Duane Urban
Duane is the owner of Urban Defense LLC. In addition to being an active duty Law Enforcement Officer, Police Firearms Instructor, and life long firearms enthusiast, he holds numerous certifications in the subject matter, some of which is listed below.
- Maryland State Police Qualified Handgun Instructor
- MPCTC Certified Police Firearms Instructor (Handgun, Shotgun, and Type 3 Rifle)
- MPCTC Certified General Instructor
- NRA Certified Firearms Instructor
- FEMA certified Law Enforcement Active Shooter (LASER) Instructor
- ALERRT Certified Active Shooter Instructor
- Colt Certified M16 / AR-15 Armorer
- LWRC M6 Armorer
- Glock Advanced Armorer
- Remington 700 Rifle Armorer
- Force on Force Reality Based Training Instructor
Steve Benner
Steve recently retired from a long and dynamic career as a Law Enforcement Officer. In addition to his time on street, he served as a Police Firearms Instructor and SWAT Operator. He holds numerous certifications in the subject matter, some of which is listed below.
- Maryland State Police Qualified Handgun Instructor
- MPCTC Certified Police Firearms Instructor (Handgun, Shotgun, Type 2 and Type 3 Rifle)
- MPCTC General Instructor
- ALERRT Certified Active Shooter Instructor
SWAT School Graduate - SWAT Sniper Instructor
- LWRC M6 Armorer
- Glock Armorer
- Certified Executive Protection Specialist through the United States Secret Service (USSS)
- ASP Expandable Baton Instructor
- Taser Instructor
Ken Withrow
Ken is the owner of Vision1Tactical LLC, a sister company to Urban Defense. Ken's company typically provides our HQL training. Much like Duane, in addition to being an active duty Law Enforcement Officer and Police Firearms Instructor, he holds numerous certifications in the subject matter, some of which is listed below.
- Maryland State Police Qualified Handgun Instructor
- MPCTC Certified Police Firearms Instructor
- MPCTC Certified General Instructor
- Certified Law Enforcement Active Shooter (ALERT) Instructor
- Colt M16 / AR-15 Armorer
- Glock Armorer
- Beretta Armorer
- Remington 870 Armorer
- SIMS Instructor
Additional Staff & GUEST instructors
Art Gordon
Art is one of our guest instructors and consultant. His background speaks for itself. A snapshot of his bio is below.
- Former TSA Federal Security Director for Law Enforcement at BWI Airport
- Formerly TSA's top law enforcement official in Maryland
- 29 total years in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
- 15 years as a Special Agent in the ATF
- 2 years as a Headquarters Project Officer overseeing ATF’s National Firearms Training Program
- 2 years as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Coordinator
- 10 years as a Supervisory Special Agent supervising a multi-agency law enforcement task force.
Don Helms
Don is one of our guest instructors and is the owner of All Thingz Firearms PM. He served 39 years within Maryland Law Enforcement and retired holding the rank of Detective Sergeant.
During his tenure with the Department he received an array of specialized training to service the agency ranging from Covert Operative to Firearms Instructor.
In addition to being an accomplished competition shooter, winning local, State, and National competitions; his certifications include:
- Maryland State Police Qualified Handgun Instructor
- MPCTC Certified Police Firearms Instructor
- MPCTC Certified General Instructor
- NRA Certified Firearms Instructor
- Utah Certified Firearms Instructor
- Glock Certified Armorer
Eric Brennan
Eric is a veteran law enforcement officer who serves as a consultant and guest instructor.
- Maryland State Police Qualified Handgun Instructor
- MPCTC Certified Police Firearms Instructor (Pistol, carbine, shotgun & less lethal)
- MPCTC General Instructor
- Former U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
- ALERRT Certified Active Shooter Instructor