Guests - Chris Strom, Les Presmyk
On today’s edition of Winn Tucson, host Kathleen Winn dove into pressing national and local issues with two standout guests: former NYPD intelligence sergeant and author Christopher Strom, and Arizona State Mine Inspector Les Presmyk.
Christopher Strom on Political Theater, Protests, and Law Enforcement
Christopher Strom, retired NYPD sergeant, Marine Corps veteran, and author of Brooklyn to Baghdad, joined the program amid snowy conditions that gave him a rare day off from his current role as a school resource officer.
Strom described the wave of protests against ICE and immigration enforcement as familiar political theater, comparing it to previous cycles like COVID restrictions and George Floyd-related unrest.
"They've seen this movie before," Strom said, pointing to evidence of paid protesters receiving formal training to disrupt law enforcement. "Part of it is the messaging and part of it is people are waking up."
He argued that many demonstrators operate within a network that incentivizes criminal behavior for financial gain, crossing into what he views as criminal conspiracy even if the label "domestic terrorism" may be debated.
"If you want to exclude the domestic terrorism part of it and say, to commit a crime where somebody derives a benefit while they're committing crimes, then they are deriving a benefit."
Strom sharply criticized Minnesota leadership—particularly the governor, mayor of Minneapolis, and police commissioner—for demoralizing officers by restricting responses to calls for help and issuing statements that he believes encourage chaos.
"The actual police commissioner of Minnesota has chosen to throw away his professional career and reputation... Let the cops be cops. Don't tell the cops that they can't respond to a call for help. That is so demoralizing and so repugnant on many, many, many levels."
He drew parallels to high-profile incidents, including Breonna Taylor's death, emphasizing how messaging often distorts facts to fit narratives.
Discussing recent violent incidents—including church invasions targeting pastors linked to ICE and alleged attacks on Jewish institutions in New York—Strom stressed the importance of waiting for facts rather than rushing to conclusions.
"Unlike the other side, we're not going to jump to conclusions."
He expressed deep frustration with elected officials who he believes exploit tragedies for political gain while showing little genuine concern for victims.
On the use-of-force incidents involving ICE agents, Strom defended the officers' actions based on training, adrenaline, and split-second decisions.
"When he yells gun and then simultaneously there's a shot fired, there's a phenomenon called contagious fire or sympathetic fire... The officers reacted the way they were trained to do."
He urged support for law enforcement personnel facing intense scrutiny, arguing their justification must be based on what they reasonably believed in the moment.
Strom closed by praising Secretary of State Marco Rubio's poised performance during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Venezuela, calling it a "masterclass in diplomacy."
"His delivery and his cadence and his command... super great guy. I don't think [Trump] could have picked a better person for Secretary of State, honestly."
Arizona's Mining Industry and the Work of State Mine Inspector Les Presmyk
Later in the program, Kathleen Winn spoke with Les Presmyk, Arizona's State Mine Inspector, who was appointed in 2025 by Governor Katie Hobbs to fill a vacancy and is now running for a full term.
Presmyk, a University of Arizona mining engineering graduate (1975) with 45 years in the industry—including roles at Magma Copper, Miami Copper, Salt River Project, and small operations—emphasized the office's core mission: miner safety.
"Our primary responsibility is the safety of all miners... anybody that steps onto a mine site to do work there... we are responsible to make sure that when they walk onto a mine site they go home in at least as good a condition if not better than when they started work there."
He oversees more than 500 active mines (mostly sand and gravel, fewer than 50 hard-rock operations), plus thousands of contractors and suppliers. All miners must complete annual eight-hour refresher training or 24-hour new-miner training, documented via the 50-23 form.
Presmyk highlighted mining's massive economic footprint.
"Arizona mining contributes directly and indirectly $20 billion to the Arizona economy each and every year. We produce 70% of America's copper. If we were a country unto ourselves, we'd be one of the top five producing copper countries in the world."
With recent federal designation of copper (and other metals) as critical, he sees growing opportunity for new projects, including lithium and rare-earth exploration in western Arizona.
The office also secures abandoned mines—approximately 11,000 inventoried, with an estimated 90,000 more statewide—to prevent public injuries from shafts, collapses, or hazardous gases.
"That little hill that looks like it's going to be so much fun to drive over on your ATV is probably a mine dump. And on the other side is a shaft."
Presmyk is modernizing outdated systems, partnering with universities on tailings research for mineral recovery, and preparing for new underground mines with expanded training.
Safety, he stressed, remains non-partisan.
"Safety is not a partisan or political issue... While I have to run as a Republican, it's just the way the rules are written."
He encouraged hunters, off-roaders, and outdoor enthusiasts to report suspected mine openings (with photos taken from a safe distance) to help locate and secure hazards.
Presmyk, a former Gilbert Town Council member and long-time advocate for veterans (including service on Gilbert's Veterans Advisory Board), described his role as an extension of lifelong community service.
To support his election campaign and help ensure continued Republican leadership in the office, Presmyk needs signatures for ballot access (targeting at least 9,000). Information is available at lespresmyk.com and through the Arizona Secretary of State's petition process.
The program underscored both guests' commitment to public safety, accountability, and service in their respective fields—one shaped by law enforcement and counter-terrorism experience, the other by decades protecting Arizona's vital mining workforce.