Episode Details

Live from the 2026 TTPOA conference with the TTPOA Podcast hosts and Anthony, a nine-year law enforcement veteran, SWAT officer in the Houston area, and founder of In The Black. From getting washed out of combat controller selection at basic training, to walking mail routes, to finding his lane in USPSA competition and eventually building a coffee and tea brand out of his garage, Anthony's brutally honest story is proof that the American dream is still very much alive for guys willing to do the dumb, hard, embarrassing work it takes to figure things out.

The conversation goes deep on what challenges law enforcement training, and Anthony doesn't pull punches. Teaching cops to show clear on an imaginary 50-yard line instead of building critical thinkers, spoon-feeding answers during shoot house runs, and confusing range safety with officer competence are all on the table. Anthony and the crew break down why that approach is not just inefficient but potentially dangerous, and what it looks like when a team actually commits to changing the culture.

But this episode is just as much about building something outside the badge. Anthony talks through the full origin of In The Black: starting with loose-leaf tea because nobody in the tactical space was doing it, pivoting to coffee after burning batch after batch on a home roaster, and finding his name in Jeff Cooper's color code system applied as dark humor during a brutal SWAT selection process. The creative energy behind the brand, the viral video that crossed a million views, and the role his wife plays in keeping the whole operation from burning down are all fair game.

If you have ever felt the pull between the job you were trained for and the thing you want to build, this one will hit home.

In this episode:

• Anthony explains why law enforcement departments training officers to 'show clear on the line' instead of building critical thinkers is not just inefficient but actively dangerous: when a real incident happens and officers are isolated during the investigative process, they realize they were never taught how all the pieces connect.

• The speed-accuracy balance in USPSA competition directly translates to tactical work: running reloads between positions rather than standing static on a line mirrors the reality of nearly every officer-involved shooting video in existence.

• Anthony's framework for teaching firearms is simple: make guys uncomfortable, show them exactly where the discomfort came from, then repeat the basic stuff far more times than anyone thinks is necessary before adding complexity.

• In The Black got its name from Jeff Cooper's color code system, specifically the unofficial fifth color 'black' that Anthony's SWAT team used to describe going full chaos mode during selection, turning a symbol of failure into a brand built on humor and self-awareness.

• The coffee line launched after Anthony burned every single home-roasted batch trying to listen for first and second crack while being partially deaf from years on the range, eventually outsourcing to a specialty roaster, where flavor profiles are locked into a system so he just pushes a button.

• Anthony's viral million-view video was built on three things: a French competitive shooter doing something bizarre on the range, Moe in a skin-tight shirt matching the moves shot for shot, and a Roxbury song edit that made it look like ballroom dancing with zero hits on target.

• The leadership problem Anthony identifies in law enforcement is a status play: people in senior positions avoid hard decisions because they are protecting their next promotion, which cascades all the way down to the individual officer who never gets pushed to think critically.

• Running In The Black entirely from his house while working full-time in law enforcement means Anthony wears every hat, from packaging and heat-sealing bags on a sca