Steve Risner - Lead Instructor/Trainer
Steve Risner has over thirty-nine plus years of experience in law enforcement & corrections, fulfilling such roles as: State Correctional Officer, State Probation and Parole Agent, Training Mentor & Advisor for Afghan National Police & Prison systems in Afghanistan, Police Officer, K-9 Officer, Deputy Sheriff and Warden of a correctional facility for a Sheriff's Department. He is a current Instructor/Trainer in the Use of Force, and state certified Firearms Instructor.
He has certified nearly a thousand of Law Enforcement / Correctional Use of Force Instructors in his career and thousands of civilians in Carry Concealed Handgun for permits to carry concealed. He has also lectured and taught to thousands of law enforcement/correctional officers in Use of Force and Survival Awareness. Steve is also a certified instructor in Electronic Control Devices and Chemical Agents.
Steve is one of approximately 350 Certified PPCT (Pressure Point Control Tactics), Instructor Trainers worldwide in Threat Pattern Recognition, Defensive Tactics, Inmate Control, Pressure Points, Collapsible Baton & Impact Weapons, Weapon Retention and Disarming, Spontaneous Knife & Edged Weapons Defense, Ground Avoidance and Ground Escape, and Side-Handle Baton. He has been a member for 27 years with one of the world's largest use of force organization, the Human Factor Research Group. He is also a certified Instructor Trainer in civilian classes of Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention, (SHARP), and for the education arena in Disruptive Student Management.
Joseph Ferrera - Lead Instructor/Trainer
Joseph Ferrera (affectionately known as “Little Joe”) began his law enforcement career in 1977 with a Federal Agency. He then worked as a deputy sheriff from 1979 to 1985 in corrections and transport. In 1985 he became a police officer in a 161-officer agency that bordered Detroit. He spent 29+ years there and retired as a Sergeant. During that time, he worked patrol, directed patrol, surveillance, undercover in narcotics and vice. He served as a field training officer, range master, and lead use of force instructor. He trained instructors in multiple disciplines for the agency. He was on the original swat team and was a team leader for the team. He developed policies and procedures and designed specialized subject control equipment for his agency. He retired as a powershift supervisor. He then returned to the Sheriff’s Dept. as a sworn deputy in their training unit and is still on the job there in that capacity.
During that period Joe worked various part-time jobs. He has been with the Oakland Police Academy in Auburn Hills Michigan since the late 80’s and is on staff there today teaching use of force and tactical techniques to recruits. He also trains instructors in various aspects of subject control and use of force techniques as well as officer safety issues. Joe had a series on the Law Enforcement Television Network out of Carrollton Texas for over ten years where he taught “Defensive Tactics for the Smaller Officer”. Joe also has a series of training videos at Policeone.com where he instructs various techniques from physical skills to firearms.
He has attended thousands of hours of instructor training in verbal skills, use of force, subject control, intermediate weapons, and firearms instructor courses. As well as counter terrorism instructor training and human behavior recognition training. Joe has presented training at various law enforcement training seminars, conferences and agencies across the U.S.A., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Conferences include:
- The International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association
- The American Society for Law Enforcement Trainers
- The International Associations of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors
- The Canadian Police Use of Force Instructors Conference (1996/97)
Joe was selected as the Trainer of the Year for I.L.E.E.T.A. at the 2018 conference.
Joe began studying martial arts in 1970 and began teaching self-defense and martial arts classes in 1974 specializing in children’s and women’s classes in the beginning. He continues to teach self-defense and awareness classes to all who are interested.
Key Qualifications:
- He has studied several martial arts in his life
- He is on staff at PPCT/Human Factors Science
- He is on staff at Close Quarters Tactical in Shelby Twp. Michigan
- He is certified as an instructor in various LOCKUP courses
- He has several firearms instructor certifications
- He is a student of edged weapon disciplines
John Ferraro - Lead Instructor
John Ferraro is a security specialist with over 40 years of experience. His career started when he joined the U.S. Army. Upon his return from Vietnam, he attended the U.S. Army Instructor Training Course and became an instructor at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
Following his honorable discharge, he used the G.I. Bill to attend the University of South Carolina and graduated in 1974 with a B.A. in Psychology and in 1976 with an M.Ed. in Counseling.
His civilian career started in 1976 as an instructor at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. In 1980, John became a Hostage Negotiator and helped develop the South
Carolina Department of Corrections’ Hostage Negotiation Team (SITCON). In 1994 he was appointed the Commander of the Hostage Negotiation Team (SITCON) and in 1998
he graduated from the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation – Crisis (Hostage) Negotiation School. Upon his completion of the School, John reorganized the entire South Carolina Department of Corrections’ Hostage Negotiation (SITCON) Basic Training Course.
During his career of 32 years with the South Carolina Department of Corrections, he served as the Deputy Director of the Training Academy and interim Director of Security where he directly managed the Department’s emergency teams, emergency preparedness and the Security Audits for all prisons. With the support of the National Institute of Corrections’ Technical Assistance program and interagency agreements, he taught Hostage Negotiation classes to Correctional and Law Enforcement professionals throughout the U.S.
Following his career with the Department of Corrections, John accepted an assignment overseas (2008 – 2018), where he advised Officers of the Afghan Central Prison Directorate and Afghan National Police as well as personnel of the Administrations Penitentiaries and Gendarmes from six West African nations. While assigned to Afghanistan and West Africa, he also taught Hostage Negotiation Techniques, basic security procedures and conducted Security Audits for prisons and headquarters buildings.
He successfully negotiated major hostage situations during his career with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and overseas assignments. He uses these experiences to help him research and develop new lesson plans and instruct Hostage Negotiation classes for the South Carolina Department of Corrections and local Law Enforcement agencies. He continues to explore innovative ways to apply new training techniques, security procedures and security devices through the analysis of Security Audits for Churches, Mosques, schools and restaurants. He has presented at Hostage (Crisis) Negotiation conferences and enjoys teaching Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Techniques, survival and use-of-force classes to those in need.
John Ferraro has worked for more than 42 years of experience in the U.S. Army, Corrections and on assignments in foreign countries. He has worked as a Trainer, Deputy Director of Training, Commander of the Hostage Negotiation Team, Interim Director of Security and Advisor-Mentor for the Afghan Central Prison Directorate, the Afghan National Police, as well as Correctional and Law Enforcement personnel from six West African nations. He currently teaches Hostage Negotiation classes to Correctional and Law Enforcement agencies. He also teaches Crisis Intervention Techniques and Emergency Preparedness to the staff members of Churches, Mosques, schools and restaurants and he conducts Security Audits to improve the security of their structures and routine procedures.
Instructor Training and Special Skills:
- U.S. Army Instructor Training Course
- National Institute of Corrections - Training for Staff Trainers
- U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation – Crisis (Hostage) Negotiation School
- South Caroling Department of Corrections - Situation Controller Training Hostage Negotiation
- State of New York - Intervention Unit Training
- Institute of Public Service – Hostage Negotiations Course
- South Carolina Department of Corrections - Security Audit Training
- National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) – National Community Crisis Response Team Training
- State of South Carolina: South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy – Firearms Instructor
- South Carolina Department of Corrections – Firearms Instructor
- South Carolina Department of Corrections – Semi-Auto Pistol Training for Trainers
- National Institute of Corrections – Emergency Preparedness Assessment
- LETRA – Master Instructor Training: Emergency Preparedness of Correctional Institutions
Providing the Public, School Administrators/Staff and Law Enforcement
the necessary skills to be more confident and competent in keeping themselves and others safe.
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