, 2022

155

Ep. 30 - A Day in The Life: SWAT Operator

156

Ep. 29 - Christina Dages - "The Matthew Dages Story"

157

Ep. 28 - Nick Wilson: The Resiliency Project

158

Ep. 27 - Sgt. Rob Ellis - Washington State Patrol

159

Ep. 26 - Legacy Podcast: Delfin/Black Ambush

160

Ep. 25 - The Prison Sergeant

161

Ep. 24 - The Corrections Department Background

162

Ep. 23 - I quit the academy on the FIRST DAY!

163

Ep. 22 - My BI has my file!

164

Ep. 21: A Day In The Life - 911 Dispatcher

165

Ep. 20 - The Academy Experience

166

Ep. 19 - Let's Navigate The PHS!

167

Ep. 18 - Applicant Roundtable: We Answer Your Questions!

168

Ep. 17 - The Psych Evaluation w/Dr. Nicole Vienna

169

Ep. 16 - How To Stand Out As a Candidate

170

Ep. 15 - "I Am Blue Line Family"

171

Ep. 14 - A Day In The Life: Homicide Detective

172

Ep. 13 - DQ'd for 4 Years!

173

Ep. 12 - Academy Fail to Victory!

174

Ep. 11 - Meeting the Background Investigator

175

Ep. 10 - Sgt. Betsy Smith: The Police Exodus - Applicants Stay On Course!

176

Ep. 9 - The DQ

177

Ep. 8 - The Academy Drill Instructor

178

Ep. 7 - The Academy

179

Ep. 6 - Preparing For The Academy w/Sean Thompson

180

Ep. 5 - Social Media & The Police Applicant

181

Ep. 4 - The Polygraph Examination

182

Ep. 3 - You Lie, You Die

183

Ep. 2- The Oral Interview

184

Ep. 1 - Trailer