In Oct. 2007, while teaching “Response to Active Shooters” to law enforcement officers it became apparent that there was not a reliable, lightweight, portable system that gave non-uniformed officers 360 degree identification to prevent arriving uniform officers from misidentifying and engaging non-uniformed officers with deadly friendly fire. 

As Mike researched the “Blue on Blue” tragedies that had occurred over the years, it was apparent that no one had really made an attempt to give non-uniformed officers a concealable system to help identify them during critical situations. The windbreaker and raid vest were about all there were. Some agencies had “color of the day” armbands but nothing that could be deployed with one hand while holding someone at gunpoint and gave 360 degree identification. 

While conducting the above research, Officer Christopher Ridley was tragically killed in Westchester County, NY in a “Blue on Blue” incident… at this point it became one of the strongest driving forces in Mike’s life, to find something that would help save officers lives from these needless and tragic events. Waking his wife up (also a law enforcement veteran) in the middle of the night to talk about ideas for saving officers lives was a common theme during the research and development phase of the Safety Banner. The Safety Banner began with countless prototypes and from drawing board to drawing board drawing with input from street officers on what was needed and what officers would use in the field. In February 2009, the final Safety Banner was released to law enforcement agencies.

In 1999 Mike had been involved in a second officer involved shooting having to neutralize a man who had taken his girlfriend hostage and was holding a knife in each hand and threatening to kill her. It’s moments after events like this that one has to contemplate his decisions with some deep soul searching…..Why was I placed in this situation?  

During this time, Mike realized he had been put in multiple situations in his life by possible divine intervention to save the lives of others…. He remembered at 15 yrs old he and a buddy had slipped off a train just as the doors were closing into a very dangerous and undesirable neighborhood because of a feeling that they were about to get robbed by a criminal youth gang that had just entered the train…. this train station was deserted being after 11pm, with the exception of an elderly gentleman sitting on a bench who appeared to have a can of beer in a small brown paper-bag ……he was waiting for a west bound train into the city. As Mike and his buddy waited for the next train, the old man began heaving like he was possibly going to vomit…. but then Mike realized he was choking on something…and successfully performed a Heimlich maneuver that he had just learned in a health education class…the old man had a bag of hard candy not a beer and had began to choke on a piece….What were the odds… getting off at a station that he would have never dreamed of getting off at ….weeks early learning a life saving skill and then being placed in a deserted train station to save an elderly gentleman from possibly choking to death…. 

Some people wonder their whole lives what was their purpose in life……

Several years later in 2008 Mike invented the DSM Safety Banner to help save lives of brother and sister officers from friendly fire. After saving countless law enforcement lives with the invent of the DSM Safety Banner, In 2020 Mike began experimenting with a new system to identify legally armed citizens involved in critical incidents, so that they were not misidentified by arriving law enforcement officers….. at least giving a pause or a micro speed bump in their decision making process, seeing that the citizen had a BRIGHT ORANGE REFLECTIVE IDENTIFIER…..not just seeing a man/woman with a gun in their hand and not knowing if good or bad guy….

Retired Sgt Mike Lessman spent his law enforcement career in SWAT, Patrol and Gang Enforcement; he is also an instructor in defensive tactics and officer survival. Mike has more than 11 years of SWAT experience and was decorated for his role during a Hostage Rescue Mission in 1999. Prior to his law enforcement career Mike spend several years in the personal/executive protection field and served in the USMC/USMCR from 1981-1987.

Mike knows he was put here on earth to save lives. Several years later in 2008 Mike invented the DSM Safety Banner to help save lives of brother and sister officers from friendly fire. After saving countless law enforcement lives with the invent of the DSM Safety Banner, In 2020 Mike began experimenting with a new system to identify legally armed citizens involved in critical incidents, so that they were not misidentified by arriving law enforcement officers….. at least giving a pause or a micro speed bump in their decision making process, seeing that the citizen had a BRIGHT ORANGE REFLECTIVE IDENTIFIER…..not just seeing a man/woman with a gun in their hand and not knowing if good or bad guy….

Retired Sgt Mike Lessman spent his law enforcement career in SWAT, Patrol and Gang Enforcement; he is also an instructor in defensive tactics and officer survival. Mike has more than 11 years of SWAT experience and was decorated for his role during a Hostage Rescue Mission in 1999. Prior to his law enforcement career Mike spend several years in the personal/executive protection field and served in the USMC/USMCR from 1981-1987. . Sgt. Mike Lessman has spent his law enforcement career in SWAT, Patrol and Gang Enforcement; he is also an instructor in defensive tactics and officer survival. Mike has more than 11 years of SWAT experience and was decorated for his role during a Hostage Rescue Mission in 1999. Prior to his law enforcement career Mike spend several years in the personal/executive protection field and served in the USMC/USMCR from 1981-1987.