Tony Ryan sacrificed to protect and to serve. In his more than 36 years of continuous service as a Denver police officer, he endured getting stabbed in the hand and in the back, broken bones in a hand and a foot, a head wound requiring 18 stitches, and a gunshot wound to the chest. He took all of this willingly, though, believing the work he did to be honorable. However, one part of policing under our current system that he feels dishonors the Thin Blue Line is the "War on Drugs," which he labels "a total failure costing billions of dollars while making the problem worse and enriching drug dealers." What he finds perhaps even more distressing is what America's failed prohibitionist policy does to law enforcement itself. "Drug-enforcement activities are one of the highest sources of complaints against law enforcement. [The 'War on Drugs'] costs officers' lives and ruins careers through corruption and a myriad of other ills borne on drug-enforcement activity

During his career, Tony received numerous awards from the Denver Police Department, including the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, the Merit Award, and the Community Service Award. He was also named Footprinters Officer of the Year and received a Life Saving Award from the Denver Fire Department for using CPR to stabilize an ailing man until an ambulance arrived. He is now retired from law enforcement but continues to work to make our world a better place as a trained Red Cross volunteer and as an active member of and speaker for the Libertarian Party - and for LEAP as a vocal opponent of the "War on Drugs."