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PODCAST

Choir Practice Podcast

First Responders, and Public Servants, share the most extraordinary experiences from their careers. Here on Choir Practice our mission is to preserve our guests personal legacies for friends and family, sharing their stories for anyone who might be curious or interested in a career in public service.

true crime careers

All Episodes

139:43

Robbie Mayer "Attorney at Law" (Retired Maricopa...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/06/18

Send us a text When Robbie graced us last time we made it through his 21 year career as a Deputy Sheriff. After retirement, he finished law school and began his second career as a prosecutor in Maricopa County. Serial burglary rings, serial bank robbers, a disgraced police officer turned bank robber...you gotta hear the tales! Turn it up, enjoy the show! Come see me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/choir.practice.94 or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cp_sfaf/

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197:03

Tyke Manoleas (US Marine, AZ Dept of Corrections,...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/06/11

Send us a text It was so good to catch up with Tyke. We chatted for about three hours before we started recording. Our friendship goes back to 1996 or 1997! We carpooled to the jail together. His career in public service began with the USMC, deploying to Iraq in the first Desert Storm. Once back in the states, and leaving the Corp, he had to find employment and saw an ad for the Arizona Department of Corrections. The drive to Florence, AZ, and lackluster pay, motivated him to move into ...

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225:32

Roger Vanderpool (US Army Military police, Goshen,...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/06/04

Send us a text Like so many of my guests, Roger has lived many lives in one lifetime! And the positions he's held, the opportunities to serve, are very honorable. He began public service by joining the Army. He left the Army and was hired by the Chief of Goshen Police Department. After about 5 years, he headed West for better weather and to be closer to family. Hired by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, he began his career on the Navajo Reservation in a town called Kayenta. Undercover/...

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102:14

Lou Canales (US Navy Veteran, Group Facilitator of...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/05/28

Send us a text Lou has been mentioned by Kurt Dabb a few times. Nothing brings you closer to peace than being choked out by your Brazilian Jui Jitsu brothers and sisters! He's a Navy Veteran who came to know many of the first responder community through BJJ. He felt a tugging on his heart to take it a step further and start to work on hearts and minds and well as the physical fitness aspect. This led him to join a group where vets and first responders could decompress, share the tough p...

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177:27

Dave Thomas Part 2 "The rest of the Story" (Retired...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/05/21

Send us a text As promised, in consecutive weeks, good ol Dave Thomas is back and we chat about his stint in Homicide, Arson, Internal Affairs, and finally the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Trafficking Interdiction Squad (MANTIS). Dave's a very artistic dude, we discussed his fiction book "The Gordian Knot" published in 2009. Now, he has a Non Fiction book coming out this summer, "Requiem for Justice," where he writes about some of the cases that impacted him from his career. It is absolu...

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113:47

Dave Thomas (Retired Pima County Sheriff Sergeant)

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/05/14

Send us a text Dave kindly reminded me he was not the same Dave Thomas of Wendy's Hamburger Fame. We met at the Pima County Sheriff's reunion and I convinced him to be on the show. After high school he attended the University of Arizona where he attempted to study "Women and keg beer." This was a short-lived endeavor, so in order to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War...he joined the Air Force. He was a Russian Linguist and spent his time in the Air Force intercepting messages and ...

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159:55

Robbie Mayer (Retired Pima County Sheriff Sergeant,...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/05/07

Send us a text It was my pleasure to host Robbie, get to know him better and I was amazed at how many of the historic events around Tucson he had been a part of. I'd be lying if I denied that the little whisper in the back of my head didn't save me on a number of occasions. Robbie describes the same phenomenon and absolutely attributes this :Guardian Angel" to his faith. We only made it through his police career int his episode, but I must say I'm intrigued to hear about his years as a pros...

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96:56

Kurt Dabb (Retired Pima County Homicide Detective)

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/04/30

Send us a text Kurt is back! The last time he was on the show was 2022! He said he wanted to come back and share with The Squad the different types of therapies he has used over the years to help him deal with the calls and situations he was dispatched to. I'm grateful for his honesty, vulnerability and authenticity! My hope is that there are a few nuggets in here that you might find helpful. Thank you again Kurt, I appreciate that you suffered through some anxiety to share your message!!! I ...

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110:36

Randy Karrer (Retired Golder Ranch Fire Department...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/04/23

Send us a text My good buddy, and multiple time guest, Bill Hanson arranged the meeting between Randy and I! We met, I gave him a hard time about being a second responder, but he was such the gracious guest. He chose the fire service after he had an interaction with Firefighter/ paramedics early in his life which sealed his destiny! Many years later, he rose to the ranks of The Chief and he continues to serve in retirement. On a serious note, I appreciate his authenticity and willingness to s...

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221:18

Rick Wilson (Retired Tucson Police Captain)

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/04/16

Send us a text Rick and I worked together while in the Office of Internal Affairs. He was our Captain, and the Chief's Executive Officer. Later, we met back up at the academy. I had escaped from IA and he was given the plush assignment right before he retired as a reward for a job well done under more stressful assignments. I enjoy his company, so much so, that we had to meet on two separate occasions just to get this episode in the books! Rick, thank you for being willing to put yourself o...

