Cleared Hot – Episode 405: Eric Tansey – Police Officer and Author of Pig Latin

Release Date: September 1, 2025
Host: Andy Stumpf
Guest: Eric Tansey

Overview

In this energetic, unfiltered episode of Cleared Hot, Andy Stumpf welcomes Eric Tansey—former police officer, military veteran, author of the memoir Pig Latin, podcaster, sommelier, and all-around Renaissance man. The two dive into Tansey’s tumultuous, sometimes hilarious journey from a hyperactive Florida kid to military deployments, police work in Raleigh, brushes with authority, personal failures, growth, and ultimately, authorship and family life. This conversation is a candid exploration of leadership, humility, learning through mistakes, and mental health—punctuated by wild stories, dark humor, and a dose of jiu-jitsu philosophy.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. ADHD: From Struggle to Superpower

[04:46] – [17:07]

• Tansey’s childhood and early struggles with ADHD: Stigmatized in the ’90s as a "hyperactive child," Tansey was marked as a problem and recommended Ritalin, which he fiercely resisted.
  • “My dad was a very strict father, too. And he was like, excuse me. He's like, you listen to this doctor and you'll take whatever he tells you to take. And I was like, no, I will not.” —Eric Tansey [11:22]
• Life-changing diagnosis and formative rebellion: Getting labeled a “learning-disability” kid made him feel ostracized but also fueled his defiance and self-driven path.
• School experiences of misfit energy: Tales of acting out (escaping through A/C ducts, wearing mismatched socks to sabotage grades).
  • "That was my way of getting back at everybody for making me do something that I didn't want to do in the first place.” —Eric Tansey [15:22]
• Never taking the meds, learning to harness the chaos: Ultimately, the very qualities he was told to suppress made possible later growth and resilience.

2. Military Service: Falling Forward

[17:31] – [44:36]

• Surfer kid to the Army, prompted by the Iraq War: A spontaneous decision driven by guilt (“I felt like a pile of…”), with zero military family background.
  • “I was covered in fish guts and board shorts...I want to go to war. I don't want to be in the military, but I want to go to war.” —Eric Tansey [19:09]
• National Guard deployment to Afghanistan:
  • Unexpected insertion into a Green Beret unit, exposure to op tempo and embrace of "the pressure, the maturity—I do really well there."
• Special Forces selection process: Failing, retrying, misconceptions about leadership, and imposter syndrome.
  • "I’m absolutely 100 not a leader, but I'm a great pack mule. So I make it as the gray man…” [24:40]
• Candid mistakes and close-calls:
  • Marking ‘yes’ to “Have you ever considered being a mercenary?” on his psych eval due to fatigue.
  • Unintentionally landing in the “pack mule” lane: “We’re not looking for pack mules, we’re looking for leaders.” —Instructional Sergeant [32:41]
• Harsh lessons and one step forward, two steps back:
  • Failing out of key courses; the struggle to learn leadership; self-sabotage, probation, working honor guard, and eventual ETS (end of service).

3. Police Career: Baptism by Fire

[44:43] – [85:50]

• Becoming a cop after failing at wine sales.
  • “If you struggle at wine sales, definitely just become a cop. That’s just a total normal trajectory.” —Andy Stumpf [48:55]
• Training Academy: Lived experience vs. perception:
  • Labeled as “SF” and saddled with (misplaced) expectations, facing extra scrutiny and pressure.
• First night on duty: Thrown into chaos:
  • A legendary wild story involving a 400-lb woman, nudity, lewd acts, and a presidential portrait smashed over his head.
  • “My president’s black!” —Woman as she attacks Tansey with Obama’s portrait [62:20]
• Breaking into a tough squad (“Flex Team”) and repeated rookie mishaps:
  • Mishandling warrant arrests, earning the nickname “Leroy Jenkins,” and almost getting bounced from the squad.
• Hitting rock bottom—the value of mentorship:
  • K9 officer and a respected peer take Tansey under their wing after he finally admits needing help.
  • “How many times did you ask for help before this?” —Andy Stumpf [75:40]
• Learning real leadership and redemption:
  • How Tansey changed his ways, improved, and later trained rookies with empathy.

4. Pig Latin: Writing the Book

[77:37] – [120:11]

• Origins of Pig Latin:
  • Embarrassed by terrible report writing, shamed into improving, then mandated to “write for practice.” Began channeling traumatic and absurd police incidents into comedic stories.
• Accidentally making legal trouble:
  • Having his wife “edit” his police reports, which leads to an internal investigation.
  • “They had to go figure out which ones were going to trial. It was a big deal.” —Eric Tansey [83:08]
• Coping with trauma through humor and reflection:
  • Writing funny stories as therapy amid intense on-the-job violence and stress.
• Becoming Officer of the Year for saving a deaf girl in crisis:
  • “The only person that knew sign language anywhere is me… And so they call me and now I have to go work...” [89:27]
  • Resentful of the public parade/politicization of the incident: “If you really care about somebody, put away the ratings, put away how good this looks…let this die.” [90:15]
• Debate on public recognition and humility:
  • Tansey expresses discomfort with awards; Andy reframes the issue through the analogy of jiu-jitsu promotions and leadership responsibility.
  • “It is your leadership’s role to determine for you when you are ready for your belt. Should you be able to turn that belt down?” —Andy Stumpf [96:01]
• Meandering path to publishing:
  • Pandemic, personal and financial hardship, losing police job after opening distillery (deemed “unbecoming of an officer”).
  • Supported by the podcasting world; Pig Latin picked up by Simon & Schuster thanks to industry connections and positive reception from his wife and mentor, Nick Palmisciano.

