Meet Our Cadre
Ben Conklin
Ben Conklin is a full-time Police Captain who is currently the Commanding Officer of his Departments 2nd Platoon. Ben has been in law enforcement for 15 years and spent 5 years as a full-time trainer. Ben was also a member of his Department SWAT Team for 8 years and 3 of those years were as a Team Leader. Ben brings extensive experience teaching Firearms as well as Patrol/Team Tactics to recruits, in-service, SWAT and law enforcement trainers.
Ben frequently competes in USPSA and holds the rank of Master in Carry Optics division. He also serves as a member of firearms panel for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services where he has helped to develop and implement new state-wide firearms curriculum for Police Academies and firearms instructors.
Jake Young
Jake Young is an active LEO and has been a Police Officer in central New York State for over 21 years, serving in many roles with a heavy focus on Police Training, Tactics and Firearms. He has served as a supervisor, Lead Firearms Instructor and Commander of a Multi-Jurisdictional SWAT Team. His training focus has been instructor level courses in Firearms, Reality Based Training, SWAT and Leadership. Jake enjoys competing in USPSA and holds an A Class ranking in the Carry Optics Division where he competes with his duty holster, gun and belt.
Jake worked with New York State DCJS (POST of NY) to develop and implement a Reality Based Training Instructor course which is used statewide to train recruits and in-service to safely use NLTA for drills, skill building, scenarios, and other Force on Force training options. He teaches as a consultant for DCJS running Firearms Instructor Workshop (Update) Courses and is currently helping to design a new Firearms Instructor Course for the state.
Jake has a passion for training, learning, and instructing with a goal to help build more capable and well-trained students and instructors in the field. Methods are based on a combination of best practices in principle-based motor skill learning, practical shooting methods, student centered learning that focuses on the process and not just the outcome.
Elliot Brooks
Elliot Brooks is a full-time Deputy Sheriff in Southern New York where he is currently a SWAT Team Leader and assigned to the department's full-time training unit. Elliot is currently the Lead Firearms and Use of Force Instructor for the regional Police Academy. In addition to regional instructing, He serves as a consultant for New York State DCJS to conduct updated Firearms Instructor curriculums throughout New York State.
Since 2021 Elliot has been instructing Performance Pistol and Carbine Courses as well as Firearms Instructor Development Workshops for TacOps Tactical Conferences in New York, Virginia, and Tennessee. His Performance Pistol, Dry-Fire, and Firearms Instructor Development courses have been POST Certified in both Tennessee and Georgia as of 2024.
Constantly striving to advance his skills, Elliot regularly competes in USPSA/PCSL competitions not only for his own development but also to combine valid, pressure tested methods from the competition realm of Firearms to the Law Enforcement community.
Erik Eltz
Erik was hired as a fulltime police officer in 2003 serving the lower Hudson Valley of New York State. Erik then took an assignment to the Anti-Crime Unit focused on addressing gun violence in his jurisdiction. For over 12 years, Erik was a SWAT Operator starting as the primary mechanical breacher and eventually rose to the position of Assistant Team Commander. Erik attended FBI Firearms, FBI SWAT, FBI Carbine and FBI Street Survival prior to starting his Instructor journey in 2011. Since 2012 he has been the Lead Firearms Instructor for his regional academy. From 2018-2020 he served as a Subject Matter Expert for the NYS Preparedness Center teaching Reality Based Force on Force Training and DCJS SWAT Schools.
Erik is currently working with DCJS and a panel of other consultants on updating the Recruit Firearms curriculum as well as updating the Firearms Instructor Curriculum. He realizes the value in working with a team of like-minded professionals across the state and is excited about the positive steps being taken.
Erik has a true passion for training, always being a student first and effecting positive change in the law enforcement community.
Chris Waite
Chris is an active full time LEO serving as a Patrol Sergeant in New York State, with a strong focus on instruction and officer performance. He is the Assistant Team Leader for a Multi-Jurisdictional SWAT Team, where he plays a role in leadership, operational planning, and training modernization.
Chris works as a consultant for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), teaching Firearms Instructor Workshops and Pistol Instructor Courses. He frequently instructs in areas of Use of Force and Reality Based Training at the in-service and academy level.
As a former Weapons Instructor in the United States Navy with a deep background in small-boat operations, and applied weapons tactics, including a GWOT deployment, Chris brings both operational and instructional experience to the team. He also has a professional background in personal training and fitness, which reinforces his emphasis on physical preparedness, movement quality, and performance-based skill development.
Chris is an active competitive shooter in the USPSA, holding an A-class ranking in the Carry Optics division where he competes using duty gear, and a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — reinforcing the relationship between practical training and real-world performance. Chris brings a passionate, high-energy attitude with a modern-day knowledge instructor and student philosophy, and is a strong believer of preparation over luck.
Tim Jones
Tim Jones is an experienced law-enforcement professional and firearms specialist with over 20 years of service as a Deputy Sheriff. He remains an active police officer and continues to serve in both domestic and international training roles including conducting firearms training and narcotics work.
Tim works as an overseas contractor for the U.S. State Department, where he conducts firearms and armorer training for law-enforcement and security personnel. He is a certified firearms instructor and armorer specializing in the M16/AR-platform and Glock systems. Tim is ETG's lead Instructor for all Armorer Courses and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this program.
Tim has held a Federal Firearms License (FFL) for over seven years, including experience as a firearms manufacturer. His combined expertise in law enforcement, training, weapons systems, and hands-on armorer work provides students with practical, real-world instruction grounded in safety, reliability, and operational effectiveness in all environments.
"Competition breeds excellence and is the best form of motivation"
