Tactical Transition Tips Round 108 of the Transition Drill Podcast offers practical guidance and career readiness for veterans and first responders, organized based on how far out your exit is. In this episode, the systems in place to protect you require documentation and use before you’re out.

Benefits don’t fail because they’re weak. They fail because they sit there unused.

In these careers, it’s easy to treat “benefits” like paperwork you’ll deal with later, once life slows down. But later is the trap. The system isn’t going to chase you down and make sure you’re set up. If you don’t learn what you’re entitled to, document what needs documenting, and use what’s available while you still have access, you can end up paying out of pocket, delaying care, or walking into transition with avoidable problems on your back.

This episode addresses benefits as protection, not perks. That includes medical documentation, but it also includes education options (like the GI Bill), financial and investing support, home buying programs, and even outside organizations that offer help for you and your family. The point isn’t to become a benefits expert. It’s to stop treating protection like background noise.

Here are the three transition tips covered:

Close Range Group (transitioning within a year): Get it on paper before you get out

You’re running out of time for “I’ll handle it later,” so this is about getting appointments, issues, and records documented now so you’re not trying to prove things from memory after you’re out.

Medium Range Group (transitioning in 3 to 5 years): Fix it while you’re still in

You’ve still got the advantage of structure and easier access, so you use this window to address real issues and use available resources before transition pressure makes everything harder to prioritize.

Long Range Group (transitioning in a decade or more): The most important equipment maintenance is you

This is where you build habits and track patterns early so neglect doesn’t become normal and small problems don’t turn into long-term damage that follows you into any future transition.

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This Mindset Debrief episode is a short-form reflection on personal accountability, discipline, and self-leadership for people navigating pressure, responsibility, and growth. In this episode, we focus on: Being responsible is how much uncertainty and risk you remove for those after you.

Responsibility isn’t a personality trait you “have.” It shows up after your work leaves your hands, when someone else has to rely on what you did and either move forward cleanly or slow down to protect themselves.

You’ll hear a different definition of responsibility: it’s proven by exposure, not effort. “I tried” and “I meant well” can feel sincere, but they don’t reduce risk. What reduces risk is what you do before anyone sees the result: forward thinking, verification, redundancy when it’s needed, and follow-through that considers who’s next in the chain.

The episode digs into how risk moves downstream. Shortcuts don’t remove problems, they relocate them. When reassurance replaces verification, the work can look “done” in the moment, but the cost shows up later as cleanup, rework, stress, and slowly declining trust. Over time, standards drift. People start checking your work without saying anything. They build their own redundancies because they can’t take “it’s good to go” at face value.

It also reframes respect in practical terms. Not politeness. Respect as lowered uncertainty for the next person. Fewer surprises, less friction, less bracing for impact. You don’t prove care by saying you care. You prove it by making failure less likely and outcomes steadier after you’re out of the picture.

If you care about accountability, competence, and trust at work and at home, this one gives you a clean lens for what “done” should mean.

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Adam Cordova, retired LASD Deputy, in Episode 232 of the Transition Drill Podcast, shares what it really looks like to build a long law enforcement career without letting the job become your entire identity, for veterans and first responders navigating transition, retirement, and the next chapter. You’ll hear Adam on his time in the SHU, to Gangs, then to secret squirrel stuff, and today a podcaster. All while balancing staying solid at home while still being great at the job.

Adam grew up in the LA area in places like Compton, Lynwood, Inglewood, in the shadows of Firestone station, in an environment where you learn early how to carry yourself and how fast things can go wrong. He talks about a strict but fair father, being responsible for his brothers, and making a point to stay out of gangs even with that influence close by; his father was an OG “Veterano.” By his senior year, he was living on his own, working, and learning how to survive.

Before law enforcement, Adam chased the fire service hard; he actually didn’t like cops. He trained at stations, tested well, and thought he was headed that direction, but the process dragged out and felt like a game. A friend pushed him to test for the Sheriff’s Department as a backup. That “backup” turned into the career.

Adam got hired in 1990, and his early years were exactly what a lot of people don’t want, but every agency needs: the jails, then court services. He talks about how that time either sharpens you or stalls you out, depending on what you bring to the work. In 1995, he finally hit patrol, and his first station was Walnut Station, which ended up being a lot busier than people assume. Walnut trained him in North County areas with gangs, drugs, and real calls, and he learned fast that a good cop can work anywhere if they actually want to work.

From there, Adam moved into specialized work, including OSS, and later spent 11 years living the callout life where nights, weekends, and family time get sacrificed without anyone asking your permission. When homicide came up as the next “expected” move, he made a different decision and went to Tech Ops instead. He breaks down what that world actually looks like: trackers, bugs, hidden cameras, microphones, bug sweeps, digital evidence, and working warrants across the county with a small team that was basically on-call nonstop.

Adam retired in 2022, and today he’s still creating in a different way, working with graphic design and video production, something he’d been doing as a serious hobby for years. He also started his own podcast: A Proper Scoundrel, where he talks with former cops about the stories of their careers. Adam has a great story and offers great advice and perspective on having a long law enforcement career.

The best podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, and first responders preparing for veteran transition and life after service. Helping you plan and implement strategies to prepare for your transition into civilian life. Follow the show and share it with another veteran or first responder who would enjoy this.

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EPISODE BLOG PAGE AND CONNECT WITH ADAM:

https://www.transitiondrillpodcast.com/post/transition-drill-podcast-retired-lasd-deputy-adam-cordova-from-wayside-to-oss-then-tech-ops

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