Guests - Sheriff Ross Teeple, Michael F. McNamara, Meg Swain, Lisa Von Geldern
From Fallen Officers to Cartel Busts: Law Enforcement's Daily Battle in Arizona
Sheriff Ross Teeple Honors Fallen Officer Gabriel Facio
The law enforcement community recently gathered to honor Officer Gabriel Facio of the Apache Junction Police Department, who died after being shot in the line of duty. Officer Facio, 46, was responding to reports of a driver brandishing a firearm on June 2nd when he was shot. Despite fighting to survive for six days, he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple, who attended the funeral services held at Central Christian Church, described the powerful display of solidarity among law enforcement agencies.
"It was so joyful to see so many different agencies and even the firefighters coming out in their classes to support this wonderful family and this true hero that died for his country," Sheriff Teeple shared. "Just to hear the stories from his beat partner and his amazing daughter that got up and gave the opening speech – what strength and conviction she had. If you didn't have a tear in your eye after she spoke, there was something wrong."
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office stepped up to support their fellow law enforcement officers by covering all of Apache Junction's calls for service and dispatching during the funeral at the request of Apache Junction Police Chief Mike Pooley. This allowed every Apache Junction police officer to attend the service.
"I sat in the back behind every single Apache Junction police officer, and it was really heartwarming to see that kind of support," Sheriff Teeple said.
For a relatively small department of about 100 officers, the loss of Officer Facio has been devastating. According to Sheriff Teeple, Chief Pooley delivered an amazing speech honoring the fallen officer, noting that Officer Facio and his beat partner were the first two Apache Junction police officers that Chief Pooley swore into office after becoming chief.
Officer Facio's daughter, Anna, spoke movingly about how her father always made time for her and made her feel seen and heard whenever she was struggling emotionally. Thanks to her father's love and support, she was able to obtain an associate's degree in teaching.
Born in Mexico, Officer Facio had always dreamed of becoming a police officer. As Chief Pooley stated at the service, "He lived the American dream." His beat partner, Officer David Bradford, who was sworn in with Facio and later became his partner, shared stories of their unbreakable bond.
Chief Pooley encouraged attendees to keep Officer Facio's memory alive: "Next time you meet someone with the first name of Gabriel, tell them about this amazing human being that went and chased his dream and truly lived the fact that if you find something that you truly love, you won't work a day in your life."
The man who shot Officer Facio has been arrested, and Pinal County Attorney's Office has promised to hold him fully accountable under the law.
Massive Drug Bust Thwarted by Misguided Protesters
In a separate incident that highlights the daily challenges faced by law enforcement, Sheriff Teeple detailed a major drug bust conducted by his department that was nearly interrupted by protesters who mistakenly believed it was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid.
The operation, carried out by Pinal County Sheriff's Office's anti-smuggling unit along with their canine and narcotics divisions, resulted in the seizure of over five million fentanyl pills, 32 pounds of cocaine, 22 pounds of methamphetamine, and four firearms. The target was a suspected cartel member who had an active warrant from Mexico for criminal racketeering.
"All the credit goes to my anti-smuggling unit, an amazing group of individuals," Sheriff Teeple emphasized. "They are truly amazing detectives that just go out of their way to keep the public safe."
The sheriff explained the staggering scope of the seizure: "One fentanyl pill can kill a person. And if we collected five million fentanyl pills, it makes the math real easy." The danger of handling such substances is so severe that officers cannot count individual pills due to the risk of accidental exposure. Instead, they weigh samples and calculate the total quantity.
"If you have a small rip in your glove and you have a cut on your finger, you could OD just from that. And I'm never going to put my guys in that kind of danger," Sheriff Teeple explained.
What made this operation particularly noteworthy was the interference by protesters who misidentified the law enforcement action as an ICE raid. Holding "Abolish ICE" signs, they gathered outside the raided house and attempted to prevent authorities from towing the suspect's vehicle, despite there being no ICE agents present.
"Are they really protesting that they don't want to get this off the streets? That's insane," Sheriff Teeple remarked. "If you come to this country because of the benefits of being a productive citizen in this country, then you need to become a productive citizen. If you want to live in the same lifestyle and under the same leadership that you left, then go home."
