March 7, 2026 • 17 mins
Have you ever wondered who makes the gear that police officers use to stay safe? In this episode of Amateurs and Experts, Erica and Jessica talk to Ryan Allen. Ryan used to be a police officer, but now he owns a company called Zero Nine Holsters. He makes special cases for radios and tools right here in the USA. He also helps run a big training group called the OTOA (Ohio Tactical Officers Association).
The conversation then shifts to the OTOA, where Ryan details their mission to provide world-class training to not just SWAT, but every "tactically-minded" patrol officer.
He highlights the upcoming 2025 conference at Kalahari Resort, which attracts thousands of attendees from as far as Hawaii and Canada for training, networking, and a massive vendor show.
Links
Zero Nine Holsters: — American-made duty gear and Kydex cases. (16:50)
OTOA (Ohio Tactical Officers Association): — Training catalogs and conference registration. (16:22)
Otis Technology: The booth hosting the podcast at SHOT Show 2025. (00:05)
- Lake Erie Arms: Mentioned for its indoor clay field training facility. (09:15)
Key Takeaways
Identify the Gap: Zero Nine Holsters succeeded because they filled a specific need for better-designed duty equipment that big manufacturers ignored.
Seek Quality over Compliance: Real-world survival depends on training that provides value, not just a certificate for an HR file.
State Support is Crucial: Partnering with government offices like the Attorney General can provide life-saving education to those who can't afford it.
Professionalism is for Everyone: Tactical thinking should be a standard for all first responders, including patrol, fire, and medics.
Key Words
Zero Nine Holsters, OTOA, Law Enforcement, Tactical Training, SHOT Show 2025, Kydex, Active Shooter Response, State Funded, Professionalism, Patrol Officer, Duty Gear, Ohio.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
Welcome to Amateurs and Experts.
And of course, like everyepisode, we're laughing before
we're starting.
This is Shot Show 2025, andwe're at the Otis Technology
Booth, their 40th anniversary,beautiful podcast booth.
SPEAKER_01 (00:20):
Yes, it is the end of day two, and um we are a
little, I don't know, goofyloopy.
SPEAKER_00 (00:26):
We may or may not know our names.
But we do know our next guest.
We are with Ryan Allen from ZeroNine Holsters.
Welcome.
SPEAKER_02 (00:37):
Thank you very much for having me.
SPEAKER_00 (00:38):
Of course.
We are super excited to have youhere because A, we're gonna talk
about Zero Nine Holsters.
SPEAKER_01 (00:43):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (00:44):
And then also Ryan is on the OTOA board, which
stands for the Ohio TacticalOfficers Association.
That's right.
And they are doing absolutelyfantastic things, and we thought
it would be really great to do alaw enforcement appreciation
episode.
Yeah.
Sounds like thank you very much.
For sure, it's my pleasure.
(01:04):
So, first, tell us about Zero9.
SPEAKER_02 (01:07):
So, Zero Nine Polsters is a uh law
enforcement-owned smallbusiness.
We make duty gear.
Everything's made in the UnitedStates by cops for cops.
SPEAKER_01 (01:17):
Love that.
SPEAKER_02 (01:18):
Um, everything that we were using when we were both
full-time cops um wasn't workingfor us.
So we uh started messing aroundwith kydex and vacuum forming
and was able to kind of tool forcases that would carry the gear
that we needed on duty.
So um we we kind of upgrade dutygear from what we were always
(01:39):
issued back in the day.
SPEAKER_01 (01:40):
I love that because um I worked for probation for
many years.
Okay, and our department justhanded us stuff and said, this
is what you're using.
SPEAKER_02 (01:48):
Oh, yeah, that's how it went.
SPEAKER_01 (01:50):
Yes.
And so for you guys to kind oftweak it and make it better,
that's the plan, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (01:56):
Um we've had a lot of success.
We're very humbled, everything'sbeen going very well.
SPEAKER_00 (02:00):
So um but you've worked your ass off.
And I will I'll because I'veactually had the awesome
opportunity to visit theirfacility, and it started in like
a garage with like hand modelingthe product, like to now them
like mass-producing varioustypes of units.
That's correct.
I mean, they've really trulygrown from the ground up, and
(02:21):
that's commendable because a lotof people, if it were easy,
everybody would do it.
SPEAKER_02 (02:25):
Oh, well, that's true.
And I won't say it wasn't a lotof work, but um we definitely
enjoyed the process and we wereable to do it while we were
still police officers, so thatkind of helped for a little
while, and then it got to thepoint where we just couldn't do
both anymore.
So we both retired, and that'swhat we do full-time now.
