ABOUT TASK FORCE 70:

Task Force 70 is a Nonprofit Foundation focused on the goal of providing law enforcement officers serving smaller communities with critical capabilities in tactical emergency situations. Task Force 70 (TF70), named for the seventy percent of U.S. police departments that are small or rural, was founded to ensure that every law enforcement officer has access to lifesaving training grounded in the United States Constitution.

Law enforcement agencies across the United States vary greatly in size, the populations they protect, the budgets they operate under, and the standards placed on their officers. Of the roughly 750,000 state, city, and local law enforcement officers nationwide, more than 70 percent serve communities of under 10,000 citizens, often in departments with fewer than six sworn officers. Yet more than 94 percent of the approximately 600 million dollars in federal and state training funds are directed to the nation’s largest agencies, leaving 70 percent of departments with less than 6 percent of available funding.

Small department and rural officers work with fewer resources, limited staffing, and less access to advanced training, yet they face many of the same dangers as their big-city counterparts. Every community deserves officers who are prepared, capable, and equipped to respond when seconds matter.

Task Force 70 exists to meet this critical need by delivering enhanced professional development, tactical instruction, and constitutional education to the officers who need it the most but can afford it the least. We provide this training at no cost to the officers or their communities while remaining fully independent of federal or state funding.

MISSION:

Task Force 70’s mission is to equip officers operating in rural and small jurisdictions with the critical skills necessary to more effectively recognize and respond to violent emergency situations. This is achieved through the three Mission Focus Areas:

Facility-Based Training – TF70’s dedicated training facility provides officers with an immersive environment free from the operational and administrative distractions of their home departments, enabling focused skill development and retention.

Mobile Training Teams (MTT) – For officers unable to travel due to family, departmental, or resource constraints, MTT units bring the same high-quality instruction directly to their agency or region.

Patrol Institute Think Tank – Conducts research, analysis, and policy development focused on the operational needs of small agencies. The Institute produces data-driven recommendations, white papers, and model policies that address the unique challenges faced by rural and small-town patrol operations.

TRAINING PHILOSOPHY: 

Based on our extensive military and law enforcement backgrounds and experience, The Big 5 represent the foundational principles and skills that are threaded throughout every module of instruction in our Enhanced Patrol Tactics Courses, which will be taught at our specialized facility in Middle Tennessee.

U.S. Constitution – Officers learn how the Constitution guides sound decisions through a Priority of Life framework, even in fast-moving emergencies.

Marksmanship – Training develops precise use of force under stress, ensuring effective decisions in chaotic situations.

Breaching – Officers practice proven entry methods to save lives, addressing failures that have led to tragic outcomes.

Emergency Medical Skills – Instruction prepares officers to stabilize victims quickly until professional medical personnel take over.

Tactics – Officers learn simple, repeatable tactics that work across environments and can be sustained through regular training.

TRAINING COURSES:

TF70 offers two advanced training programs designed for officers in small and rural departments that focuses on applying the Big 5 skill areas to high-threat, urgent situations that require immediate action, and time-critical interventions in hostage incidents.

Patrol Tactical Operations Course (5 days/50 hours)

This course is focused on the application of the Big 5 to sudden and unexpected violent situations that require an immediate response by the individual officer or a small team of officers to save American lives. Officers will leave the course capable of responding more effectively to complicated, rapidly evolving, extremely violent, and infrequent situations. Graduates are also equipped to mentor their fellow officers to develop the same proficiency. 

Patrol Hostage Rescue Course (5 days/50 hours)

Building upon the knowledge, skills, and techniques officers learn in Course 1, this course focuses on rapidly identifying situations that involve a victim being held against their will and that require immediate intervention to save the victim’s life. The instruction covers the highly focused skills needed to intervene when waiting for officer backup is likely to cause the loss of life. These situations occur in rural and small-town schools, businesses, and public areas as well as in larger jurisdictions. 

FUNDING PHILOSOPHY: 

Because of the political and bureaucratic entanglements inherent in government grants and other funding mechanisms, Task Force 70 has committed to not accepting any federal or state funding. This approach safeguards our independence and ensures we remain aligned with our founding principles. 

We rely on: 

• American citizens 

• Civic organizations 

• Professional organizations 

• Industry 

• Private small and medium sized businesses 

• Corporations 

These contributions support training programs, facility operations, and scholarship endowments, ensuring that essential skills reach officers in rural, small-town, and underfunded jurisdictions. 

We have developed opportunities for outright gifts and endowment gifts, enabling donors to direct their support toward areas they value most. 

As a 501(c)(3) foundation, all donations to Task Force 70 are tax-exempt. Task Force 70 is committed to an overhead ratio standard of 12-15% while maintaining a funding transparency policy which provides measurable outcomes and progress reporting to donors.