Meet the Instructors

Sergeant Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor is a seasoned law enforcement veteran with years of experience at an agency in Washington State.  Jeremy currently serves as a Sergeant for the Criminal Apprehension Team.   For fifteen years he has been assigned to the Tri-City Regional SWAT team and is currently the Team Commander.  Jeremy has lead hundreds of SWAT operations and has been involved in numerous critical incidents as a supervisor on Patrol and SWAT. 

Jeremy has been the primary use of force instructor for both the team and his agency and holds instructor certificates in a number of topics.  For eleven years he was an instructor for both Basic and Advanced SWAT schools in Washington State.  Jeremy has also served on the board of directors for the Washington State Tactical Officers Association (WSTOA), holding the positions of Director of Training, Vice President, and President.  

He has twice had the honor of being selected to the National Tactical Officers Association’s (NTOA) Tactical Response and Operations Standards Committee.  Prior to a career in law enforcement, Jeremy was a scholarship golf athlete at Washington State University.  After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science, Jeremy played professional golf until he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Course Taught: Critical Incident Leadership

Commander Jerry Thompson (Ret.)

William G. Thompson Jr. (Jerry) is a retired 31-year law enforcement veteran, having served with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Jerry started as a cadet dispatcher and ended up as the Northeast Ohio LCS Unit Commander as an Ohio Peace Officers Training Instructor since 1986, providing instruction throughout Ohio.  In addition, served as a schoolteacher at the Mahoning County Career Technical Center, administering the Law Enforcement and Fire Safety Programs. Currently, with FBI-LEEDA, Jerry provides instruction in various topics focused on leadership. FBI-LEEDA has honored Jerry with the designation of Master Instructor because of his sustained in-class instruction.

Jerry, a continuous public servant, was raised in the inner-city of Youngstown, Ohio, in the early sixties and seventies by devout Christian parents who stressed hard work, common sense, personal responsibility, and respect for others.  This has played heavily in his success in life and within each organization he has served. Having the opportunity in 2019 to provide training to law enforcement and military personnel in Uganda – he declares the occasion as a Life Changing experience. Jerry believes that every individual wearing a law enforcement uniform must recognize themselves as a MASCOT for their respective organizations. He will commonly ask, "How well are you doing at representing your organization?" Jerry is married to Beatrice, and they have two grown daughters and four adorable grandchildren. 

Jerry holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership.  A graduate of Northwestern University Staff and Command School and currently completing a 2nd Master's in Education. He is certified by the Institute for Motivational Live and PeopleKeys™ in Advanced Behavioral Analysis and Team and Value “DISC” Training processes. Moreover, Jerry is an Arbinger Institute's – Developing and Implementing an Outward Mindset program trainer.

Course taught:  Blue Line Leadership

Chief John Perez (Ret.)

John Perez grew up in East Los Angeles and served with the Pasadena Police Department from 1985-2022.  His assignments included Patrol, Field Training Coordinator, Community Relations, Internal Affairs, SWAT, Gang Enforcement, Counterterrorism, and Narcotics before serving as Chief of Police from 2018-2022.  Over the years, John served as a policing instructor and mutual aid coordinator for the Los Angeles region.  In 2001, immediately after the tragedy of the World Trade Center, John was appointed as the counter-terrorism liaison, developing several homeland security and safety initiatives for the Rose Parade, Rose Bowl, and other large crowd events.  In 2020, just prior to the global pandemic and social justice movement, John led the Department’s reorganization, replacing antiquated policing models with intelligence led units and problem-oriented policing models to reduce crime.   

John possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, a Master’s degree in Behavioral Science, and a Doctoral Degree in Public Administration.  Chief Perez is currently also an FBI-LEEDA instructor teaching Supervisory Leadership, Command Leadership, and Executive Leadership courses around the United States.   

Course taught:  Next Level Leadership

Sheriff John A. Turner, Esq. (Ret.)

