189: Part 2: Ryan Tillman – Viral Cop’s Fight for Authenticity, Community, and Future in Politics

Game of Crimes

True Crime

4.8 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ryan Tillman, a dedicated law enforcement officer and mentor, shares his powerful journey of authenticity, community engagement, and leadership. From facing backlash over a viral dance video to inspiring change within the profession, Ryan opens up about the challenges of being a cop in today’s world. He discusses the critical role of trust in policing, the dangers of peer pressure in law enforcement, and the life-altering decisions officers must make in high-stress situations.

As a mentor, Ryan dives into the impact of guiding youth, particularly in tough environments, and the essential role of community responsibility in raising the next generation. He emphasizes love, respect, and the power of strong parenting in shaping young lives. In a surprising twist, Ryan reveals his aspirations to run for Governor of California, advocating for common-sense leadership and real change.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I think one of the most dangerous situations was when I had to utilize deadly force against somebody.
0:05.1	And it wasn't necessarily dangerous for me. It was the decision that was dangerous because of the
0:09.8	climate that we live in. There was a situation where a guy called the police station and threatened
0:15.2	a kill a cop. He calls multiple times and he hangs up. Then fast forward, he goes into local restaurant, threatens people with the knife.
0:22.3	Some of my partners show up. They try to take him into custody. It doesn't work. He flees out the back
0:26.3	door and they can't find him. So then I get to work the next morning, this guy going up onto the
0:31.0	freeway running back and forth in between traffic. And there was a large belief that it was the same
0:35.1	guy that threatened to kill police officers and was threatening people with the knives.
0:37.9	I hear him over the radio say, we tried to utilize our taser ineffective.
0:41.4	I heard him say, again, taser deployed again ineffective.
0:44.4	So then I hear 40-metre deployed ineffective.
0:47.1	I hear him say it again, 40-milled, ineffective.
0:50.5	As I'm driving to the scene, I'm thinking about all the different levels of use of force that have been trying to try to take this guy in custody.
0:56.6	I get out of my car.
0:58.1	I'm running up and this guy is running back and forth between people.
1:00.7	And this guy, he starts running at me with a knife and he's holding the knife to his head.
1:04.8	So I try to de-escalate, hey, sir, put the knife down, put the knife down.
1:08.1	And he's not listening to anything I'm saying.
1:23.2	The down, put the knife down, and he's not listening to anything I'm saying. This might be an uncomfortable question, but I don't have a problem answering it.
1:29.3	I don't think you'll have a problem answering it.
1:38.3	Those in the department that were kind of looking down on you for being the dancing cop, for being jovial, was that divided by race?
1:39.4	I don't think so.
	...

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