About

our team

Mission Critical Concepts is built on a cadre of proven professionals who have operated in high-risk environments and continue to train those who do the same. Our instructors are drawn from a range of law enforcement and specialized units across the region—leaders within their agencies with extensive backgrounds in SWAT, high-risk operations, investigations, and use-of-force.

 We don’t hire instructors based on credentials alone—we select professionals with real-world experience and the ability to translate it into performance-driven training. The result is instruction that is relevant, current, and built for the realities of today’s operational environment.

 MCC delivers courses throughout Minnesota and the upper Midwest, focused on firearms, tactics, and use-of-force—from foundational skills to advanced, scenario-based training. Whether it’s patrol-level fundamentals or specialized response, our programs are designed to build capability, confidence, and accountability under pressure.

 We also provide fully customized training solutions tailored to your agency’s mission, staffing, and operational needs. Hosting agencies benefit from flexible scheduling and complimentary training slots.

Interested in hosting a course?

We can create custom courses to meet your needs

Jake May

Jake May

Jake May, President, is a retired senior law enforcement executive with over 30 years of experience in tactical operations, investigations, and leadership at the local, state, and federal levels. A former Special Agent in Charge (SAIC) with the Minnesota BCA, he led major violent crime response efforts and founded the BCA Violent Crime Response Unit.

With over 25 years on SWAT and special response teams, May has participated in 5,000+ high-risk operations as an entry team member, tracker, and team leader. His background includes federal task force work as a DEA Task Force Officer, leading complex investigations and undercover operations.

A firearms, tactics, and use-of-force instructor for nearly three decades, May has trained over 4,000 law enforcement professionals. His instruction is built for those who operate in high-risk environments—focused on performance, accountability, and results when it matters most.

BRAD HAZELETT

BRAD HAZELETT

Brad is a Commander with the St. Paul Police Department where he has worked for the past 20 years. Brad has been assigned to patrol, street level narcotics, gang and gun interdiction, patrol supervisor and investigations. Brad served on the SPPD SWAT team for eleven years; five as an officer and six as a Sergeant / Team Leader and sniper supervisor.  He is an NRA qualified instructor in the Precision Long Range Rifle.  He travels across the upper Midwest teaching Police, Fire, and EMS how to collectively and collaboratively respond to a hostile / mass casualty event.  Brad has executed over 600 high-risk narcotics and weapons search warrants. He continuously attends tactical and strategic courses to improve his ability to teach others how to successfully operate and prevail in kinetic, dangerous environments.

Brad has also served for 14 years as an infantryman in the Marine Corps and Army National Guard. As an active duty Marine, Brad was a fire team leader in Desert Storm where he coordinated and led combat patrols forward of friendly lines. Brad attended the Army National Guard Scout Sniper School in Arkansas and returned to the school as an instructor. Brad has been a lead instructor for Mission Critical Concepts for the past 17 years. He teaches all aspects of firearms: pistol, carbine, shotgun, sub gun, and precision rifle. Brad is a certified Rappel Master and a Less Lethal / Chemical Munitions instructor. He also instructs courses in Tactical Operations in Rural Terrain, Basic and Advanced Scout Sniper, Basic and Advanced SWAT, Shotgun Instructor, Shoothouse Instructor, and Precision Carbine Operator. Brad is currently earning his Master’s Degree in Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism. 

MARK

MARK

Mark has more than 50 years of experience as a paramedic in Emergency Medical Services. He spent 45 of those years serving as a tactical medic / team leader, working with two major city police departments, two state agencies, and two federal agencies. In addition, Mark is a competitive shooter and a firearms instructor.

REGGIE MARTIN

REGGIE MARTIN

Reggie has been a Licensed Peace Officer since 2014 where he began his career working as a police officer for a city in Montana. Reggie has a 2 year degree in Law Enforcement from Alexandria Technical and Community College. He has been employed with a Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota since 2016 and is currently a Patrol Sergeant. Reggie has been involved in SWAT Team roles and assignments since 2017 and has participated in numerous high risk warrant services and callouts in east central Minnesota. Reggie is actively a Field Training Officer, Firearms Instructor, Use of Force Instructor, Mobile Field Force Member, SWAT Sniper, and SWAT Assistant Team Leader. Reggie has been providing training with MCC since 2021 and has delivered instruction to law enforcement, military personnel, and private security groups on topics such as night vision operations, building clearing, firearms instructor, and anti-ambush tactics.

GEORGE WALKER

GEORGE WALKER

George Walker served in the United States Marine Corps as section leader with I Co. 3/3 as a machine gunner prior to becoming a police officer. George became a sworn officer in 2002 serving in several roles within his police department. Assignments include Detective with a metro narcotics and violent crimes task force (twice), K9 handler, Field training officer, firearms instructor for 20 years, Glock / AR armor, SWAT team member for 20 years currently assigned as the sniper team leader for a metro multi-jurisdictional team and is currently assigned as a school resource officer.