John Turner is the Director of Training for the Professional Development Series of leadership courses.  John is also currently the In-House Counsel and Training Manager for the Los Angeles Police Protective League.  John began his law enforcement career in 1984 and has served as an LAPD officer, a police attorney, a counter-terrorism investigator embedded with US Army combat units in Iraq, the two-term elected Sheriff of Walla Walla County WA, and as a senior law enforcement consultant for the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training (CA POST).  Sheriff Turner has also served as a Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WA CJTC) commissioner, an executive board member of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), and is a board member of POALAC – the Peace Officers Association of Los Angeles County.   

John earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University, a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, a USC DCI graduate certificate, and a Force Science Institute certification.  Sheriff Turner is an FBI/CJTC Command College graduate and an FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Award recipient.  He holds an Executive Professional Certificate from WA CJTC.  In 2013, Sheriff Turner was nominated by his peers across Washington State for the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) Sheriff of the Year award and received that year’s NSA Medal of Merit award for outstanding leadership and positive accomplishments to the law enforcement profession.  Since 2018, John has also been an FBI-LEEDA instructor teaching Supervisory Leadership, Command Leadership, Executive Leadership, and Internal Affairs/Critical Incident Protocol courses for agencies across the United States.   

Captain Kevan Dugan (Ret.)

Kevan Dugan retired as Division Director in the Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations with the Pennsylvania State Police. In his twenty-eight plus years with the department, his assignments included patrol, crime, undercover investigations, and Troop Commander. Most of his career was spent as full time Coordinator of the Special Emergency Response Team. After retirement he was Director of Sales for Mexico for Point Blank Body Armor.

He was a board member of the National Tactical Officers Association for years and taught SWAT Command across the country as well as in Canada and South America. He was the co-developer of SWAT Command II course for the NTOA.

He has a B.A. in Business from Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania and is co-owner of a company that delivers Spanish language training to law enforcement and the health care sector.

Course Taught: Front Line Leadership

Deputy Chief Ron Bayne (Ret.)

Ron Bayne retired first at the rank of Commander after 25 years with the Scottsdale Police Department in Arizona.  He led one of the city’s four patrol districts.  After initially retiring, Ron was recruited and served as the Deputy Chief of the Sedona Police Department. 

Ron earned Master’s Degrees in Criminal Justice from New Mexico State University and in Education/Counseling/Human Relations from Northern Arizona University.  Ron is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Arizona Command College.  He has served as the Area Chair in the Department of Criminal Justice & Security for multiple years at the University of Phoenix.  Ron is fluent in Spanish and has taught vocational Spanish to several public safety agencies throughout the United States.  

Ron is currently the primary instructor for Front Line Leadership, a highly acclaimed 4-day leadership course.  Ron was also an FBI-LEEDA instructor from 2014 to 2024.  He has taught hundreds of supervisor and command leadership classes around the United States and Puerto Rico, and was selected as the FBI-LEEDA SLI instructor to teach contracted courses to over 450 LAPD supervisors and command staff officers.  Before his civilian law enforcement career, Deputy Chief Bayne served 5½ years in the U.S Army Military Police Corps.  

 Course taught:  Front Line Leadership

Commander Timothy Plotts (Ret.)

Tim began his law enforcement career in 1984 with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. He retired in April of 2012 as the Troop Commander of Troop B, with over 300 sworn and civilian employees in his charge. As a Troop Commander he had sole responsibility for the NCSHP’s response to events that occurred in southeastern North Carolina. Tim remains a sworn law enforcement officer with the Haywood County, NC Sheriff’s Office.  

Tim has been married since 1984 to his wife Beth and they have 2 grown daughters. 

Tim has an Associates of Arts degree in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management from Montreat College. He is a graduate of the 101st session of the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville, KY and Graduated from the FBI National Academy, class #242, Quantico, VA. He is a certified John Maxwell trainer, instructor, and coach. He is also certified to instruct the DISC Personality Assessment through People Keys and a certified instructor with the Arbinger Institute. He has been an FBI-LEEDA Instructor since 2011 with over 260 classes taught including all three of the Trilogy classes. Tim received the first annual William Hyatt Leadership Award from Western North Carolina University. He was selected by his peers at the University of Louisville to serve as a class officer. He also received the Meritorious Service Award from the NCSHP for service above and beyond the call of duty.

Course taught:  Blue Line Leadership

Undersheriff Wayne Dubois (Ret.)

Course taught:  Critical Incident Leadership