The ANVIS Knight (shown above) has quickly become a recognizable symbol of our company. It is our company mascot,
and symbol, and aside from being on the home page of this website, it is on all of our company letterheads, envelopes, reports,
daily activity reports, stationary, etc. People often see it and remark on how "cool" it looks, or how impressive it is. That's
the desired effect we wanted when a graphic artist designed it for us. We wanted something that was bold, aggressive, and
professional to look at. Something that sends a message, "Playtime's over." It's the same image we look for when hiring ANVIS
officers, and it's the same work product that we deliver.
Aside from the Knight, you can usually find the numbers "0513" somewhere inside an ANVIS car, on an ANVIS motorcycle,
on an ANVIS uniform, or in a company brochure. The number is significant for two reasons. First of all, it is the wedding
anniversay for my wife (Angela) and I (May 13th). Alot of people laughed at us when we said we were getting married on the
13th saying it was "bad luck." But, we are Christians and do not believe in superstition, and picked the day (partly) out
of defiance to all of the negative comments people were telling us about getting married on the 13th.
But, it was on that day, in 2006, while sitting on a beach in Jamaica with my wife, celebrating our wedding anniversary
that ANVIS became a reality. I was talking about this business idea of creating a private police department. I came up with
the idea (through prayer) about four months prior, and my wife and I had talked about it from time to time. But on this day,
she looked at me - with the most sincere and most supportive eyes that I have ever seen - and said, "Stop talking about it,
and do it." I told her that it would be alot of sacrifices. It would mean time away from one another, financial strains, and
there was no certainty in creating a business that had never been done before - a private police force. Angela, again, looked
at me with the most sincere eyes, and said, "I don't care. I love you and would go to hell and back with you because I know
this is what you want, and I know it will help people out." At that very moment, I made one of the most difficult decisions
of my life - to retire from the Sheriff's Office. At the Sheriff's Office, I was pretty much at "the top of my game." I was
the SWAT team leader, the lead tactical instructor for the academy, and promotions were almost a certainty. In fact, I was
the youngest person in the Sheriff's Office history to ever be promoted, and I was not promoted higher because I did not want
to be re-assigned out of the positions that I was in (SWAT, Undercover, DEA, etc). I was more interested in helping people
than a personal financial gain. I feel very blessed to have served under Sheriff Stanley Glanz, and I am grateful that he
gave me so many opportunities. Most cops don't even get one of the opportunities that I got several of. But the fact of the
matter was, I felt as though we could help more people with this business than what I was doing at the Sheriff's Office.
So, we returned from Jamaica and I took three months to "tie up loose ends." I stepped down as the SWAT team leader,
and lead tactical instructor and assisted those deputies who took my responsibilities over. I completed some investigations
I had initiated. In the meantime, Angela continued to research the demographics of crime, the manpower levels among local
law enforcement, and the lengthy response time.
On August 10, 2006, I officially retired from the Sheriff's Office so that my wife and I could create a business that
had never even been attempted before. Upon retiring, we decided on a name - ANVIS. It was perfect. It was a combination of
our two first names. ANVIS today is still a combination of the two of us. A combination of our ideas, and a combination of
our respective talents.
With a name, we now needed a logo. We talked about a badge, or an eagle, but nothing really hit either one of us the
right way. Then one day, while typing at the computer, I looked down, and it dawned on me. Years ago, just before our wedding,
Angela knew that I am not the type of guy to wear jewelry. I promised her that I would wear a wedding band out of love and
respect for her, but I could not stand anything flashy, or anything like that. Angela gave it much thought, and had a ring
made for me. The ring may look simple, although it is beautiful. It's a silver band, with a gold border on each side of the
silver. But, the ring she had made is a replica of the rings that they gave to the bravest and hardest fighting knights, in
medieval times. Knights (back then) fought for what was right. They restored order under chaos. They fought for Christianity,
and defended the honor of God. My wife said that when she looks at me, that's how she views me. That's part of the reason
she was initially attracted to me - because those are values that she stands for, as well.
And when hiring officers for ANVIS, those are the qualities that we demand. We demand that our officers possess honesty,
loyalty, and the ability and willingness to fight for what's right. People in our communities can sleep peacefully at night,
because they know "rough" men are sitting outside their doors, ready to fight on their behalf.
The Beginning of Tulsa's "Private Police Force"
For the next several months, Angela and I made a run at "privatizing" a police officer. It was like "herding cats." Trying
to get businesses to agree it was needed, or on the same hours of operation, or the same cost was a nightmare.
