ASP was founded in 1976 by Kevin Parsons. A PhD in Police Management from Michigan State University, Parsons spent half a decade teaching firearms and defense tactics at a regional police academy. A nationally respected consultant, he had designed Use of Force training systems for major law enforcement clients across the country. The nation's premier expert witness, he had testified over 500 times defending police agencies in 43 states. A frequent lecturer on Use of Force policy, training and administrative procedure, he was a frequent lecturer for a diverse group of professional organizations ranging from the International Association of Chiefs of Police to the American Bar Association. In each venue, he taught the necessity of systems that were tactically sound, operationally feasible and legally defensible. It was this real world, street oriented background that Kevin Parsons brought to the design of ASP products.