SPEAKER_00 (02:39):
Nice.
Well, and thank you for yourservice.
SPEAKER_02 (02:41):
I appreciate that.
SPEAKER_00 (02:42):
And to that, OTOA, which a lot of people do not
realize unless you're anofficer, that most states have
tactical officer associations.
So maybe give us a little bit ofa background of what that is,
and then specifically OTOA.
SPEAKER_02 (02:59):
Sure.
So um most states, not everystate, but most states have a
group of individuals thatsupport training for law
enforcement.
And um some states are havebigger organizations than others
and um various different means,but we're we're fortunate that
uh Pat Fiorelli back in the daytook over the OTOA and really
(03:19):
grew it into what it is now.
Um so we're one of, if not thebiggest, tactical officer
association in the country, andum we we take that very
seriously.
Um, everything that we do isdesigned to help promote
professionalism in policing.
So we've got uh a whole catalogof classes that we do.
We have over 40 red teaminstructors at this point and uh
(03:44):
full-time staff that is justdedicated to supporting the
mission.
So um we have grown it from a uhlike a club or a fraternal
association to uh one of themost prestigious training
organizations in the country.
And our mission is to get thebest police training to police
(04:07):
officers, corrections officers,firemen even, uh, that we can
possibly do.
SPEAKER_00 (04:12):
And a lot, because a lot of people, because it's the
name is Tactical Association,they assume you've got to be
tactical SWAT, but it really isfor any level.
SPEAKER_02 (04:23):
You're completely correct.
Uh that's been one of our bigfocuses for the last five years
or so is to try to get themessage out there that it's not
just for SWAT.
Uh we actually have severalprograms right now, some of
which are funded by the state ofOhio, so it's free training for
officers throughout the state,and it's directed to be a
tactically minded patrolofficer.
(04:43):
So a lot of what we're doing nowis for every cop and not just
SWAT officers.
SPEAKER_01 (04:50):
Which is oh, go ahead.
No, that's that's amazingbecause a lot of the things are
for uh the special units.
SPEAKER_02 (04:58):
Correct.
SPEAKER_01 (04:58):
And um, I feel uh especially nowadays and and
stuff like that, there's uhpatrol officers go out there and
um I know that there's certainamount of hours that you have to
train every year, for sure, butuh the training that really
counts it is usually not thetraining that you have to have.
(05:21):
Yes, right?
SPEAKER_02 (05:22):
Yeah.
Well, and that's that's what wetry to design all of our classes
around is we're we don't want tocheck the box.
We don't want to just say, oh,okay, everybody completed this
course.
We want it to mean something, wewant it to be very valuable to
the actual mission of a policeofficer.
So um everything that we do isgeared with that in mind.
SPEAKER_00 (05:40):
And every year there is the conference in June.
SPEAKER_02 (05:44):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (05:44):
And literally, people, I mean, last year's
conference, there were peoplefrom Hawaii there, Las Vegas,
that they can come from all overto really come that week to do
some training, there's seminars.
Um, share, share a little bitabout that.
SPEAKER_02 (06:01):
Yep, so uh usually the second week of June, we have
our annual training conference,and right now we're getting
around 1,500 attendees, sothat's uh you know, we're
touching at least 1,500 policeofficers and firemen and tac
medics every year with uh whatwe use is uh a sampling of
(06:22):
training courses, and a lot oftimes the instructors are uh
high-level travelinginstructors, it's not just
people from Ohio.
We get instructors from all overthe country, and they do like an
intro to what their trainingcourses are so that these
officers can get some trainingand then decide what they want
to take more of after the fact.
(06:43):
Uh, we do debriefs, and um,every year it's a different set
of individuals that come anddescribe their experiences in
you know traumatic incidents andthings like that.
Um, we have an awards banquet,there's awards that are given
out every year, and we have oneof the best vendor shows in in
the country when it comes to uhtech boss or associations.
(07:05):
So um, you know, between 1,500and 2,000 attendees come through
the vendor show, 1,500-ish uhare trained every year.
We get upwards of 250 to 300vendors at the show, so you know
the the officers get a lot ofexposure to new equipment and um
new methods.
SPEAKER_01 (07:25):
So the training facility, if somebody's out of
Ohio, if they're in anotherstate, can they actually contact
you and and be trained in yourfacility or is this specific for
Ohio residents?
SPEAKER_02 (07:36):
Not at all.
Anyone can come as long asyou're a police officer and take
the training.
Uh we we do training foradjacent states quite often.
Um, and then for the conferenceitself, we have it at a Kalahari
resort, so everybody can stayright on site, and we get people
from Canada every year.
