Defensive Tactics Expert Witnesses

Defensive tactics expert witnesses and consultants listed here may be able to form expert opinions, draft expert witness reports, provide expert witness testimony at deposition and/or trial as or serve as consulting (non-testifying) experts on defensive tactics. The defensive tactics expert witness listings on this page are typically from fields/areas of expertise such as: Firearms & Ballistics, Human Factors, Law Enf & Criminal Justice, Police Practices & Procedures, and Video.

Dr. Chuck J. Rylant

Arroyo Grande, California
Police Practices & Procedures, Law Enf & Criminal Justice - use of force, police use of force, law enforcement use of force, self defense, arrest and control, police excessive force, excessive force, defensive tactics, martial arts, strangulation, choke hold, jiu jitsu, fight or flight, stress response, officer involved shooting, police shooting, OIS, taser
Dr. Chuck J. Rylant has 25 years of industry experience and is a Federal and State Court qualified expert witness in use-of-force, de-escalation, self-defense, strangulation, memory, fight or flight, decision making, and other human performance factors. He has a Doctor of Clinical Psychology–dissertation: Decisions Under Pressure: Psychological and Physiological Aspects of Police Use of Force. Dr. Rylant is a retired police officer/detective, S.W.A.T. member, and P.O.S.T. certified department firearms, baton, chemical agents, use of force, and arrest and control (ARCON) trainer. Dr. Rylant was an instructor at a California police academy for 15 years where he taught arrest and control (ARCON), use-of-force, and de-escalation, and he is also a Certified Force Science Analyst and Advanced Force Science Specialist. Dr. Rylant is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt instructor for law enforcement and civilians, as well as author of Shots Fired: The Psychology Behind Officer Involved ...

Dr. John R. Black, DBA

Expert|High-Stress Decision-Making & Lethal Force

Aragon National Inc.

Redmond, Oregon
Police Practices & Procedures, Video - Use-of-Force, Sensemaking, Decision-making, Jail Operations, Police Training, Patrol Operations, Police negotiations, Crowd Control, Self-Defense, Officer-Involved Shooting, Intelligence, Internal Affairs, Police Mental Health Response, De-escalation, Incident Command, Defensive Tactics, Policy
EXPERT IN USE OF FORCE & LETHAL FORCE INCIDENTS In cases involving force--lethal force, understanding decision-making is as critical as the facts themselves. Whether you are a defense attorney explaining your client’s actions or a prosecutor challenging them, you need an expert who integrates both events and decision-making processes. Dr. Black offers a unique approach, blending quantitative precision with qualitative insight into how individuals make sense of their world. RENOWNED EXPERT IN LETHAL FORCE DECISION-MAKING Dr. Black is a recognized expert with extensive experience in international, federal, and state courts on lethal force, police use of force, officer-involved shootings, and civilian self-defense. His expertise in high-stakes decision-making under pressure offers critical insights. Dr. Black blends forensic analysis with human-centered perspectives, ensuring a balanced view that benefits both defense and prosecution. ADVANCED FORENSIC VIDEO AND QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS ...

Emanuel Kapelsohn

The Peregrine Corporation

Allentown, Pennsylvania
Firearms & Ballistics, Police Practices & Procedures - self-defense, gun accidents, hunting accidents, firearms training, shooting scene reconstruction, holsters, shooting ranges, use of force, use of force policy, involuntary muscular contraction, defensive tactics, weapon retention, pepper spray, Taser, impact weapons, knives, edged weapons
Expert witness since 1984 in civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts nationwide. Practicing attorney. Has been certified as firearms instructor by FBI, NRA, several states and other training authorities. Certified instructor in defensive tactics, baton, Taser, weapon retention, less lethal impact munitions, pepper spray. Certified Force Science Analyst, Advanced Specialist in Force Science, Executive Protection Specialist, and in counter-terrorist and defensive driving. Taught "Police Use of Force" as Adjunct Instructor at Indiana University, Department of Criminal Justice. Served as instructor at two police academies. Presenter at national and international conferences of law enforcement instructors. Has trained and certified firearms instructors and armorers for major law enforcement agencies. Armed, sworn reserve deputy sheriff for over 20 years. Member, Board of Directors, International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors ("IALEFI...

Brian D Baxter, MS

Use of Force and Police Practices Expert

Performance-Critical, Inc.

San Angelo, Texas
Police Practices & Procedures, Human Factors - Use of Force, Response to Resistance, De-escalation, Less Lethal, Law Enforcement, Police, EMT, Duty to Intervene, Force, Deadly Force, Defensive Tactics, Arrest and Control, Ground Control, Excessive Force
Brian is a retired, 30-year veteran of the Texas Dept. of Public Safety where he served as a patrol trooper, a SWAT team member, an undercover narcotics agent, an organized crime investigator, and a people leader from first-line supervisor to senior executive. Brian has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Applied Psychology and is a combat infantry veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Brian was the primary author for his former agency's use of force policy as well as the policy that created the agency-wide Use of Force Review Board. Brian served as the chair of the firearms discharge review board and subsequently the Use of Force review board from 2015 until 2022. Brian is trained as an Emergency Medical Technician and in 2018 received the coveted Texas Department of Public Safety Director's Citation for his leadership role in the implementation of the statewide, Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) training program to which dozens of lifesaving a...

Spencer Fomby

Police Practices and Use of Force Expert Witness

Law Enforcement Tactical Consultants Inc

Austin, Texas
Police Practices & Procedures, Law Enf & Criminal Justice - Use of force, officer involved shootings, crowd control, crowd management, public order, less-lethal weapons, SWAT, patrol operations, tactical operations, chemical agents, police policy, firearms, de-escalation, in-custody death, arrest procedures, defensive tactics, impact weapons, Active Shooter
Captain (Ret.) Spencer Fomby is the former director of the Boise Police Department Training, Education, and Development Division. He was previously employed by the Berkeley Police Department for 20 years. He has held primary assignments in patrol, narcotics, and crime prevention. He was assigned to SWAT for 18 years as an entry team member, team leader, and tactical commander. Captain (Ret.) Fomby has been a certified instructor in the following disciplines: firearms (pistol, shotgun, and carbine), weaponless defense, impact weapons, Peacekeeper RCB, Gracie Survival Tactics Level 1, active shooter response, ALICE, chemical agents, NFDD, sting balls, 40 mm launcher, FN 303, shoot house and tactical de-escalation. He has created two CA POST approved de-escalation courses. He was also a tactical instructor for the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), where he taught Police Counter Ambush and Advanced Response Police Officer (ARPO). Captain (Ret.) Fomby was the lead Berkeley ...