For law enforcement professionals keen on enhancing their defensive tactics against knife attacks, Carry Safer is designed to improve officer responsiveness and skills in managing knife attacks, integrating both edged weapons and firearms tactics.
We train a broad range of positions and specializations within law enforcement.
- Uniformed Officers - Police Officers, Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs, State Troopers/Highway Patrol Officers, Correctional Officers
- Detectives and Investigators - Criminal Investigators/Detectives, Special Investigators, Internal Affairs Investigators
- Federal Law Enforcement - FBI Agents, DEA Agents, ATF Agents, U.S. Marshals, Border Patrol/Customs Officers
- Specialized Law Enforcement Units – SWAT, K9 Units, Bomb Squad/EOD, Narcotics Units
- Special Jurisdiction Agencies - Campus Police, Transit/Transportation Police, Park Rangers
Our courses are context-driven, student-focused, scenario-based activities, and customized for the specific requirements of the group.
- Recognition and Prevention - Learn to identify potential knife attackers quickly and techniques to prevent or counter attempts to access their weapons.
- Firearm Retention – Learn to safely draw your duty knife under duress and repel attempts to disarm you.
- In-Fight Accessing – Learn to safely access your firearm during knife attacks commonly utilized by criminals.
- Neutralizing Threats - Learn to neutralize a knife attacker and control the angle of discharge while not exchanging shots for stabs.
- Defensive Duty Knife – Learn defensive knife tactics that provide escalating use-of-force techniques to neutralize knife attackers when you are not armed with a firearm.
- Improvised Tools – Learn defensive tactics with a flashlight, handcuffs, spare magazines, writing instruments, and more.
- Critical Response - Learn life-saving survival tactics for situations when you must fight for your life.
Our S.A.V.E. approach utilizes Simple, Adaptable, Versatile, and Effective moves that are simple to execute under stress. The key element of SAVE is “techniques in parallel” that permit using the same basic actions for utilizing knives, flashlights, tactical pens, and pistols in ECQ. We utilize the Ecological Dynamics approach with scenario-based experiential activities to identify problems/tasks and guide the participants to discover/implement functional solutions. Our Human Performance Optimization coaching focuses on developing superior pattern recognition and deliberate response training ("The Quiet Eye”) to integrate practical functional skills under stress.
Unique Qualifications
For over 30 years, Tom Sotis has trained teams and personnel for US federal, state, and municipal law enforcement agencies. Having taught over 1500 edged weapon seminars in 25 countries, Tom stands eminently qualified to establish professional standards for the designation as a Defensive Tactics Edged Weapons Trainer for law enforcement agencies.
We proudly serve those who serve.
Those who put their lives on the line deserve the very best defensive training from the most experienced instructor. Contact Tom today!
Tom Sotis / LE Instructor
Tom has been a Defensive Tactics Instructor for over 30 years. His experience includes International and USA Federal, State, and Municipal Agencies. More info here.
The Carry Safer program for Law Enforcement is endorsed by IALEFI, and will be taught at the 2024 Annual Training Conference. More info here
In addition to his edged weapons specialty, Tom is a certified NRA pistol and rifle instructor #258071315, and instructor in the USCCA # 2365415.