Hawaii last year, they come fromall over the country and they
can stay there, and then we havearound eight different training
(07:59):
ranges throughout that littlearea around Kalahari.
So depending on what class getsplaced where, you start a
Kalahari and then you go out toa training day, and then you
come back for the evening andand and network and and be with
like native people and veryimportant.
SPEAKER_00 (08:15):
And OTOA is, I mean, I'm not law enforcement.
I went to art school, right?
I'm the farthest thing from it.
Uh but I love OTOA, I'm biased,obviously.
Right.
It's also very family oriented.
You know, everybody on the boardand the team of OTOA is just,
they were their heart on thesleeve, very hardworking,
amazing, truly awesome humanbeings.
(08:35):
And I think that extends to theconference and everything that
they do.
So having it at Kalahari, I meanit's a perfect setup at
Kalahari, but it also allowsthose officers coming to the
conference to bring theirfamily.
So like they're doing training,they can get a suite for the
family and the kids.
Kids can get the pool, then theycan do dinner with them in the
evening.
You know, it's in Sandusky,Ohio, so June, it's always a
(08:56):
nice time of year.
So if you have an RV, there'salso an RV camp.
SPEAKER_02 (08:59):
Right across the street.
SPEAKER_00 (09:00):
Yeah.
Um the OTOA utilizes localvendors for food for dinner.
There was a the barbecue lastyear.
Oh my god.
SPEAKER_02 (09:08):
Yeah.
We've been very fortunate.
Yeah, we found a lot of the goodvendors for food.
SPEAKER_00 (09:14):
Good food will travel.
SPEAKER_02 (09:15):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:15):
Oh, it was phenomenal.
Um, and then there's like uhRyan said, you know, utilizing
local PDs, shooting ranges.
There's Lake Erie Arms, which isa brand new facility out there
that has one of three now in thecountry indoor clay fields.
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_02 (09:35):
And it's an interesting setup for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (09:37):
It is, and I've done the indoor clays, super wild,
very awesome.
But in Ohio, when it snows, it'salways nice to be able to be
inside when you're shootingclays.
SPEAKER_01 (09:45):
All year round.
SPEAKER_00 (09:46):
All year round, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (09:47):
I think it's important too that um officers
get training outside of theirdepartment.
I mean, definitely followdepartment policies, but you
can't rely on the training ofyour department to cover
everything.
And it's nice to go to thosetrainings and actually see what
other departments are doing.
Yeah.
You know, just like coming toSHOT Show, um, being able to see
(10:08):
what's out there other than whatyour department has for you.
Um, it's important.
SPEAKER_02 (10:13):
For sure.
SPEAKER_00 (10:14):
And we, and that was something that Pat last year at
the conference we were talkingabout, and when we talk about it
in general, that a lot of theconversations that officers are
able to have because they'refrom other states, other
counties, when they're having abeer after the vendor show or
after training, they're able tosay, hey, you know, this
happened, or how does yourdepartment handle this?
Having those conversations withpeople that understand what your
(10:37):
day-to-day is like isinvaluable.
SPEAKER_02 (10:40):
Networking is absolutely invaluable, you're
right.
SPEAKER_00 (10:42):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
I remember when I um so I wasn't armed during during
some of the time of probation.
Yep.
And I remember when I was armed,and my husband, first thing he
did was get me extra trainingoutside.
Yeah.
And um, I was in a situation,and the trainer that I was
(11:04):
training with, that was thevoice I heard during that
situation.
Yeah.
And um, and it's really weirdbecause I had had a lot of
department trainings, but um thetrainer outside the department
was the one that really hit homefor me.
SPEAKER_02 (11:17):
A lot of times if if it's something that you seek out
and you're doing it because youwant to do it, as opposed to
being forced to do it by yourdepartment, it works out better
and it hits home a littleharder.
And that so that you're not theonly one who has had that
experience for sure.
And it's probably also becauseuh that training was was uh more
(11:38):
in-depth than what what mydepartment would oh yeah, no, it
didn't check a box to to youknow get some agency through a
compliance issue or something,right?
It actually provided value.
SPEAKER_00 (11:50):
Yes, absolutely.
And when Ryan says, you know,the conference has over like 40
courses of sampling, it reallyis incredibly diverse.
I mean, everything from nightshooting, canine, you guys are
now doing a huge thing withcanine, canine, medical
training, active shooting, allof it.
All of it.
Yep.
Awesome.
Yeah, less lethal.
SPEAKER_02 (12:10):
Yeah, and and you can come there and get certified
in certain things too.
Armors, classes.
SPEAKER_00 (12:15):
Oh, cool.
