The Blue Line Voice-Blood, Sand & Smoke

Cops & Ghosts: A Lighthouse Mystery

Retired law enforcement officer Larry Lawson spent his career trusting evidence, instinct, and experience — but one night at the St. Augustine Lighthouse challenged everything he thought he knew.

In this clip, Larry talks about taking his son on the Dark of the Moon tour, getting private time inside the lighthouse, and hearing the unmistakable sound of children laughing where no children were present. As a cop, his first instinct was to look for wires, speakers, or any logical explanation.

He found none.

In this episode of The Blue Line Voice: Blood, Sand & Smoke, host Josh Weddell sits down with retired law enforcement officer, investigator, academy director, author, and paranormal researcher Larry Lawson for a conversation that walks the line between police work, history, evidence, and the unexplained.

Larry brings more than 40 years of law enforcement experience, including patrol, corrections, criminal investigations, police academy leadership, and specialized work in cult and occult-related crime investigations. But after a strange experience inside the Dade County Jail in Miami in 1980 — and another powerful encounter years later at the St. Augustine Lighthouse — Larr...

First responders are trained to recognize danger on the job — but sometimes the warning signs show up at home first.

In this clip from The Blue Line Voice: Blood, Sand & Smoke Podcast, retired Sgt. Mark DiBona talks about the early warning signs that a first responder may be struggling mentally or emotionally.

Irritability. Personality changes. Pulling away from family. Losing interest in the things they used to enjoy. Coming home angry. Getting defensive. Saying “I’m fine” when everyone around them knows something is wrong.

Mar...

After stepping away from another nonprofit that no longer felt right, retired Sgt. Mark DiBona and three others came together with one goal: create something real, mission-driven, and focused on helping first responders.

That mission became Protecting The Guardian.

In this clip from The Blue Line Voice: Blood, Sand & Smoke Podcast, Mark talks about the beginning of Protecting The Guardian, the growth of the organization, and why sharing real stories about mental health, suicide prevention, leadership, and wellness matters so much in the first responder...

Law enforcement agencies talk a lot about taking care of their people — but when an officer is in a mental health crisis, too many departments still fall short.

In this powerful clip from The Blue Line Voice: Blood, Sand & Smoke Podcast, retired Sgt. Mark DiBona breaks down why officer mental health needs to be treated with the same seriousness as any other line-of-duty injury.

If an officer gets cancer, the department rallies around them. But when that same officer is struggling mentally, the answer is often, “We have...

In this short clip from The Blue Line Voice: Blood, Sand & Smoke Podcast, retired Sgt. Mark DiBona explains why empathy and compassion are not weaknesses in law enforcement — they are essential parts of the job.

Mark shares a powerful story from his 33-year career about a troubled 16-year-old girl who had been arrested repeatedly. Instead of simply making another arrest and moving on, he took the time to ask what was really going on in her life. That decision helped change her future.

This short is a reminder that behind every ca...

In this powerful episode of The Blue Line Voice: Blood, Sand & Smoke Podcast, retired Sgt. Mark DiBona joins the show for a raw, honest, and necessary conversation about law enforcement, trauma, suicide prevention, leadership, family, and survival.

Mark served 33 years in law enforcement, beginning in Massachusetts before continuing his career in Florida with the Avon Park Police Department and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. During his career, he served as a patrol sergeant, field training officer, street crimes deputy, DUI unit member, peer support member, critical incident stress ma...

This official trailer for the upcoming episode of The Blue Line Voice: Blood, Sand & Smoke Podcast gives a hard-hitting look at law enforcement, leadership, empathy, and first responder mental health.

Retired Sgt. Mark DiBona joins the show for a real conversation about what it means to lead from the front, why good sergeants and FTOs matter, and why officers can never afford to lose empathy or compassion — even when dealing with the worst parts of the job.

This trailer also touches on one of the biggest issues fa...

In this powerful episode of The Blue Line Voice: Blood, Sand, and Smoke Podcast, we sit down with Frank Docimo, a retired firefighter with 38 years in the fire service, a nationally recognized hazmat instructor, FEMA National Fire Academy subject matter expert, and fierce advocate for first responder mental health.

Frank started in the fire service as a volunteer in Connecticut before going paid in 1978. From there, his career evolved into decades of frontline fire service, hazardous materials response, emergency response to terrorism training, and leadership in some of the most demanding...

Retired firefighter and hazmat expert Frank Docimo Sr. shares how he saw the need for stronger hazmat preparation before many departments were ready to listen.

In this clip, Frank talks about building out hazmat capability, warning leadership that chemical emergencies were coming, and the incident that pushed him deeper into the hazmat world after four firefighters were burned at a chemical plant. He also explains how his experience later connected to FEMA, the National Fire Academy, and emergency response training for chemical and terrorism-related incidents.

This is a powerful...

Retired firefighter Frank Docimo Sr. opens up about the mental health toll of nearly four decades in the fire service, the struggle to find help, and the frustration of being pushed out instead of supported.

In this clip, Frank talks about EAP, recovery, medication, anger, leadership failures, and the hard reality many first responders face when they finally admit they need help. This is an honest conversation about what happens after the calls are over — and why departments need to do better for the people who gave everything to the job.

Retired firefighter and hazmat expert Frank Docimo Sr. breaks down the different levels of hazmat response, from awareness and operations to technician, specialist, and incident command. In this clip, Frank explains why proper training matters, how fire departments prepare for chemical emergencies, and why the right people, tools, and knowledge can make the difference when the situation turns dangerous.

This conversation is part of The Blue Line Voice: Blood, Sand & Smoke, highlighting real stories from first responders, veterans, and those who have carried the weight of service.

Guest...