Coolsys posted me in a We Fight Monsters "Be a Badass, Save a kid" shirt. The company I work for celebrates November as a month of giving. I submitted multiple pics of volunteer work but was pleasantly surprised when they picked the lower right hand pic to post throughout the company. I told Ben Owen once that I didnt feel comfortable wearing that shirt because it implies I am a badass, which I don't consider myself as such but I love the message so much that I now wear it often. It's all about spreading the message to support the mission and what a great mission it is!!

Build It Now, Stay Steady When It Matters Most As we face the possibility of upcoming homeland plotting by terrorist groups, psychological readiness is your foundation. These skills help you stay calm, think clearly, and support each other in any crisis, whether it’s an attack, a natural disaster, or life suddenly going off the rails. If you’ve spent the past year building emergency plans, running drills, and practicing “what if” scenarios, you’re exactly where you need to be. Keep going. You’re not just preparing, you’re building real resilience for yourself, your family, and your community when it matters most. Here’s what we can do next to prepare and stay resilient. Educate Without Fear: When we talk to others about preparedness, the tone matters. The goal is not fear-based. The goal is to give them information, tools, and then most importantly, confidence. Within your family, for example, controlling the narrative means framing the conversation around what you can control, even during something as overwhelming as a terrorist attack. Replace fear-driven talk with practical direction. Use clear, strong language: “Here’s what we do if X happens,” or “We’re safe right now, let’s stick to our plan.” Walk each member of your family through actionable steps: getting to shelter, locking down a workspace, identifying exits, staying put until it’s safe to move. When people have rehearsed actions, their bodies and minds switch into those patterns automatically, even under extreme stress. Helping Children Cope: Children can and do process events very differently, and they depend heavily on the adults around them to set the emotional tone. Keep discussions age appropriate and grounded in the calmest way possible. Do not expose them to graphic news footage or frightening speculation. It overwhelms them and provides no useful information. Instead, focus on safety: who they stay with, where they go, how adults will protect them. Small gestures like holding a hand, offering a hug, sitting beside them all have a very real grounding effect. Use simple, straightforward language: “We have a plan. We know what to do. You’re safe with me.” That sense of predictable structure is what helps kids stay emotionally balanced during and after a crisis.

I believe we all have different reasons for being here. My interests use OSINT to identify victims and traffickers and general research into cyber-related fields. I find a lot of great info on LinkedIn (that's how I found 'We Fight Monsters'!). If you're interested in learning more about OSINT and it's applications two of the best accounts to follow are Ubikron (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ubikron/) and OSINT Experts Society (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13047129/). Both have plenty of resources and regularly post items of interest.

Hi everyone. Before anything else, I want to introduce myself for those who don’t know me. I was born in the ashes of two civil wars, and I learned early what exploitation looks like when people have no power and no voice. I carried that understanding into combat in Iraq, and later into years spent on America’s front lines — working SWAT, serving with a federal task force, doing undercover interdiction work, and now leading as a patrol sergeant. Across all of those worlds, one thing remained constant: human trafficking doesn’t look like the movies. It doesn’t always look violent. It doesn’t always look obvious. And it rarely looks like what people expect. Most victims aren’t kidnapped. Most traffickers don’t fit a stereotype. And most of the warning signs are missed because the community simply doesn’t know what to look for. That’s why I’m here. I founded Project Sapient to bring together real-world experience, neuroscience, stress physiology, and human behavior — because when you understand how people are controlled, manipulated, or broken down, you start seeing the patterns that others overlook. My goal today is simple: Is to have you be aware of the different kinds of human trafficking. You don’t have to be law enforcement to make a difference. Awareness is a force multiplier. An informed community is one of the strongest defenses there is. So thank you for being here. Most people picture human trafficking as kidnappings, vans, and dramatic movie scenes. But in reality, trafficking is far more subtle — and far more common — than people realize. It doesn’t always look violent. It doesn’t always look obvious. And it often hides in plain sight. Here are the major types of human trafficking civilians should understand: 1. Sex Trafficking This is the most recognized — and most misunderstood — form. Victims are often trapped through: - emotional manipulation - threats - fear for their family - addiction - false promises - financial control Most victims are not kidnapped.