SPEAKER_02 (12:16):
A lot of that, yep.
SPEAKER_00 (12:17):
And a lot of it can also count towards credits.
SPEAKER_02 (12:20):
Correct.
Well, so at the conference we'llhave the active shooter response
course, which does qualify forwhat we call CPT continuing
professional training.
So the state of Ohio hasacknowledged that that course is
valuable to what they believethe uh the standards are for a
police officer.
So they they give the policeofficers credit towards their
(12:41):
continuing education for thatclass.
Um, the rest of our classes inadvanced training throughout the
year are all qualified for CPT.
So the Active Shooter course,which is one of the two
state-funded classes, so you cantake that for free as a police
officer in Ohio.
And then uh we're developing theTactical Patrol Officers
(13:02):
Program, which will also be bothCPT approved and state funded,
so you'll be able to take it forfree.
And it'll be a longer-term setof two weeks of training to uh
to get a qualification, is whatthe state's gonna term a
tactical patrol officer.
So it's just uh more of alonger-term program designed to
get multiple different sets ofclasses to uh you know become a
(13:25):
little more tactically minded,just day-to-day.
SPEAKER_00 (13:28):
Yeah, I love that, and I want to emphasize the
state funded part because we'retalking about men and women that
before their career have decidedto train, become educated, and
put their life on the line toprotect us.
And then we ask them to keep upon training and take time off of
their job, and often officershave to pay for that training
(13:50):
themselves, which then mightstop them from getting that
extra training, plus the timeyou might not be able to afford
it, you have to take time off ofwork, unpaid time.
So the fact that it's statefunded and the credits, I mean,
that's that's huge.
SPEAKER_02 (14:05):
Correct.
Yeah.
Um we we have partnered with ourstate training office, the OPATA
office, and the attorneygeneral's office to get this
pushed through and make surethat you know these officers,
literally every officer in thestate, can take this training
for free.
So um you're 100% correct.
A lot of times an agency willsend a guy to training, but
(14:26):
there's a lot of times wherethat officer is taking a
vacation day and paying his ownway to training.
So to be able to get thisquality training to the officers
for free is huge.
SPEAKER_00 (14:35):
Yeah.
So 2025, you guys have anythingsuper awesome besides the
conference that's coming out?
SPEAKER_02 (14:44):
So the uh active shooter response class is the
big one for this year.
We we started it the second halfof last year.
This will be our first full yearwith it.
So we're trying to uh theattorney general's office has
kind of set a goal to get everypolice officer in the state
trained through it.
So that's our our big thing thisyear is to get that done and uh
get as many guys trained as wecan.
SPEAKER_01 (15:06):
That's awesome.
What about for uh Zero Nineholsters?
What's what's coming up?
What's the new product?
SPEAKER_02 (15:12):
So we just released our tourniquet case, so uh uh
medical type peer.
Um we released an administrativecombo for detectives in plain
clothes and administrative typeofficers.
Um that's the newest thing, andit's been going really well.
So um basically we're justkeeping up with the changes as
(15:35):
they come up.
Anytime a company makes a newportable radio case or a new
body camera, we we make a casefor it and you can keep moving.
SPEAKER_01 (15:43):
That's awesome.
What is your favorite thingabout SHOT Show so far?
SPEAKER_02 (15:46):
Um, just seeing a lot of people that I only get to
see once a year.
Um, you know, I I've met a lotof great people between the OTOA
and Zero9 over the last 15years, and some of them, you
know, are spread throughout thecountry, a couple of them spread
throughout the world.
So, you know, getting everybodyinto one place for a week is is
really nice because you get tosee a lot of great people.
SPEAKER_00 (16:06):
Absolutely.
I do love that when you'rewalking from place to place,
like you just run into somebodyand you're like, oh my god.
SPEAKER_02 (16:12):
Oh yeah, haven't seen them in over a year.
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (16:16):
Yeah.
So if somebody wants to knowabout OTOA, where's the best
place to go?
SPEAKER_02 (16:22):
Uh the website otoa.org.
SPEAKER_00 (16:25):
Super easy.
SPEAKER_02 (16:26):
Super easy.
Um you can look through thecatalog, you can reach out to
our uh our office if you've gotany questions, and you can uh
sign up for classes directly onthe website.
SPEAKER_00 (16:37):
Perfect.
And registration for theconference will be opening in
February.
SPEAKER_02 (16:41):
Early February.
SPEAKER_00 (16:42):
Yes, and you don't have to be Ohio officer.
SPEAKER_02 (16:44):
Correct.
SPEAKER_00 (16:45):
Come one, come all.
