instructor bios
Gary Lind - President and Chief Instructor of Illinois Public Safety Training Group
Gary is a certified Firearms Instructor, Range Safety Officer and pistol armorer for Springfield Firearms.
Gary brings over 20 years of firearms handling experience to the table. Gary is a certified Illinois State Police Concealed Carry Instructor, Certified USCCA Instructor & Training Counselor, Certified Range Safety Officer and Certified NRA Firearms Instructor. He is also a Springfield Armory Certified Armorer for the Springfield Armory 1911, the XDs, and the XDm pistols.
Gary is a graduate of Front Sight Firearms Training Institute Las Vegas and Final Option Minnesota for Defensive Handgun.
Gary is an active shooter IDPA and USPSA and maintains memberships with ILEETA, NRA, ITOA, ISRA and NACFI.
Deb Lind - Office Manager, Certified Firearms Instructor, and Range Safety Officer
Deb oversees the day to day operations of Illinois Public Safety Training Group along with assisting our instructors at the range and in class.
Deb is an active member of the NRA and Well Armed Women.
Chris LaPash - Lead Instructor and Range Safety Officer
Chris is a USCCA and Illinois State Police Certified Firearms Instructor and Range Safety Officer. Drawing from his extensive background in loss prevention, asset protection and education, he maintains an exceptional level of excellence while training students to be responsibly armed citizens. Decades of experience as a Lead Detective, Investigator, District Trainer and Teacher, allow him to offer a wealth of knowledge and learning to each and every student.
As an avid firearms enthusiast and staunch supporter of our 2nd Amendment rights, Chris enjoys sport shooting, gun shows, furthering his own firearms training, and having the opportunity to educate others. Memberships with the ISRA, NRA, USCCA and several other pro gun organizations help keep him protected and up to date on the industry standards.
Joe Pavlik - Instructor and Range Safety Officer
Joe is certified Firearms Instructor, Range Safety Officer and pistol armorer for Springfield Firearms.
Joe brings over 32 years of experience on the streets as a Chicago Fire Fighter/Paramedic.
Joe is a certified Illinois Concealed Carry Instructor, Certified NRA Range Safety Officer and Certified NRA Pistol Instructor. He is also a Springfield Armory Certified Armorer for the 1911, XDs, and XDm pistols.
He is a life member of the NRA and a member of Illinois State Rifle Association(ISRA).
Joe enjoys hunting and sport shooting.
Tom Fink - Instructor and Range Safety Officer
Tom is a security specialist that has over 30 years of experience as a civil servant. Utilizing his background as a security officer, former firefighter, emergency medical technician and law enforcement officer, having achieved the rank of Police Commander, Tom brings a common sense, easy to understand approach to those people who are looking to increase their training knowledge.
Tom brings a wealth of information drawing upon his past experiences as a police training instructor in multiple disciplines and as a former Tactical Commander for a Combined Emergency Response Team.
Tom is an Accredited Illinois Professional Manager certified by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency with the ability to teach the First Care program as well as a R.A.C.E., Civilian Response, and is also an A.L.I.C.E. Instructor.
Throughout his career Tom has been a warded such prestigious honors as the Cook County Medal of Honor and the Police Hall of Fame award for outstanding investigation.
Clarence Ayers - Instructor and Range Safety Officer
Clarence is a United States Air Force veteran who has served in support of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Clarence is a certified Police Officer in a south suburban department with a vast array of experience that includes Juvenile Officer, Field Training Officer, and SWAT.
Clarence holds advanced degrees in multiple areas of public safety to include Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, and Emergency Management. With his experience, he teaches at the college level in the criminal justice discipline.
Clarence is a Certified NRA Pistol Instructor and Range Safety Officer.
Clarence is a member of ITOA, NRA, USCCA.
Matthew Phifer - Instructor and Range Safety Officer
Matt is a certified Illinois Concealed Carry Instructor and Range Safety Officer.
Mike Conroy - Armorer, Instructor and Range Safety Officer
Mike is qualified as an NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, authorizing him to certify other individuals as being NRA Range Safety Officers. Mike is also a Certified NRA Instructor for several shooting and self-protection disciplines: Rifle, Pistol & Shotgun, Personal Protection Inside The Home, Personal Protection Outside The Home, Refuse To Be A Victim & NRA Certified Basic Metallic Reloading Instructor. He is also a Certified NRA Law Enforcement Pistol & Shotgun Instructor.
Mike is a Certified Glock, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory and AR-15 armorer. He is also a graduate of the nationally renowned Massad Ayoob’s MAG-40 class.
Mike was a parachute rigger and is U.S. Army veteran of the 82nd Airborne. He has been hunting, shooting trap & skeet, and rifle shooting since he was in grade school. Mike formally competes in NRA Mid-Range & NRA Long Range F-Class Matches regionally.
He is a life member of the NRA, ISRA & GOA, and holds active membership with ILEETA.
Daniel Lempa - President Emeritus 2013 - 2018 2018 Security and Training Consultant
Dan brings to the table 25 years of law enforcement and public safety experience.
Dan is a certified law enforcement firearms instructor, Illinois concealed carry instructor Range Safety Officer and is a Immediate Action Rapid Deployment Instructor.
Dan specializes in Firearms training, less lethal munitions such as chemical agents and TASER as well as defensive tactics training. Dan currently holds instructor certifications for each of these disciplines.
Dan served on a Emergency Response Team and was an active member of the teams training division overseeing firearms and less lethal munitions.
Dan continues to teach Rapid Deployment and workplace violence awareness & prevention classes to several agencies.
Recognizing the importance of post incident care, Dan has completed training with NAEMT in Bleeding Control for the injured and Medical Tactics for patrol
Dan is an armorer for Glock and Springfield Products and can assist with repairs and some modifications.
Dan is an active member of ILEETA, ITOA, NRA and IALEFI
In Memory of Joe Pavlik Jr - Instructor and Range Safety Officer
The IPST family is mourning the loss of Cpl. Joseph Pavlik Jr., who passed away suddenly on July 20, 2020.
Pavlik, 33, was a member of the Justice Police Department for six years after moving over from the Crestwood Police Department. He also was a member of the 5th District SWAT Team as an operator and crisis negotiator.
Cpl. Pavlik grew up in the Garfield Park-Clearing area community of Chicago. His father, Joseph Pavlik, was a Chicago firefighter.
Justice Police Chief Kraig McDermott released a statement on behalf of the department.
"Cpl. Pavlik took great pride in being a police officer, which was displayed each day he put his uniform on. Throughout his career, Cpl. Pavlik received numerous commendations for exemplary service from the Justice Police Department as well as adjoining agencies regarding his performance and professionalism.
"Cpl. Pavlik had a unique talent in reaching people during their worst of times. Cpl. Pavlik remained true to his personal pledge and oath to be compassionate to those he served without reservation.
"Cpl. Pavlik will not only be missed by those he worked with but also by the community he served and the people he touched. The loss of Cpl. Pavlik will be a void in both the Justice Police Department and the community which will be difficult if not impossible to fill.”
He will truly be missed by all of us at Illinois Public Safety Training Group.