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133:37

Ron Benson 2 (Retired Pima County Sheriff Lieutenant,...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/04/09

Send us a text Well, the last time Ron popped in we only made it through his career with the Pima County Sheriff's department. He's back, we clear up a few more notable PCSO moments and dive full into his career as a Spook. All kidding aside, he worked for another 16-17 years as an FBI Analyst. I'm honored host him and I'm so glad to present him to you, the coolest folks on the planet. Turn it up, send me a note about this episode! I appreciate you all... Come see me on Facebook at https:...

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110:36

Raul Delgado (USMC, Retired US Border Patrol and...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/04/02

Send us a text To say I enjoyed meeting up with Raul again would be an understatement. He was episode 28 three years ago. I didn't think he could top the story of his partner slapping someone across the face with a rattle snake, but here we are. He makes the podcast t-shirts (a gift for every guest, super exclusive gifts!) so I cornered him and forced him back on the show for another episode. We had a great time, I enjoy his company and I hope you enjoy this round of tales from his da...

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207:31

Jenn Hawkins (Formerly Jenn Turner, Retired Tucson...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/03/26

Send us a text Jenn and I crossed paths over the years. We were new Sergeants on the Eastside and went on to join each other on a study group to promote to Lieutenant. She's newly retired after just over 24 years and I'm proud to know her. Really looking forward to what she does next, and I'm happy to share her career with you all. Give her the warmest welcome and enjoy!!! Come see me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/choir.practice.94 or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com...

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267:47

Nancy Dowdy (Retired Tucson Police Sergeant)

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/03/19

Send us a text Occasionally, I like to take a look back at where we've been so we can fully appreciate where the show is today. I do this by sharing some of the most popular episodes over the years. Based on the numbers...Nancy is right up there with Ed Boyen, Jen Brotherton, and Mike Thrall! For all you new listeners, take a look at their interviews as well and you'll see why I love what I do! The stories, the authentic guests...it is an honor and privilege to sit wit these folks... Si...

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103:36

Bobby Cox (Retired Pima County Sheriff Detective)

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/03/12

Send us a text That's right, you've seen his name before...As a cop/ first responder, If you listen to the show, you can't help but recall memories as you listen to your buddies tell their stories. That's exactly what happened! After Steve Gardner and Dr. Carmona were on the show, Bobby said he needed to come back. He said he'd come tell more stories if I served up more bourbon! I couldn't let him down...Tune in, turn it up and enjoy the ride. Bobby's great, I'm glad to know him and even more...

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195:40

Mike Pelton (Retired Tucson Police Officer, Pima...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/03/05

Send us a text Mike's story is similar to mine. Palo Verde HS grads (barely), then Pima County Deputy and finally City of Tucson Police Officers. The profession is a good for people who found themselves being the protector of their friends, kept themselves out of trouble and want to spend their time, energy and efforts helping. Mike continues to help, creating his non-profit "No Belt Required" that provides Jui Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo, and Muy Thai training for public servants. He and I agree ...

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67:05

Terry Johnson (Over 30 years with AZ DPS, founder of...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/02/26

Send us a text Terry has been on the show before, but I asked him to come back and speak about the fallen officers 501C3 he created, while sharing the stories of some of our fallen heroes. The Arizona Fallen Heroes Memorial Riders raise money to help first responders seriously injured in the line of duty, or to provide financial assistance to the families of fallen officers. Terry brought over two pages of notes, all cases involving "In the line of duty" deaths he investigated while on the hi...

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142:19

Andy Birtcil (Retired Tucson Police Officer, SWAT,...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/02/19

Send us a text Like many of my guests, Andy is one of those guys where my urgency to get him on the show is heightened because, as you will hear, he developed Parkinson's late into his career and it ultimately forced him to quit before he was ready...even though he spent 30 years serving the City of Tucson. He worked his way into many of the "Desired" assignments through out his career, becoming a Senior SWAT Operator, K9 trainer and firearms instructor at the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement...

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223:39

Michael Duffey (Retired Pima County Sheriff...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/02/12

Send us a text Over my career, US Marines have been some of the best folks I've ever worked with. The sense of duty, the "Can do" attitude and the refusal to quit when times get hard are all qualities that make them some of the best partners on the force. With that being said, Mike exemplified all these qualities throughout his career! Even though he can't drive, haha, the rest of what he brought to the table are exactly the qualities that have allowed him to live such a wonderful life in ser...

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266:59

Ron Benson (Retired Pima County Sheriff Lieutenant,...

Choir Practice Podcast ·

2025/02/05

Send us a text I enjoyed chatting with Ron, the last time I'd seen him was when he taught Constitutional Law to my academy class in 1998! His arrival to AZ, the jobs he held prior to entering la enforcement and a storied career...I think you're going to enjoy this one. You can see in the title of this episode he also worked at the FBI, but we didn't make it that far, so he plans to return and talk about those experiences, but for now, sit back and enjoy this one... Leave me a message or come ...

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211 results

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