SPEAKER_02 (16:46):
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (16:47):
And if people want to know more about 09, where can
they go for that?
SPEAKER_02 (16:50):
It is zero9holsters.com, Z-E-R-O, the
number nine, holsters.com.
SPEAKER_00 (16:56):
And you guys are on social media, you guys crush it
on social.
SPEAKER_02 (16:58):
We uh we we try to keep up.
I'm not a big social media guy,but um we we definitely try to
keep up, and it's at zeronineholsters on all platforms.
SPEAKER_00 (17:07):
Sweet.
Well, thank you so much forbeing here.
SPEAKER_02 (17:10):
Oh, I loved it.
I appreciate you guys having me.
SPEAKER_01 (17:12):
Yes, thank you.
Thanks for coming.
It's it's been uh informative.
SPEAKER_02 (17:17):
Great, great.
unknown (17:18):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (17:18):
Have a great show, you as well.
Welcome to Amateurs and Experts.
And of course, like everyepisode, we're laughing before
we're starting.
This is Shot Show 2025, andwe're at the Otis Technology
Booth, their 40th anniversary,beautiful podcast booth.
SPEAKER_01 (00:20):
Yes, it is the end of day two, and um we are a
little, I don't know, goofyloopy.
SPEAKER_00 (00:26):
We may or may not know our names.
But we do know our next guest.
We are with Ryan Allen from ZeroNine Holsters.
Welcome.
SPEAKER_02 (00:37):
Thank you very much for having me.
SPEAKER_00 (00:38):
Of course.
We are super excited to have youhere because A, we're gonna talk
about Zero Nine Holsters.
SPEAKER_01 (00:43):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (00:44):
And then also Ryan is on the OTOA board, which
stands for the Ohio TacticalOfficers Association.
That's right.
And they are doing absolutelyfantastic things, and we thought
it would be really great to do alaw enforcement appreciation
episode.
Yeah.
Sounds like thank you very much.
For sure, it's my pleasure.
(01:04):
So, first, tell us about Zero9.
SPEAKER_02 (01:07):
So, Zero Nine Polsters is a uh law
enforcement-owned smallbusiness.
We make duty gear.
Everything's made in the UnitedStates by cops for cops.
SPEAKER_01 (01:17):
Love that.
SPEAKER_02 (01:18):
Um, everything that we were using when we were both
full-time cops um wasn't workingfor us.
So we uh started messing aroundwith kydex and vacuum forming
and was able to kind of tool forcases that would carry the gear
that we needed on duty.
So um we we kind of upgrade dutygear from what we were always
(01:39):
issued back in the day.
SPEAKER_01 (01:40):
I love that because um I worked for probation for
many years.
Okay, and our department justhanded us stuff and said, this
is what you're using.
SPEAKER_02 (01:48):
Oh, yeah, that's how it went.
SPEAKER_01 (01:50):
Yes.
And so for you guys to kind oftweak it and make it better,
that's the plan, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (01:56):
Um we've had a lot of success.
We're very humbled, everything'sbeen going very well.
SPEAKER_00 (02:00):
So um but you've worked your ass off.
And I will I'll because I'veactually had the awesome
opportunity to visit theirfacility, and it started in like
a garage with like hand modelingthe product, like to now them
like mass-producing varioustypes of units.
That's correct.
I mean, they've really trulygrown from the ground up, and
(02:21):
that's commendable because a lotof people, if it were easy,
everybody would do it.
SPEAKER_02 (02:25):
Oh, well, that's true.
And I won't say it wasn't a lotof work, but um we definitely
enjoyed the process and we wereable to do it while we were
still police officers, so thatkind of helped for a little
while, and then it got to thepoint where we just couldn't do
both anymore.
So we both retired, and that'swhat we do full-time now.
SPEAKER_00 (02:39):
Nice.
Well, and thank you for yourservice.
SPEAKER_02 (02:41):
I appreciate that.
SPEAKER_00 (02:42):
And to that, OTOA, which a lot of people do not
realize unless you're anofficer, that most states have
tactical officer associations.
So maybe give us a little bit ofa background of what that is,
and then specifically OTOA.
SPEAKER_02 (02:59):
Sure.
So um most states, not everystate, but most states have a
group of individuals thatsupport training for law
enforcement.
And um some states are havebigger organizations than others
and um various different means,but we're we're fortunate that
uh Pat Fiorelli back in the daytook over the OTOA and really
(03:19):
grew it into what it is now.
Um so we're one of, if not thebiggest, tactical officer
association in the country, andum we we take that very
seriously.
Um, everything that we do isdesigned to help promote
professionalism in policing.
