Episode 954: A Different Way of Thinking w/ Ely Alfonso & Mike Swirchak

Street Cop Podcast

Street Cop Training

Education

4.9 • 933 Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2024

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Episode 954 of the Street Cop Podcast, host Dennis Benigno and instructor Ely Alfonso sit down with Mike Swirchak, a former law enforcement officer and K9 handler who now excels as a dog trainer in North Carolina. Mike shares his journey from the challenges of law enforcement to becoming a government contractor and ultimately finding his passion in dog training. Listen as he reflects on the current state of K9 units, the importance of innovative training methods, and the personal connections forged between officers and their K9 partners. We’ll explore the mental health challenges in law enforcement, the courage it takes to embrace change, and the fulfillment that comes from following your life's purpose. Don’t miss this insightful conversation about evolution, purpose, and the special bond between humans and dogs.

Timestamps:

00:00:00:00 - 00:01:09:01 Teaser 00:01:09:01 - 00:01:44:04 Intro 00:01:44:04 - 00:02:57:10 Mike’s background 00:02:57:10 - 00:04:35:16 Mike’s experience working in Afghanistan 00:04:35:16 - 00:05:42:10 Good memories with Mike and Elia 00:05:42:10 - 00:07:05:06 The hardships of leaving law enforcement 00:07:05:06 - 00:12:24:09 The current state of K9 and training in law enforcement 00:12:24:09 - 00:16:17:06 The origin of Dennis’ drive 00:16:17:06 - 00:22:29:10 Thinking outside of the box & the detriments of ego 00:22:29:10 - 00:27:23:13 Utilizing specialists to teach & poor policy 00:27:23:13 - 00:31:36:23 The decline of K9 units in law enforcement 00:31:36:23 - 00:33:09:18 The personal value of dogs 00:33:09:18 - 00:34:43:17 Training issues with dogs 00:34:43:17 - 00:36:48:11 Mike’s thoughts on his current company 00:36:48:11 - 00:38:58:04 Does Mike regret leaving law enforcement? 00:38:58:04 - 00:43:57:13 The winning mindset 00:43:57:13 - 00:48:00:11 Fear of change & taking a leap of faith 00:48:00:11 - 00:50:57:14 Mental health in law enforcement 00:50:57:14 - 00:53:59:24 Following your life’s purpose 00:53:59:24 - 00:54:34:05 Outro

Transcript

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0:00.0	I think it was 2014-15 at training police dogs you would get laughed at even if you just use food to reward the dog for doing simple obedient stuff.
0:09.8	That doesn't make sense to me because my dog's rocking it and your dog sucks and I use food.
0:14.7	I hate having that conversation with cops that are like at the 10 year mark and they're like, well, I'm just
0:18.8	going to ride out the next 10 years so I can get that 401k or whatever bullshit pension you are and I'm like if you took that time you're going to waste just to get 60% of whatever the fuck you make and you invest that in yourself
0:30.6	You're going to be exponentially further ahead than you are if you just
0:34.2	wait another 10 years. I'm glad to see it trending in the right direction in the law
0:38.2	enforcement community now where like mental health is a real thing but when I first
0:42.3	started it was like suck it up, don't be a pussy, and you're like, okay, just shove it deep down inside and then next thing you know you're waking up with nightmares or you're fucking drinking all the time trying to put it to bed. You got to know what darkness is before you can ever
0:54.8	see the light as that sounds. I'm going to play. Oh, you know.
1:04.0	You're training up be a street cop.
1:08.0	Hey guys, one of this episode of the Street Cop Training Podcast,
1:11.0	my host, founder and CEO of Street Cop Training.
1:12.8	My name is Dennis Panino and I have with us today Mike Swartchek, not Swarchick, don't get it messed up.
1:19.4	We were going over this a few times before we started, just to make sure I said it right. Mike thanks
1:24.4	for being with us today. Ellie Alfonso joins us a lot of you have said to me
1:28.9	that you enjoy her being the co-host of the show and I do too but she used to work at Mike and this was
1:36.7	a suggestion from her on Mike joining our program here so with that being said first
1:41.4	off let me say hello to Ellie.
1:43.0	I did.
1:44.0	So Mike why don't you tell us who you are where you're from where you grow up,
1:49.0	how you got into law enforcement, how you got out of law enforcement.
1:51.0	Give me a little background there.
	...

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