The Tucson Police Department ultimately had to send their mobile field force to assist in moving the protesters so the tow truck could remove the vehicle. Sheriff Teeple expressed his frustration with the absurdity of the situation: "When I meet them, I say, 'Did they think we were deporting the vehicle?'"
The incident highlights how political agendas can sometimes interfere with crucial public safety operations. The suspect has been designated as part of a cartel now officially classified as a terrorist organization, making the protesters' actions all the more concerning.
"They still sat there and they protested because they didn't have an independent thought," Kathleen Winn commented. "They were so committed to their 'no kings' protest, they were going to get in the way of you saving over five million lives. Like that is the definition of total chaos and insanity."
From Trauma to Joy: Michael McNamara on Veteran Suicide Prevention
The conversation shifted to another critical issue affecting communities nationwide: veteran suicide. Michael McNamara, author of "From Trauma to Joy: Life-Changing Lessons that Fellow U.S. Marines Taught Me After Traumatic Events Occurred in My Life," shared insights on this epidemic and proposed solutions based on his extensive work with veterans.
McNamara, who hosts the podcast "All Marine Radio" and founded the Post-Traumatic Winning Company LLC, pointed out some surprising facts about veteran suicide that contradict common assumptions.
"Our involvement in conflicts was going down. Our suicide was going up," McNamara explained about a conversation with the Commandant of the Marine Corps in 2015. "He said, 'Well, Matt, you have to understand that when we do the investigation into every Marine who kills himself, 80 to 90% of them have never left the country, let alone been in combat.'"
This revelation challenges the widespread belief that veteran suicide is primarily related to combat experiences. McNamara pointed to deeper issues: "If you look at the veteran suicide or active duty suicide in 1999, it's 150. We have essentially the same number of people on active duty today. It was last year, I think, 362. It's more than doubled."
He attributes much of this increase to societal changes in how children are raised and equipped to handle adversity: "We go to this gentle parenting model in the late 80s and 90s, where if you don't want to eat your vegetables, you don't have to do it. At school, when somebody passes gas wrong at middle school, they get everybody together and what do they ask them? 'How did that make you feel?' So you live on your terms, your feelings are extremely important, and then you graduate from high school and you find out nobody cares about your feelings."
Another misconception McNamara addressed concerns the demographics of veteran suicide: "60% of veteran suicide comes after the age of 55." This statistic suggests these deaths result from "a lifetime of traumatic experiences" rather than recent combat.
McNamara's approach, which he terms "Post-Traumatic Winning," offers a path forward for those struggling with trauma:
"Accept that you're going to coexist with it, that you're never going to get over it."
"Live with discipline."
"When you struggle, talk to somebody. Don't fake it."
"If you struggle, quit drinking."
"Develop wellness things in your life. Learn how to meditate... Learn how to breathe to disrupt anger and anxiety."
"If there's people in your life that are abusive, put that at arm's length because you have to realize you're more fragile."
"Once you learn this stuff and once you see how quickly your life can change... you have to reach out and help somebody else."
McNamara's book contains 24 stories of individuals who have successfully navigated trauma. His message is clear: "Once you go through trauma, there's an answer, and the first place you should look is inside of you."
He challenges conventional approaches to mental health treatment: "We do a similar version with mental health. If the nation set a suicide record in the last year, and the DOD kept setting suicide records, and the formula is 'come take the meds, come go to therapy,' and it doesn't work – tell people the truth."
Instead, McNamara believes in the transformative power of helping others: "When you help somebody else, you're going to transform your suffering because you will have turned it into something good. And that is the path from trauma to joy."
Mortgage Insights with Meg Swain: Why Now Might Be the Best Time to Buy
The housing market remains a critical concern for many Americans, and Meg Swain from Loan Depot offered valuable insights on current mortgage trends and opportunities. With the Federal Reserve expected to extend its pause on interest rate cuts for a fourth consecutive time, many potential homebuyers are hesitating.