At one point, I became so frustrated, we talked about me going back to the Sheriff's Office. Deputies that I used to
consider "brothers" began poking fun with comments like "how's your police department, Chief?" Family members could not figure
out why I left a good government job, with all of the potential in the world to climb the "ladder," for the uncertain jump
into the business world. Everyone, but Angela, turned their backs on me. But Angela kept telling me, "Tough it out, it will
work." She continued her job as a hair stylist, and we both tried marketing the business, and continued to study the demographics
of crime, etc. For about eight months, I gave it all I had. Then one day, I turned it all over to God. I told Him, "I've tried
to do this for eight months now, and I can't do it. I give You the business to do with it what You want." About two days later,
Angela came home very excited. She was working at her salon, and sharing the business idea to a lady in the salon. The woman
was a member of the Brookside Lion's Club, and thought the idea was great! We were invited to speak to the Brookside
Lion's Club, which led to an introduction ot the President of the Brookside Business Association. We were told, "if you guys
can make this work in the bar district (32nd to 35th and Peoria), you can make it work anywhere.
With that kind of challenge laid at our feet, and the personalities that Angela and I both have, we knew our time had
arrived. Trying to convince twelve bar owners that having a uniformed cop around was a little difficult. But, in any event,
Angela quit her job, and put all of her faith (as I did) in God, and each other. The bottom line was that within two weeks
of "giving" ANVIS to God, we started our first contracted area - The Brookside Entertainment District.
Within the first sixteen weeks, the concept proved effective. Prior to ANVIS assuming the "cop beat," we were told the
area was like the "wild west." Fights in the middle of the streets, people being attacked, cars getting broken into, etc.
We convinced enough businesses to participate in the idea, and the benefits were noticed immediately. We responded to over
one hundred calls for service, and our longest response time was sixty seconds. Crime, and crimes in progress types of calls,
diminished immediately. The police department gave us credit for it, and the media soon followed. The media has done over
thirteen stories on our business and our accomplishments in the past year.
It was at this time that Channel 6 obtained a new morning anchor, Rich Lenz. Mr. Lenz worked on a news crew in New
Orleans, and as it turns out it was part of the same news crew that I was paid to protect after Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Lenz
heard of our program, and we soon made contact. He asked us to appear on Channel Six, at Six in the Morning, to talk about
what I saw and did in New Orleans, and about what ANVIS was accomplishing on Brookside.
 Gang graffiti outside of one of our communities. The message says "Travis50," which was obviously intended to refer
to ANVIS Director Travis Cartner. The numbers 50 are what gang members refer to police officers as. The fact that the
name was spray painted in black signifies that the gang had a contract on Director Cartner's life. The Cartners (personally)
painted over the gang graffiti, and ANVIS officers removed the gang from the area within about thirty days.
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A bullet hole shot into an ANVIS patrol car, which initiated a "shoot out" with an armed robber.
In the Apartments and Neighborhoods, and the inevitable "war" with gangs.
That news story led to a phone call from an apartment community. They asked, "Do you guys do security for apartments."
To which I replied, "Yes." I never really gave it much thought, but something compelled me to help this community out. We
talked about security in apartment communities, and how many families live in apartment communities. We knew that this would
give us the opportunity to service a large number of citizens, and make a difference. We developed a plan. The plan consisted
of highly visible patrols, and a large number of them.
We were given advice by incumbent security agencies that advised us of three things. 1) Charge the apartment complexes
with as much money as you possibly can, 2) only do about ten percent of the work that you report doing, and 3) make your patrols
low visibility patrols (i.e. turn off all your lights, etc). That way, no one knows if you are really there or not. We agree
that tactic is useful when referring to bad guys, but they were referring to apartment clients. We disagreed with all of these
philosophies. We wanted to make a difference, not defraud people.
So, we started our first apartment contract at a very minimal cost. The cost was so minimal, it barely covered the fuel
costs. The number of patrols was very high, and the presence was obvious to everyone in the community. The end result was
an immediate resolution to the community's crime problems.
In eliminating the costs, we made the decision for me to do all of the work myself. It was alot of twenty- hour days,
working all night, and marketing the business all day. At one point, I became so discouraged that I told Angela, "it's almost
not worth it." But Angela, my biggest supporter, told me, "Don't you see the difference you are making. Now you just have
to keep duplicating it."
That was great advice, and I continued to work hard. Pretty soon, that led to another contract, and then a third (which
ironically was Tulsa Police Chief Ron Palmer's neighborhood). By maintaining our honesty and integrity, and continuing to
work our areas with the same enthusiasm that a "rookie" cop would working his first beat, we continued to have successful
results in our communities.