So we've got uh a whole catalogof classes that we do.
We have over 40 red teaminstructors at this point and uh
(03:44):
full-time staff that is justdedicated to supporting the
mission.
So um we have grown it from a uhlike a club or a fraternal
association to uh one of themost prestigious training
organizations in the country.
And our mission is to get thebest police training to police
(04:07):
officers, corrections officers,firemen even, uh, that we can
possibly do.
SPEAKER_00 (04:12):
And a lot, because a lot of people, because it's the
name is Tactical Association,they assume you've got to be
tactical SWAT, but it really isfor any level.
SPEAKER_02 (04:23):
You're completely correct.
Uh that's been one of our bigfocuses for the last five years
or so is to try to get themessage out there that it's not
just for SWAT.
Uh we actually have severalprograms right now, some of
which are funded by the state ofOhio, so it's free training for
officers throughout the state,and it's directed to be a
tactically minded patrolofficer.
(04:43):
So a lot of what we're doing nowis for every cop and not just
SWAT officers.
SPEAKER_01 (04:50):
Which is oh, go ahead.
No, that's that's amazingbecause a lot of the things are
for uh the special units.
SPEAKER_02 (04:58):
Correct.
SPEAKER_01 (04:58):
And um, I feel uh especially nowadays and and
stuff like that, there's uhpatrol officers go out there and
um I know that there's certainamount of hours that you have to
train every year, for sure, butuh the training that really
counts it is usually not thetraining that you have to have.
(05:21):
Yes, right?
SPEAKER_02 (05:22):
Yeah.
Well, and that's that's what wetry to design all of our classes
around is we're we don't want tocheck the box.
We don't want to just say, oh,okay, everybody completed this
course.
We want it to mean something, wewant it to be very valuable to
the actual mission of a policeofficer.
So um everything that we do isgeared with that in mind.
SPEAKER_00 (05:40):
And every year there is the conference in June.
SPEAKER_02 (05:44):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (05:44):
And literally, people, I mean, last year's
conference, there were peoplefrom Hawaii there, Las Vegas,
that they can come from all overto really come that week to do
some training, there's seminars.
Um, share, share a little bitabout that.
SPEAKER_02 (06:01):
Yep, so uh usually the second week of June, we have
our annual training conference,and right now we're getting
around 1,500 attendees, sothat's uh you know, we're
touching at least 1,500 policeofficers and firemen and tac
medics every year with uh whatwe use is uh a sampling of
(06:22):
training courses, and a lot oftimes the instructors are uh
high-level travelinginstructors, it's not just
people from Ohio.
We get instructors from all overthe country, and they do like an
intro to what their trainingcourses are so that these
officers can get some trainingand then decide what they want
to take more of after the fact.
(06:43):
Uh, we do debriefs, and um,every year it's a different set
of individuals that come anddescribe their experiences in
you know traumatic incidents andthings like that.
Um, we have an awards banquet,there's awards that are given
out every year, and we have oneof the best vendor shows in in
the country when it comes to uhtech boss or associations.
(07:05):
So um, you know, between 1,500and 2,000 attendees come through
the vendor show, 1,500-ish uhare trained every year.
We get upwards of 250 to 300vendors at the show, so you know
the the officers get a lot ofexposure to new equipment and um
new methods.
SPEAKER_01 (07:25):
So the training facility, if somebody's out of
Ohio, if they're in anotherstate, can they actually contact
you and and be trained in yourfacility or is this specific for
Ohio residents?
SPEAKER_02 (07:36):
Not at all.
Anyone can come as long asyou're a police officer and take
the training.
Uh we we do training foradjacent states quite often.
Um, and then for the conferenceitself, we have it at a Kalahari
resort, so everybody can stayright on site, and we get people
from Canada every year.
Hawaii last year, they come fromall over the country and they
can stay there, and then we havearound eight different training
(07:59):
ranges throughout that littlearea around Kalahari.
So depending on what class getsplaced where, you start a
Kalahari and then you go out toa training day, and then you
come back for the evening andand and network and and be with
like native people and veryimportant.
SPEAKER_00 (08:15):
And OTOA is, I mean, I'm not law enforcement.
I went to art school, right?
I'm the farthest thing from it.
Uh but I love OTOA, I'm biased,obviously.
Right.
It's also very family oriented.
You know, everybody on the boardand the team of OTOA is just,
they were their heart on thesleeve, very hardworking,
amazing, truly awesome humanbeings.
(08:35):
And I think that extends to theconference and everything that
they do.
So having it at Kalahari, I meanit's a perfect setup at
Kalahari, but it also allowsthose officers coming to the
conference to bring theirfamily.