5. Post-Police Life: Stand-Up, Family & Jiu-Jitsu

[120:11] – [154:05]

• Dabbling in wine and spirits:
  • Obtained sommelier certifications; opens a distillery; gets controversially fired from policing.
• Podcasting and comedy:
  • Shot into the media world by Drinking Bros, Failure to Stop, and continues building a voice as a cop-turned-comic and story-teller.
• Family as Redemption:
  • Real pride and growth are found in raising five creative, skateboarding, screen-free kids.
  • “Mainly, having five kids, it's really all about my kids. They're awesome, man. I am the luckiest guy in the world because I mean they just do crazy stuff...” —Eric Tansey [134:51]
• Jiu-Jitsu as transformation:
  • From never training, to starting reluctantly through We Defy Foundation scholarship, to complete buy-in and advocacy for cops to grapple.
  • “I was always good at making good decisions... But Jiu Jitsu does for you is going to change all of that. You're not gonna... when you know and you're confident... you're going to be a much better cop.” [154:28]
  • Warning about both the benefits and the necessity of responsible training:
    • “If you’re a cop man and you’re not training Jiu Jitsu… you’re going to be a better shooter, a better husband, frankly.” —Eric Tansey [145:23]
  • Discussed the risk of weaponizing predators if jiu-jitsu is learned for the wrong reasons.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On ADHD and early rebellion:
  • “I just felt like that was my way of getting back at everybody for making me do something that I didn't want to do in the first place. And I just. It was my way of control.” [15:22]
• On Special Forces selection:
  • Host: “What is that, the SFAS?” Tansey: “Yes. Special Forces Assessment and Selection. But before that, you know, again—didn't have a background in small unit tactics. ... I'm absolutely 100 not a leader, but I'm a great pack mule.” [24:40]
• On his first night as a cop:
  • “There's this 400-pound lady, like, I'm—dude, I'm not joking. ... She gets up on her toes and starts like ... rocking back and forth ... then takes her teeth out and sets them down on the railing ... She starts shimming her sundress up her body. ... Now she's naked—‘Now you gonna arrest me?’” [60:01]
  • “My president’s black!” —Woman, after smashing a picture frame of President Obama over Tansey’s head [62:20]
• On learning leadership the hard way:
  • “We're not looking for pack mules. We're looking for leaders. And every time we try to put you in a leadership position, you passed it off.” —Instructional Sergeant [32:41]
• On writing the book:
  • “My wife read it and she said it was the funniest thing she'd ever read. ... There's a police report for every story. And I wrote them in the moment, not thinking they would ever read books, so there's nothing [made up].” [119:11]
• On awards & humility:
  • “I was the only one, the only officer that didn't give a speech either. ... It's kind of like my ‘F-you’ to them.” [85:50]
  • Host: “It's your leadership's role to determine for you when you are ready for your belt, should you be able to turn that belt down?” [96:08]

Important Timestamps & Segments

• ADHD diagnosis and impact: [05:14]–[16:23]
• Special Forces assessment, psych mishaps: [24:36]–[30:02]
• Police academy vs. street reality: [51:01]–[58:05]
• “Leroy Jenkins” warrant raid gone wrong: [67:08]–[71:30]
• Book writing journey & getting fired for distillery: [82:54]–[114:12]
• Officer of the Year incident – Deaf girl crisis: [88:42]–[98:02]
• Lessons from fatherhood and skateboarding kids: [121:51]–[123:06]
• Jiu-Jitsu and law enforcement: [143:44]–[154:15]

Tone & Language

• Candid, self-deprecating, and unvarnished: Tansey’s language is direct; the episode is filled with gallows humor, dark comedy, and brutally honest self-assessment.
• Philosophical and reflective: Many stories are followed by the lessons learned, often with both hosts pointing out broader lessons about humility, improvement, and leadership.
• Occasional dark and explicit humor: Especially when recounting wild police incidents and academy stories.

Where to Find Eric Tansey

• Instagram: @EricTanseyOfficial — “It’s very silly. It’s very stupid.”
• Book: Pig Latin available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Hudson’s Books, and everywhere books are sold.

Final Thoughts

Eric Tansey’s story is one of relentless misadventure, hard-won growth, and the evolving pursuit of meaning after chaotic early years in police and military life. He embodies the lesson that leadership, humility, and excellence are forged through repeated failures, honest self-assessment, and the willingness to ask for help. Listeners will find themselves alternately laughing, cringing, and reflecting—and come away with a deeper understanding of why the best journeys aren’t linear.