Firearms, less-lethal, and tactical training, plus security licensing courses for Alabama and Tennessee. Taught by instructors who have been there. You walk out ready for the moment that counts.
Shieldwall Tactical Protection Academy (STPA) exists to fix a simple problem. Too much security training checks a box and sends people out unprepared for the actual post.
We came up through the Army, the Federal Protective Service, law enforcement, corrections, and contract security, and we teach the way the work really happens. Every STPA course is built on documentation that stands up in an audit and in a courtroom, because on the post, that is what protects you and the people you cover.
Every STPA instructor is an Alabama Level 2 Certified Trainer (CT-2). Other credentials shown include National Rifle Association (NRA) instructor and Chief Range Safety Officer (CRSO), Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Private Protective Services (DCI/PPS) trainer, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) firearms instructor.
Runs STPA operations and the women-only firearms programs, including the NRA Women On Target program. Came up around dispatch radios and the firing line, with a background in 911 dispatch and mission-critical systems engineering.
Five years as a fire-service Training Officer, then nine years in the United States Army as cadre, then federal protective work with the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service, and private and contract security. Owns curriculum design and live-fire qualification.
Retired law enforcement officer, tactical team (SWAT) instructor, and use-of-force expert witness with more than two decades of tactical, street, and federal experience. Also instructs on the Federal Protective Service Alabama contract.
Came up through the Alabama Department of Corrections and high-risk critical-site contract security. Teaches firearms, less-lethal, and control skills with the credibility of an officer who has worked the hardest posts in the state.
Unarmed and armed officer licensing, renewals, and handgun qualification.
General guard, armed classroom, marksmanship, and Dallas’s Law.
Pistol, rifle, shotgun, Personal Protection in the Home, RSO, and Women On Target.
The Executive Protection Specialist Course, a modular, stackable certificate. Coming soon.
Tactical de-escalation, lawful use of force, conflict management, and report writing.
Active shooter and active threat response, plus threat assessment and awareness.
OC pepper spray, baton, handcuffing and tactical restraints, and defensive tactics.
Safety teams from unarmed foundations to firearms qualification, with refreshers.
Carla co-founded STPA with her husband, Frank, and runs the academy’s operations, student experience, and women-only programs. Born into a military family and the daughter of two police officers, she grew up around dispatch radios and the firing line. She spent six years as a 911 dispatcher in the Atlanta metro, then nearly a decade as a Senior Test Engineer and Product Owner at Motorola Solutions, building and testing the mission-critical 911 and public-safety radio systems that keep first responders connected. She is a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) and Scrum Master.
That engineering discipline shows up on the training floor as clean scheduling, smooth student onboarding, and audit-ready records. A survivor and longtime victim-advocacy volunteer, she leads STPA’s women-only firearms courses, including the NRA Women On Target program, with instruction that is practical, supportive, and confidence-building. She also supports unarmed and armed security officer training. Her aim is simple, to turn first-time and hesitant students into calm, capable, and confident shooters who own the fundamentals.
Frank co-founded STPA and sets the standard the academy is built on: instruction backed by documentation that holds up in an audit and in a courtroom. He began in the fire service, five years as a Training Officer, then served nine years in the United States Army as cadre and a Modern Army Combatives instructor, training soldiers in marksmanship, combatives, and multiple weapon systems.
From there he moved into federal protective work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Protective Service (FPS), and into private and contract security. He provided executive protection for United States senators, members of Congress, and senior corporate officials, responded to terrorist threats, secured sensitive and restricted sites, and managed high-risk terminations.
At STPA he owns curriculum design, live-fire qualification, and the academy’s documentation standards, and he is committed to instruction that includes students of every background, including veterans and people with disabilities.
Jon is a retired law enforcement officer, tactical team (SWAT) instructor, and career trainer with more than two decades of tactical, street, and federal experience. He spent more than fifteen years with the Homewood Police Department, rising to Corporal in the Training and Special Operations Division, serving as a SWAT operator and instructor, and working as the department’s Senior Firearms Instructor.
He conducted criminal investigations and testified in court, including expert testimony in use-of-force cases, which is why his instruction is built around force that is effective and defensible. Today he also serves as an instructor on the Federal Protective Service (FPS) Alabama contract, running firearms qualifications and federal security officer development to a national standard. At STPA he oversees the Defensive Tactics Training Program and instructs oleoresin capsicum (OC), baton, and handcuffing, and he owns and leads Blue Line Combatives, training civilians, churches, schools, and law enforcement.
Shaun brings real custody, control, and high-risk-site experience to STPA. He served as a Corrections Supervisor with the Alabama Department of Corrections, where he supervised inmates, managed death-row inmate transport, and provided armed security at state hospitals. He then moved into contract security supporting the safety of Alabama’s power grid, assessing threats and applying de-escalation under genuine pressure.
He earned his instructor seat the right way, completing STPA’s full apprenticeship and instructor-development path. He teaches firearms, less-lethal, and control skills with the credibility of an officer who has worked the hardest posts in the state. His students get the calm, no-nonsense standard those posts demand, taught patiently and without ego.