MATT BECKMAN

MATT BECKMAN

Matthew Beckman has served as a licensed Deputy Sheriff in the State of Minnesota since 1996 and has extensive experience in law enforcement, tactical operations, and instructor development. During his career, he has served in a variety of assignments including patrol operations, field training, tactical team leadership, use-of-force instruction, firearms instruction, and law enforcement training coordination.

Matt has spent the majority of his career heavily involved in law enforcement training and tactical operations. He has served as a firearms and use-of-force instructor since 1999 and has instructed law enforcement officers, military personnel, security professionals, and civilians throughout the Midwest. His instructional experience includes firearms, patrol tactics, tactical operations, SWAT tactics, low-light operations, night vision applications, tactical leadership, hostile event response, and scenario-based training.

Matt played a key role in the development and leadership of a multi-agency SWAT team beginning in 2005 and has dedicated thousands of hours toward tactical team training, operational planning, equipment development, and instructor mentorship. He has taught at numerous regional SWAT schools and tactical conferences and has served as a lead instructor for basic SWAT courses, night vision operator programs, firearms programs, and tactical operations training.

In addition to tactical operations instruction, Matt has extensive experience coordinating and delivering law enforcement training programs focused on officer safety, decision-making, leadership, communication, and real-world operational application. He has also instructed multidisciplinary hostile event response training involving law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel responding to mass casualty and high-threat incidents.

Matt has completed extensive advanced instructor and tactical training throughout his career, including certifications and specialized training in firearms instruction, defensive tactics, tactical team leadership, ballistic shields, breaching operations, chemical munitions, vehicle CQB, counter-ambush tactics, mobile field force operations, and night vision operations. He has also completed police supervisory training through Northwestern University.

Known for his practical and reality-based training style, Matt focuses on delivering relevant and experience-driven instruction that prepares students for the challenges of modern law enforcement and tactical operations. His training philosophy emphasizes officer safety, operational effectiveness, accountability, adaptability, and continual professional development.

NIC ALBERT

NIC ALBERT

Nic has been a police officer for 3 years in Minnesota. He currently serves the City of Elk River as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Firearms Instructor, and SWAT Team Operator. Prior to his Law Enforcement career, Nic, served as a Security Team Leader for various overseas contracts for the Department of State from 2009-2013.

Nic also served in the United Stated Army from 2002-2009, as a Scout with the 101st Airborne, and 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment. During his Military career Nic was deployed 3 times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, were he served as a Team Leader, Section Sergeant, and Platoon Sergeant.  He was also assigned as his unit’s CQB Instructor, Combative’s Instructor, and Heavy Weapons instructor.  During his time with the 101st he also assisted in the development and instruction of the Divisions Small Kill Team Course (Counter-IED Teams) while deployed near Tikrit.

 

JARROD KUNZE

JARROD KUNZE

Jarrod has been a police officer for 12 years in Minnesota. He is currently a Sergeant and served on the SWAT team for five years as a breacher and sniper. He is a certified NRA handgun instructor, patrol rifle, MP5, Barrett .50 (M82A1), belt-fed weapons instructor. He is also instructor certified in ASP baton, Use of Force, Sniper Operations, (ASR) Aerosol Subject Restraints and Force on Force.  Jarrod is a certified Rappel Master and has been instructing with Mission Critical Concepts since 2006. Jarrod previously served in the U.S. Army Infantry from 1990 to 2006. During that time, he was deployed 5 times including two tours in Iraq where he was a squad leader with the 3rd U.S. Army Division and was involved in heavy fighting during the initial invasion of Iraq, fighting from the border all the way into Baghdad.  On his second tour, he actively hunted the enemy as part of a two-man sniper team, conducting 49 sniper missions in the city of Samarra before being medevac’d and medically discharged.  Based on his experience in defeating insurgents, he created Mission Critical Concept’s Asymmetric Active Shooter Course to prepare domestic law enforcement to defeat uncontained / unconventional active shooter situations here in the U.S. 

GRANT KINNAMON

GRANT KINNAMON

Grant has been a licensed Peace Officer in the state of Minnesota since 2011. Since 2013, he has been with a Sheriff’s Office just north of the Twin Cities Metro area. Grant is currently a Sergeant assigned to the patrol division and holds several auxiliary roles within the agency. Grant is a firearms and use-of-force instructor. Grant currently spearheads his agency’s less-lethal program, which includes 40mm launcher and Pepperball launcher, and has integrated both extensively on patrol and in SWAT. Grant has been a SWAT operator since 2014 and is currently the SWAT Team Leader for the team. Grant also has extensive knowledge of night vision and handheld thermal devices, particularly how they can best be used in conjunction on patrol and in SWAT operations for Law Enforcement. Grant has been with MCC since 2018.