Authors’ Note: This article is the second in a two part series on rediscovering purpose in the face of increased public scrutiny and criticism of law enforcement. Please find Part I linked to the left.
The current sense of discouragement among many in the law enforcement profession is palpable. With one high-profile incident after another of police officers engaged in seeming misconduct, poor judgement, and even alleged criminality hitting the news – and the ensuing outrage that follows – it is understandable so many good cops fell overwhelmed. The resulting back and forth between police supporters and their condemning opposition create a cacophony of voices in which objective truth, reasoned analysis, and understanding of the very real nuances of 21st century policing are drowned in angry and often self-serving rhetoric.
Although police officers becoming cynical, discouraged, or burned out is nothing new, and all the old reasons still apply and are important (frustration with internal and external politics, loss of early idealism, professional disappointments, etc), the ever-growing ease with which media and the public can scrutinize officers and the likelihood local events will become national scandals used to excoriate all cops everywhere threatens to undermine public trust more than ever. The collective demonization of officers for the actions of a few – even when many of those acts are objectively defensible regardless of their “optics problem” – has a rippling effect across individual officers and the profession at large.
Beyond mere discouragement and distrust of the media, many in the public, and how the various powers-that-be will respond and what it will ultimately mean for working cops, we are hearing reports of work slowdowns and the effective de-policing of many communities out of fear; officers report fearing their actions will be misinterpreted, that infamy is an unflatteringly edited YouTube video away, or that long accepted and completely legal (if necessarily ugly) practices will land them in hot water (or even get them prosecuted).
Ideally, however, the ripple effect should go the other way. Instead of officers questioning their purpose, downplaying the passion for justice and the job many still hold, and becoming discouraged and cynical, now is the time to regroup and reinvigorate their sense of purpose. Doing so means accepting some daunting challenges, but is both possible and necessary for the future of policing. To reconnect with your purpose as a cop, we offer the following challenges/tasks:
Define your own purpose for why you became/are a cop
Each of you entered this profession with a set of values and personal expectations that defined your purpose for being a cop. Whether a sense of duty to community, a desire to help others find justice, contempt for those who’d prey on the weak, a longing to leave a legacy of service, or any other noble value dedicated to and under the rubric of “serving and protecting” these define your purpose. You also came to it with a set of expectations: a sense of fraternity; adventure, excitement, and diversity; community support and acceptance; that others would share your respect and admiration for the profession, and direct it toward you. Unfortunately, expectations are often crushed, disillusionment follows, and those old values fall prey. Your sense of purpose becomes murky or lost.
Reset your expectations and reconnect to those old values. They are still valid, still admirable, and still right headed. Old expectations founded on naiveté are easily shed, reordered with the benefit of experience, and applied to the career going forward. Within the framework of these new and experience-based expectations, devise a philosophy and strategy moving forward that honors and implements your values. This will define (or perhaps redefine) your own purpose for why you became and are still a cop.
Limit institutional thinking
We engage in institutional thinking when we conform our individual thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes to those of a greater institutionalized collective (such as the institution of law enforcement). Coming to some degree of uniformity in these areas is both normal and understandable; common training, experiences, and backgrounds will naturally direct most cops to hold similar worldviews. Taken to an extreme, however, becomes problematic when one of two phenomena occur.
The first is when cops identify so closely with the profession as a whole a criticism of any cop anywhere is felt as deeply personal. Individual officers who’ve never met and will never meet – and with whom they may have little in common but the badge – their targeted colleague experience sympathetic emotions of anger, frustration, or fear and allow it to impact them personally and fester. Personalizing what’s happening hundreds or thousands of miles away, assuming similar attitudes among the communities and media in their local areas, and feeling besieged no matter the local reality is emotionally harmful. Forcing yourself to take a more dispassionate view of outside events is protective.
The second is succumbing to groupthink. Most organizations, institutions, or social groups are susceptible to this phenomenon. Groupthink is the practice of conforming thought and decision-making in a way that discourages debate, critical thinking, nonconformity, and individual responsibility and innovation. Conforming how we think and what we believe to that of the group is easy and affirming, but risks reinforcing popular if wrongheaded attitudes and beliefs for lack of courage to challenge them.
Embrace criticism, and even listen to the haters
When facing criticism, our natural impulse is to push back, discredit the source and challenge, or determinedly ignore it. Collectively, we tend to turn on any of our rank who open a dialogue with critics, acknowledge something might be wrong, or suggest even mild reforms.
It’s time this stop.
Unless we listen – thoughtfully and with empathy – our protests over unfair treatment or undue criticism are illegitimate. This is not to say all criticism is correct, that all critics are rational and nobly motivated, or that law enforcement as a whole is broken, racist, or corrupt. But some criticism is well-placed, some critics speak truth to power, and some in our profession have failed to represent it with integrity. Embrace criticism, respond with compassion, and acknowledge where we can do better.
Think Globally, Act Locally.
This common grassroots phrase has been used in many contexts and serves us well here. I have absolutely no control over what happens on the streets of Detroit, Baltimore, or Ferguson. I can empathize with both cops and citizens in each of these recent hotspots, but I am far removed from having even the slightest power to effect change in either policing or attitude. I still have power, however.
I CAN represent myself and my profession with pride and dignity on the streets of my own community, on every call I handle, and in every citizen encounter no matter how seemingly insignificant.
I CAN address the concerns of critics and the curious directly and politely, answering questions, challenging misinformation, and demonstrating how the vast majority of cops truly do care and serve.
I CAN define my purpose for entering this profession, decide to honor it every day I go to work, and exercise my power to do good in whatever small sphere of influence I am allowed, and trust my peers in the next beat, the next district, the next city, the next county, and the next state to do the same. Most will, without question, but when someone falls short I can reinforce that failing is not mine. And when someone is falsely accused of falling short, I can defend my brother or sister officer within my own sphere, and trust others are doing the same.
Stay safe, keep having fun, remember the purpose you entered this job in the first place, and never let anyone take that from you.
