
Brandon Paletta
Media Specialist - Instructor


As Co-Founder and Director of Training at Guardian Training & Consulting, Josh leads the development and delivery of a comprehensive training ecosystem serving civilians, law enforcement, and military personnel across Arizona and beyond. Guardian’s offerings span concealed carry and home defense, advanced firearms and tactics, medical response, use of force simulation, instructor development, and executive protection — with a training staff of over a dozen instructors across firearms, tactics, and medical disciplines.
Josh, as Director of Training, personally oversees curriculum development, ensures alignment with International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST) and Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST) standards, and directs Guardian’s Ti Training use of force simulator program, placing students in real-world scenarios ranging from home invasions to active shooter incidents. Through Guardian, Josh has built one of Arizona’s most recognized private training organizations, offering both group courses and concierge-level private instruction tailored to individual needs and experience levels.
Josh is a dedicated law enforcement and military professional with over 20 years of combined service in policing, firearms instruction, and military security operations. A former police officer with both a major metropolitan department in Arizona and a department in North Dakota, Josh brings a depth of real-world experience to every role he serves.
A U.S. Air Force veteran and Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Security Forces Academy, Josh was assigned to the elite Tactical Response Force (TRF), where he provided squad-level tactical security for nuclear weapon convoys and rapid response to ICBM sites.
Throughout his career, Josh has earned numerous accolades, including his agency’s Lifesaving Award, multiple commendations, and recognition as the Elk’s Lodge Police Officer of the Year. He is also coin holder #506 in the prestigious Triple Nickel Society, an elite group recognizing exceptional performance on one of the most demanding law enforcement shooting standards in the nation. Membership is earned, never given—symbolizing not only elite marksmanship under pressure, but instructional excellence, composure, and professionalism. Josh continues to serve the law enforcement and civilian training community with passion and professionalism.
Josh is the Founder and Principal Expert of Logan & Partners Expert Consulting, where he provides expert witness services in firearms, use of force, training practices for both civilian and law enforcement contexts, as well as law enforcement and security policies and procedures, including research, report writing, advisement to counsel, depositions, and testimony. He is a Force Science Certified Analyst and currently serves as an expert witness in high-stakes cases, including officer-involved use of force incidents up to and including deadly force encounters (officer-involved shootings), as well as self-defense cases involving responsibly armed citizens. His methodology is grounded in science and rooted in the totality of the circumstances and the objectively reasonable person (officer) standard, incorporating principles including, but not limited to, human performance, perception and reaction time, and evidence-based analysis of training, tactics, and decision-making under rapidly evolving conditions.
Josh’s expert witness practice spans both criminal and civil proceedings in state and federal courts. He has been retained by prosecution and defense counsel in homicide, aggravated assault, and weapons-related matters in Arizona and Washington, with cases involving officer-involved shootings, self-defense claims, and use of force by both sworn and civilian individuals. His written reports, deposition testimony, and trial testimony reflect a methodology grounded in established legal standards, force science research, and operational experience.
Josh has become a trusted national and regional media resource on use of force, self defense law, firearms training, and decision making under stress. He has appeared on NewsNation’s Morning in America, FOX 10 Phoenix, ABC15 Arizona, and ILEETA LIVE, providing expert analysis on active shooter response, armed citizen intervention, officer involved shootings, law enforcement investigations, law enforcement operations and procedures, edged weapon encounters, road rage incidents, self defense claims, law enforcement tactics, and human performance under rapidly evolving conditions. His national NewsNation appearance included analysis of learned behavior under stress, deliberate practice, and the importance of selecting a qualified firearms instructor.
Josh is a published author in the International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Association Journal. His articles include “Certification Is Not Mastery: Why Instructor Development Is Broken,” published in the Spring 2026 edition, and “The Power of Real World Training: Enhancing Officer Preparedness Through Science and the 3 R’s of Training,” published in 2025. His writing focuses on instructor development, deliberate practice, training science, human performance, and measurable officer preparedness.
His instructional credentials are extensive as he enters his 20th year teaching. Josh is a certified instructor and/or armorer with the following organizations and disciplines:
USCCA: Certified Instructor & Training Counselor (Train the Trainer) in Concealed Carry & Home Defense, Emergency First Aid, Use of Force Simulation, Countering the Mass Shooter Threat, and AR-15 Fundamentals
NRA: Certified Instructor in Basic Pistol, Home Firearms Safety, Refuse to be a Victim, and Certified Range Safety Officer
AZPOST: General Instructor, Field Training Officer, Firearms Instructor, Patrol Rifle Instructor
AZDPS: LEOSA Firearms Instructor
FLETC: Certified Active Shooter Threat Instructor
Josh is 1 of only 32 Staff Firearms Instructors with the NRA Law Enforcement Division, delivering nationally recognized instructor development schools across the country. He certifies law enforcement, military, and security professionals in handgun, shotgun, patrol rifle, and select-fire platforms. Josh mentors instructors through rigorous, multi-day programs that emphasize instructional excellence, legal relevance, and officer safety, while helping shape and refine NRA curriculum to reflect current tactical and legal trends.
Josh holds a singular position within the firearms training profession, possessing the authority and experience to develop, evaluate, and certify both civilian firearms instructors through USCCA and law enforcement firearms instructors through the NRA Law Enforcement Division—making him uniquely qualified across both civilian and sworn instructor development pipelines.
Josh is also a Smith & Wesson M&P and Glock Certified Armorer.
Josh serves on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI) as well as a presenter and member. Josh is a member, presenter, and Technology Advisory Group participant with the International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Association (ILEETA), and serves as a Board Member of Silent Witness Arizona. He is also a Life Member of the National Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Association (NLEFIA). Lastly, Josh is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
He holds an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Criminal Justice and is a member of the SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society. Outside of his professional commitments, Josh is a certified SDI Open Water Diver and enjoys exploring new dive sites across the U.S. and abroad.
Driven by a passion for teaching and mentorship, Josh’s philosophy is grounded in the belief that instructors are not mere dispensers of knowledge, but guides who help others discover their own understanding. He embodies this belief in every classroom—whether he’s training law enforcement, military personnel, or responsible citizens.
“A teacher is never a giver of truth; he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that each student must find for himself.” – Bruce Lee

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