Jeff Knaup – VirTra Training Manager & Law Enforcement Subject Matter Expert

Jeff spent over 30 years with the Phoenix Police Department, 13 of those years as a sniper for the SWAT team. His career also included 9.5 years as a Gang Squad Detective and another 1.5 years as a Robbery Detective. Jeff is a certified AZPOST instructor to include handgun and rifle instructor certifications. Jeff was also the lead instructor for the 40-hour Tactical SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) course.  Prior to his law enforcement career, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Knowing how valuable training is, and often times how difficult it is to obtain, Jeff came out of retirement to continue to assist others to get the very best training available.

T.J. Alioto – Law Enforcement Subject Matter Expert

Salvatore “T.J.” Alioto spent 20 years in law enforcement with the Wauwatosa Police Department, ranking as a Lieutenant prior to retiring in 2015. Born in Milwaukee, he taught several law enforcement courses in his hometown and became a lead police academy instructor. Using his 27 years of experience in designing and presenting coursework and curriculum for police officers, T.J. relocated to Arizona and became a Law Enforcement Subject Matter Expert for VirTra. T.J.’s creation of training scenarios is based off of his years of experience in law enforcement along with his desire to pass along essential skills to new officers. Believing that students learn better through experience rather than reading a textbook, T.J. works hard to ensure that VirTra’s scenarios elicit the intended responses from trainees and can be adapted to every department’s policies.

Lon Bartel – Principal Researcher

Lon Bartel is the Principal Researcher for VirTra. With over 20 years of law enforcement training experience, he focuses on enhancing officer and trainer performance. Lon is recognized as a subject matter expert in firearms and defensive tactics by the State of Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.). He is a founding member and lifetime advisor of the Arizona Tactical Officers Association (ATOA) and an internationally certified instructor with the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST). Lon earned his Master’s in Applied Exercise Science from Concordia University-Chicago and his Bachelor’s from Arizona State University. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in General Psychology with an emphasis on Performance Psychology.