Lon Bartel is the Director of Training and Curriculum for VirTra, a leading-edge simulation and training company which provides products and services within the Military and Law Enforcement space. He relies on over 20 years of law enforcement training experience to improve the performance of the officers and trainers he works with. He was recognized by the State of Arizona P.O.S.T. as a subject matter expert in both firearms and defensive tactics. He is internationally certified as an instructor with the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, where he has won innovation awards. Mr. Bartel has presented at multiple conferences on performance under stress. These presentations were at the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association conference (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022), The International Law Enforcement Training Network, Law Enforcement Education Program (2020 and 2022), and Force Science Annual Conference (2020 and 2022).

Mr. Bartel earned his Master’s degree in Applied Exercise Science from Concordia University-Chicago and his Bachelor’s from Arizona State University in Exercise Sport Science with a concentration in physiology and biochemistry. He holds national certifications with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He has published peer-reviewed research exploring how weapons and holster combinations affect perception-response times in peace officers and investigating the performance envelope for officers transitioning between lethal and less-lethal weapon platforms.

Mr. Bartel is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in General Psychology with an emphasis in Performance Psychology. He is taking his experience with the physiological aspects of human performance and integrating it with his doctoral work in performance psychology. This multifaceted effort removes a silo approach that can plague high stress/arousal human performance evaluations. His mission is to provide a holistic approach to fast and accurate decision-making and response for our military warfighters and law enforcement officers. Much of this work requires an objective look at the complex problems faced and how best to address them. The goal is to ensure the sanctity of life when possible in law enforcement while making our warfighters better decision-makers in combat.