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
District of Columbia 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
National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) SWAT Command School graduate

Additional Staff & GUEST instructors

Luke Benner

Luke is a veteran Law Enforcement Officer and an active SWAT Operator. He is the owner of Tri-Spear Training Group and is an adjunct instructor with Urban Defense, assisting with our Force on Force Reality Based Training Program. A snapshot of his bio is below.

Veteran Law Enforcement Officer
Maryland State Police Qualified Handgun Instructor
ALERRT Certified Active Shooter Instructor
SWAT School Graduate and Current SWAT Operator
Sniper School Graduate

Gerald Heins

Jerry serves as our Tactical Medic subject matter expert. He is a veteran Law Enforcement Officer (retired) as well as a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. In addition to his law enforcement/military career, he served as a member of the Baltimore County Fire Department for 30 years in the roles of Fire Fighter and Paramedic. He serves as a permanent member of our training cadre as well as our medical consultant. His background speaks for itself. A snapshot of his bio is below.

Veteran Law Enforcement Officer (retired)
30 year veteran Fire Fighter/Paramedic
9 year veteran Police Special Operations Division SWAT Operator/TAC Medic
Police Civil Disturbance Unit
Veteran USMC
Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission (MPCTC) General Instructor
Police Academy Instructor (TECC, CPR, First Aid)
American Heart Association Instructor
American Red Cross 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

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