So like they're doing training,they can get a suite for the
family and the kids.
Kids can get the pool, then theycan do dinner with them in the
evening.
You know, it's in Sandusky,Ohio, so June, it's always a
(08:56):
nice time of year.
So if you have an RV, there'salso an RV camp.
SPEAKER_02 (08:59):
Right across the street.
SPEAKER_00 (09:00):
Yeah.
Um the OTOA utilizes localvendors for food for dinner.
There was a the barbecue lastyear.
Oh my god.
SPEAKER_02 (09:08):
Yeah.
We've been very fortunate.
Yeah, we found a lot of the goodvendors for food.
SPEAKER_00 (09:14):
Good food will travel.
SPEAKER_02 (09:15):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:15):
Oh, it was phenomenal.
Um, and then there's like uhRyan said, you know, utilizing
local PDs, shooting ranges.
There's Lake Erie Arms, which isa brand new facility out there
that has one of three now in thecountry indoor clay fields.
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_02 (09:35):
And it's an interesting setup for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (09:37):
It is, and I've done the indoor clays, super wild,
very awesome.
But in Ohio, when it snows, it'salways nice to be able to be
inside when you're shootingclays.
SPEAKER_01 (09:45):
All year round.
SPEAKER_00 (09:46):
All year round, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (09:47):
I think it's important too that um officers
get training outside of theirdepartment.
I mean, definitely followdepartment policies, but you
can't rely on the training ofyour department to cover
everything.
And it's nice to go to thosetrainings and actually see what
other departments are doing.
Yeah.
You know, just like coming toSHOT Show, um, being able to see
(10:08):
what's out there other than whatyour department has for you.
Um, it's important.
SPEAKER_02 (10:13):
For sure.
SPEAKER_00 (10:14):
And we, and that was something that Pat last year at
the conference we were talkingabout, and when we talk about it
in general, that a lot of theconversations that officers are
able to have because they'refrom other states, other
counties, when they're having abeer after the vendor show or
after training, they're able tosay, hey, you know, this
happened, or how does yourdepartment handle this?
Having those conversations withpeople that understand what your
(10:37):
day-to-day is like isinvaluable.
SPEAKER_02 (10:40):
Networking is absolutely invaluable, you're
right.
SPEAKER_00 (10:42):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
I remember when I um so I wasn't armed during during
some of the time of probation.
Yep.
And I remember when I was armed,and my husband, first thing he
did was get me extra trainingoutside.
Yeah.
And um, I was in a situation,and the trainer that I was
(11:04):
training with, that was thevoice I heard during that
situation.
Yeah.
And um, and it's really weirdbecause I had had a lot of
department trainings, but um thetrainer outside the department
was the one that really hit homefor me.
SPEAKER_02 (11:17):
A lot of times if if it's something that you seek out
and you're doing it because youwant to do it, as opposed to
being forced to do it by yourdepartment, it works out better
and it hits home a littleharder.
And that so that you're not theonly one who has had that
experience for sure.
And it's probably also becauseuh that training was was uh more
(11:38):
in-depth than what what mydepartment would oh yeah, no, it
didn't check a box to to youknow get some agency through a
compliance issue or something,right?
It actually provided value.
SPEAKER_00 (11:50):
Yes, absolutely.
And when Ryan says, you know,the conference has over like 40
courses of sampling, it reallyis incredibly diverse.
I mean, everything from nightshooting, canine, you guys are
now doing a huge thing withcanine, canine, medical
training, active shooting, allof it.
All of it.
Yep.
Awesome.
Yeah, less lethal.
SPEAKER_02 (12:10):
Yeah, and and you can come there and get certified
in certain things too.
Armors, classes.
SPEAKER_00 (12:15):
Oh, cool.
SPEAKER_02 (12:16):
A lot of that, yep.
SPEAKER_00 (12:17):
And a lot of it can also count towards credits.
SPEAKER_02 (12:20):
Correct.
Well, so at the conference we'llhave the active shooter response
course, which does qualify forwhat we call CPT continuing
professional training.
So the state of Ohio hasacknowledged that that course is
valuable to what they believethe uh the standards are for a
police officer.
So they they give the policeofficers credit towards their
(12:41):
continuing education for thatclass.
Um, the rest of our classes inadvanced training throughout the
year are all qualified for CPT.
So the Active Shooter course,which is one of the two
state-funded classes, so you cantake that for free as a police
officer in Ohio.
And then uh we're developing theTactical Patrol Officers
(13:02):
Program, which will also be bothCPT approved and state funded,
so you'll be able to take it forfree.