A picture of the first "ANVIS patrol car," during the ice storm of 2007. It was a donated 1996 Lumina, with no heater.
Despite the weather, Director Travis Cartner patrolled in this vehicle through the ice storm, and as a result none of the
residents in any of our communities (at that time) were victims of the lootings that were occurring.
It wasn't long before ANVIS was "put on the map." ANVIS continued to grow and officers were hired. Patrol cars (real
patrol cars) were bought. Angela and I continued to talk about the business, and how to make it most effective. We balanced
a high volume of patrols, and made some visible and some not so visible. During the visible patrols, everyone we saw was a
"cub scout" helping "little old ladies across the street." When we made the patrols not so visible, we began "catching the
bad guys."
Our reputation continued to grow, and somehow or another we found ourselves faced with some of the most dangerous properties.
Two of the properties that contacted us could not find a security agency that would work for them, because they were so dangerous.
Angela and I made the decision (putting everything in God's hands) that I would work these properties, myself. It's a value
that I have always lived by (and proved over and over again as the SWAT team leader) - I would never ask anyone to do what
I was not willing to do myself. During the months that followed, we learned some very valuable lessons. We learned that we
underestimated how many people in the community were truly living in fear. Fear for their children to play outside. Fear to
sleep at night. Fear of being robbed. We began focusing on the communities where we were needed most. The program that we
designed was very effective, and by delivering what we promised, and continuing to follow through with what we said we would
do, we noticed that we were making a difference. We began getting phone calls from people who wanted to tell us nothing more
but, "Thank you," or "I appreciate what you all are doing, and my family prays for you every night." Those comments mean more
to us than any paycheck we have ever received.
ANVIS continued to grow, and it grew to the point where I could not handle it myself. We interviewed officers, and began
hiring them. But, it would take a group of special officers to work for ANVIS. Part-time jobs are a dime a dozen to cops.
Why would any cop want to drive into problem areas, and risk being shot at, when he could make the same amount of money sitting
in a movie theater eating popcorn? The answer was simple - God put the right people in our lives at the right times. We found
officers who believed in our concept, and believed in the progress we were making in the community. Officers who put forth
"sweat equity," sometimes knowing that they would not get paid for sixty to ninety days. But, they worked day in and day out,
committed to making a difference, and committed to giving people that sense of safety that we all deserve. To complicate matters,
we knew that it would take officers with extremely high work ethics, and morals- but we demanded that they have experience
and "special abilities." For my entire career, I was assigned to "specialty positions." I wanted ANVIS to be a group of cops
from these specialty positions. What we found was an overwhelming response of officers committed to making a difference. Some
of those officers (and even ones we are continuing to hire) tell us, "I feel like a cop again." That's a strong comment. That
means that they realize they are making a difference. Cops inherently care about people (or they wouldn't risk their lives
to begin with). But the fact that cops were enjoying this work, because they saw the positive results, continues to encourage
us to this day. Pretty soon, those "old buddies" of mine who used to ridicule the idea of a "private police force" were submitting
employment applications to work for ANVIS.
A MS-13 gang member, proudly and overtly, displaying his gang "colors." Blue is the color, and the 13 on the jersey
is obviously referring to MS-13. This picture was taken just minutes before the jersey was "donated" to ANVIS. We made it
clear that gangs and gang clothing would not be allowed on any property that ANVIS worked on. Impacting the gang's criminal
endeavors (and income) the gang took it serious, and declared "war" on ANVIS. After thirty days, and several shots exchanged,
the gang left the area.
Although many people (and all of our clients) were happy to see us - not everyone was. In the months to come, the MS-13
gang declared war on us. There were several incidents where gunfire was exchanged, and during the last incident I charged
after the group shooting. Local law enforcement (on-duty) officers were utilized, as well as immigration agents, and through
a combination of these strategies, the gang left the area after about a month.
Another gang (the 67th street Crips) also declared war on us. These "wars" were short lived, but we (the officers of
ANVIS) made the decision - to go where we were needed. We had some high class neighborhoods, where ANVIS officers were a novelty.
We would get calls to come out, just so people could "show off" their security was a "SWAT cop." We elected to terminate these
contracts, and focus on the areas where we were most needed. If gangs were offended that we were taking their territory away
from them, then those are the areas we want to be in.
The end result has been this - several communities made safer, several arrests made, and entire gangs have been removed
from their own "turf." ANVIS (in one year) has contracted with over twenty apartment and neighborhood communities. There are
literally tens of thousands of people relying on ANVIS as their first line of defense, and we have been able to achieve what
local law enforcement has wanted (and tried) to achieve for twenty years. True community policing.
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