"Interest rates have been hovering around the same, just little patterns since December," Swain explained. "They're just taking a super conservative approach, and it's like watching water boil. The water does boil eventually, and you either make a boiled egg or not."
Despite the current hesitation in the market, Swain argues that now is actually an ideal time to buy: "The consumer confidence in buying a house right now is super low. It's probably the lowest it's been since 2012. However, I can't reiterate enough that this is the actual best time to buy."
Her reasoning includes several advantages for current buyers:
Increased negotiating power
More inventory than any other time in recent years
Ability to get concessions from sellers for closing costs
Opportunities to buy down interest rates through seller concessions
Swain predicts that when rates eventually drop, these advantages will disappear as competition increases: "I'm not sure when rates do come down how many opportunities there will be in negotiating, and values are going to go up, which means that the prices are going to go up and you're going to have less opportunity."
For homeowners currently sitting on low interest rates (approximately 60% of Americans have rates of 4% or lower), Swain acknowledges the reluctance to sell and take on higher-rate mortgages. However, she emphasizes that buying now still builds equity, provides tax benefits, and positions buyers to take advantage of future rate drops.
As an added benefit for her clients, Swain offers "free refinances for life" through Loan Depot: "No lender fees. I will roll your impounds and give you the lower interest rate as many times as I have to for the life of the loan." This benefit can save homeowners thousands in refinancing costs when rates eventually decline.
For those struggling with high-interest debt, Swain suggests homeowners with equity consider consolidating debt through refinancing, even at current rates: "You have to do the math. If Meg got rid of all of my 29, 30% interest rate credit, would she make a difference in my monthly now if she cleared the debt and got rid of all of my debt above and beyond my mortgage, even though my rate would be 6% or 7%?"
Political Insights and Local Government Accountability with Lisa Von Geldern
Lisa Von Geldern, national event manager and training manager for the John Birch Society, brought attention to critical issues at both state and local government levels that often escape public scrutiny.
Discussing the upcoming race for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction between Tom Horne and Kimberly Yee, von Gelderen expressed concerns about the handling of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) under Horne's administration: "Parents aren't getting reimbursements that they need. They've brought in some kind of app to reimburse people instead of the cards, you know, the debit cards."
She advocated for simpler solutions: "I have a health savings account and I have a bank card for my health savings account. And if I go to try and purchase something that's not qualified under a health saving account, the card doesn't work. It's that simple. So why requires this app thing?"
Von Geldern also highlighted her organization's principled opposition to ESAs due to concerns about government involvement in homeschooling: "The reason they're opposed to ESAs is because it's the camel's nose under the tent. It's a way of getting government involved in setting regulations for homeschools."
Beyond education, Von Geldern brought attention to concerning financial practices in local government, citing findings by Rep. David Marshall from LD7 about mismanagement of funds in Phoenix: "They have found that in Phoenix alone... $28.5 million of taxpayer funds have gone to over a hundred private organizations with no oversight. Directors of departments on their own can choose to dole out $32,000 to any organization it wants to. But it doesn't even have to be a not-for-profit."
This lack of accountability extends to other local government actions, such as her experience in Sahuarita where the town council decided to eliminate residents' choice of trash collection companies despite significant public opposition: "We had hundreds of people showing up at the council meetings to object to this and they went ahead and did it anyway behind closed doors."
Von Geldern emphasized the importance of focusing on local politics: "I know that DC is a big, shiny, distracting ball... but we need to be paying attention to what's going on right in our local community, right on down to the dog catcher. It is the only way we're going to change things in DC is by paying attention to what's going on locally and holding them accountable."
She concluded with a passionate defense of constitutional rights: "Our rights don't come from the people that sit at the Board of Supervisors or our city council or our town mayor. They think and they act as if they have the right to control us. But the truth is, and we need to constantly remind them, our rights come from God."
In her view, the preservation of individual liberties requires active citizen engagement: "You cannot take away my right to say what I need to say. You cannot take away my right to defend myself from someone who's attacking me... I'm calling on anyone who can hear my voice to take it seriously. We are rapidly headed in that direction if you don't stand up. And knowing this stuff and complaining about it on social media is not enough."