For a while, on Wednesday of this week, our office looked like an ugly scene from the movie A Christmas Story. 33 battery chargers were blinking, by a bird's nest of power cords, and packaging from the new cameras was everywhere. Did you ever think something this simple could fill up a dumpster with cardboard, plastic, foam rubber, and packing crates? It did. Fortunately, all the chargers worked, all of the equipment functioned properly, and we are on track to produce a video to train operators. We planned to deploy cameras next week. By the way, new cameras don't come with the clocks set, or menus for quality of photos preset. Two of us looked like we were thumb wrestling Nikon cameras for several hours. Is there such a thing as menu thumb?

The final process followed these steps and was only accomplished in one day by completing each task in the assembly line fashion:

• Un-box the camera body
• Install the strap with considerable fumbling
• Separate components for battery charger
• Assemble battery charger
• Unpack batteries
• Assemble first round of batteries in chargers
• Find outlet bars
• Plug in outlet bars
• Plug in chargers
• Unpack lenses
• Unpack filters
• Screw filters on lenses
• Unpack software
• Place in storage
• Unpack camera manual
• Discard non-English manuals
• Unpack cables that aren't to be issued
• Package these cables for storage
• Inventory tag all camera bodies
• Unpack all hardened Pelican cases
• Tag Pelican camera cases with officer's name and city inventory number
• Cut liner of pelican cases so that foam fits parts
• Fetch batteries from chargers
• Place next round of batteries in chargers
• Set date, time, and photo quality of photos to be shot by cameras
• Cut all memory sticks out of packaging
• Label memory sticks for each camera kit
• Test all cameras using copy stand

My challenge to each of you this month is to find the person who makes this happen for your agency, look them in they eye, and deliver a firm, prolonged handshake and a hearty "thank you" for everything these people do. Without them, your car wouldn't have working light bars, radios, or cameras. Your supply closet wouldn't have ink pens and legal pads. The copy machine wouldn't work, and most certainly the computers would be permanently on the blink. If you are in management, understand that for most agencies the aspect of procurement and delivery of equipment to the line officer is seldom acknowledged and rarely appreciated. When you see new product arrive, understand that the routine jobs just might have to wait so that the new equipment gets issued. Finally, like me, agree to periodically get your hands dirty and enjoy a little hard work beside your staff.

Back your people and they'll happily wield the box knife for the benefit of the agency and the people you serve. With any hope, at least the price of memory sticks will fall to the point where you can find them in Cracker Jack boxes. Then, at least, opening the package will yield a tasty treat.