Brian Bixler
Brian’s path to his law enforcement career was far from normal. He earned his degree in religious studies from Westmont College and worked as a youth pastor, mentoring and teaching students from all walks of life. His passion for people and service led him to the LAPD where he began his career in 1996. He was blessed to work a variety of assignments including patrol, Air Support, Firearms, Vice, Violent Crime, Gang Enforcement, and surveillance. At every rank, he felt a calling to care for his officers in all areas of their life, both professional and private.
“Law enforcement officers are expected to act in accordance with their training, but many departments don’t have the time or money to train them effectively. I want to provide today’s policing professionals with training I wish I had as a young officer.”
— Brian Bixler
Brian discovered his passion for teaching when he was assigned as a primary Firearms instructor in the academy. He poured himself into every class and every student as he realized he was teaching a skill that would make the difference between life and death. He went to every instructor course he could find to develop and enhance his abilities to convey this life-saving information to his officers.
As the Officer in Charge of the Crisis Response Support Section, he discovered the great potential in the already existing Mental Evaluation Unit where street cops were paired with mental health clinicians. He saw how this unique response team could reduce the danger to both officers and those suffering with a mental health crisis. He shepherded the growth of this unit to the largest of its kind in the world and implemented one of the first 911 suicide diversion programs, successfully linking suicidal individuals with crisis counselors instead of dispatching patrol officers.
As Brian rose through the ranks, he focused on preparing officers for not only the tactical encounters, but for what came after, the investigations, the scrutiny, and the stress. He was promoted to Captain in 2020 and was the Hollywood Patrol Commanding Officer. It was there that he saw how preparation for the critical encounters paid off. He was able to stand before the Use of Force Review boards and successfully defend his officer’s actions.
Brian finished his career as the Commanding Officer of Metropolitan Division which included SWAT, K9, Mounted Platoon, Underwater Dive Unit, Crime Impact Team, Dignitary Protection Detail, and Crowd Control. Again, he focused his efforts on supporting his officers through training, caring, and support. He retired after 27-years of service with the LAPD and is still passionate about caring for people and training officers to not just survive this career, but thrive in the process.