And it'll be a longer-term setof two weeks of training to uh
to get a qualification, is whatthe state's gonna term a
tactical patrol officer.
So it's just uh more of alonger-term program designed to
get multiple different sets ofclasses to uh you know become a
(13:25):
little more tactically minded,just day-to-day.
SPEAKER_00 (13:28):
Yeah, I love that, and I want to emphasize the
state funded part because we'retalking about men and women that
before their career have decidedto train, become educated, and
put their life on the line toprotect us.
And then we ask them to keep upon training and take time off of
their job, and often officershave to pay for that training
(13:50):
themselves, which then mightstop them from getting that
extra training, plus the timeyou might not be able to afford
it, you have to take time off ofwork, unpaid time.
So the fact that it's statefunded and the credits, I mean,
that's that's huge.
SPEAKER_02 (14:05):
Correct.
Yeah.
Um we we have partnered with ourstate training office, the OPATA
office, and the attorneygeneral's office to get this
pushed through and make surethat you know these officers,
literally every officer in thestate, can take this training
for free.
So um you're 100% correct.
A lot of times an agency willsend a guy to training, but
(14:26):
there's a lot of times wherethat officer is taking a
vacation day and paying his ownway to training.
So to be able to get thisquality training to the officers
for free is huge.
SPEAKER_00 (14:35):
Yeah.
So 2025, you guys have anythingsuper awesome besides the
conference that's coming out?
SPEAKER_02 (14:44):
So the uh active shooter response class is the
big one for this year.
We we started it the second halfof last year.
This will be our first full yearwith it.
So we're trying to uh theattorney general's office has
kind of set a goal to get everypolice officer in the state
trained through it.
So that's our our big thing thisyear is to get that done and uh
get as many guys trained as wecan.
SPEAKER_01 (15:06):
That's awesome.
What about for uh Zero Nineholsters?
What's what's coming up?
What's the new product?
SPEAKER_02 (15:12):
So we just released our tourniquet case, so uh uh
medical type peer.
Um we released an administrativecombo for detectives in plain
clothes and administrative typeofficers.
Um that's the newest thing, andit's been going really well.
So um basically we're justkeeping up with the changes as
(15:35):
they come up.
Anytime a company makes a newportable radio case or a new
body camera, we we make a casefor it and you can keep moving.
SPEAKER_01 (15:43):
That's awesome.
What is your favorite thingabout SHOT Show so far?
SPEAKER_02 (15:46):
Um, just seeing a lot of people that I only get to
see once a year.
Um, you know, I I've met a lotof great people between the OTOA
and Zero9 over the last 15years, and some of them, you
know, are spread throughout thecountry, a couple of them spread
throughout the world.
So, you know, getting everybodyinto one place for a week is is
really nice because you get tosee a lot of great people.
SPEAKER_00 (16:06):
Absolutely.
I do love that when you'rewalking from place to place,
like you just run into somebodyand you're like, oh my god.
SPEAKER_02 (16:12):
Oh yeah, haven't seen them in over a year.
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (16:16):
Yeah.
So if somebody wants to knowabout OTOA, where's the best
place to go?
SPEAKER_02 (16:22):
Uh the website otoa.org.
SPEAKER_00 (16:25):
Super easy.
SPEAKER_02 (16:26):
Super easy.
Um you can look through thecatalog, you can reach out to
our uh our office if you've gotany questions, and you can uh
sign up for classes directly onthe website.
SPEAKER_00 (16:37):
Perfect.
And registration for theconference will be opening in
February.
SPEAKER_02 (16:41):
Early February.
SPEAKER_00 (16:42):
Yes, and you don't have to be Ohio officer.
SPEAKER_02 (16:44):
Correct.
SPEAKER_00 (16:45):
Come one, come all.
SPEAKER_02 (16:46):
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (16:47):
And if people want to know more about 09, where can
they go for that?
SPEAKER_02 (16:50):
It is zero9holsters.com, Z-E-R-O, the
number nine, holsters.com.
SPEAKER_00 (16:56):
And you guys are on social media, you guys crush it
on social.
SPEAKER_02 (16:58):
We uh we we try to keep up.
I'm not a big social media guy,but um we we definitely try to
keep up, and it's at zeronineholsters on all platforms.
SPEAKER_00 (17:07):
Sweet.
Well, thank you so much forbeing here.
SPEAKER_02 (17:10):
Oh, I loved it.
I appreciate you guys having me.
SPEAKER_01 (17:12):
Yes, thank you.
Thanks for coming.
It's it's been uh informative.
SPEAKER_02 (17:17):
Great, great.
unknown (17:18):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (17:18):
Have a great show, you as well.
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