Back in 1971, the late Marvin Gaye released his famous single, “What’s Going On.” It was a ballad questioning the then tumultuous times and social change that this country was going through. Now, 50 years later we can still ask that question. The police historians who have followed American policing like the stock market exchange through out the years have seen our police stock have its ups and downs. But, even if you are a casual observer, you should ask now, ‘What’s going on?’ And furthermore, what are you doing to improve it?
Seems that every week there are news reports of some police actions or indiscretions being reported on. Granted, with over 17,000 law enforcement agencies within the United States, there are still a few that are not models professional agencies and do not police themselves well. While looking at the backbone of law enforcement—the men and women of the ranks—there are nearly 700,000 in the ranks holding the line. One can equate that there will be a few bad apples or more that slithered into our ranks. As we sit and watch the ‘unbiased media’ bring forth yet another horrific incident on the news, one must consider; what can we do to stop these incidents. The vast majority of those remaining law enforcement officers throughout the nation that day served with honor, professionalism, and fairness, not one blemish on their character. They did not make the news, nor were thanked for their service. In full disclosure, the news reports with a cell phone or body cam snippet, their scant report is far from the full truth. Even after the dust settles and the officers are exonerated, the media rarely (if ever) updates the outcome with the full truth. So, the average citizen has had one more tainted video burned into their memory, that all cops are bad with no apologies. Granted, there are still those cases where cops did not serve the public with honor and tarnished their shields, and these incidents are still too many.
When these shocking videos come to light, it is a punch in the gut to me. After over 40 proud years of service and retired with pride from my profession, the anti-police atmosphere casts a pall over my service. I want my family, friends, and colleagues to know I served alongside hundreds of other great cops; we all served honorably. I do not want my grandchildren or even the kids next door to think harshly of my chosen profession. In some way this is reminiscent of the returning Viet Nam veterans in the late 1970s. They never received their rewards for their service in war. They returned without a thank you, so they lived the remainder of their lives in unappreciated silence. Now, when I see a Viet Nam veteran, I always respond to them with “welcome home.” As one told me, it does not matter how much he hears it today; he went a lifetime without hearing it. It does not heal all of the wounds, but it helps soothe the scars.
Post 9/11, everyone was in love with the first responders and military. Those were the good years. Now, with the anti-cop rhetoric that goes unbridled, it makes one jaded. Along with other honorably retired law enforcement officers, we want to be proud of our service. The lives we saved, the good deeds done, the countless lives we impacted in positive ways and the protection we afforded our citizens and businesses—just goes away? Now, there is a pall draped over our service, and sometimes you question was it worth it all? Yes, by all means it was and now we have to defend it for us and our current officers.
Where does the change start?
To me it begins with the leadership. First, they should select and hire the very best and not just fill empty slots. I fully understand that not everyone wants to enter the policing profession today. The numbers of suitable applicants are diminishing but we need to make the job more palatable for the first-time job seeker. Every time a new officer is hired, this can be a 25-year investment for that agency.
When you add in the perks, training, equipping and benefits, it is a huge investment. Get it—Investment? Organizations should invest in their staff, not just merely provide employment. Every time I hired a new officer, I knew that this person will be the one who will make me proud that I selected them, or they will be the one that will get the agency into a firestorm. Police leaders must strive to seek out and hire the best. Recruiting is hard work; review what you are currently doing and adapt. Years ago, you posted a flyer that you are hiring, and applicants came through your door. Now you must lure them to the threshold. Many today do not fully understand the path of policing. This can be answered through your community outreaches; explain to them the challenges and ask are they up to the challenge to make a difference. Each member of the department should shoulder the effort to recruit as well. After all, you are recruiting your back-up and the future of the department.
The next step is the academy instructors, and the Field Training Officers (FTOs) who must step up even higher now. They are the masters of creating the future of law enforcement. I will also add to their job descriptions as that of a ‘life coach.’ For years we only concentrated on the eight hours on the job; the rest we assumed they had it in them to handle. Wrong; the life coach model is to ensure that their students perform to their full human potential with honor. Do not believe me? If any officer gets into an off-duty misadventure while acting as a citizen, the media and others will say it was a cop that did it, not an individual citizen. Recently, there was a local news report of a man who was arrested for several felonies. The news reported that he was a law enforcement officer. The truth was that he had worked only for a couple of years, some 20 years prior. No, not fair but the gut punch was there again from the media.
Trainers and FTOs, be the real leaders here. You must shoulder the responsibility that your mission is to produce highly skilled professionals, not just another student that is ‘good enough for government work.’ Do not check the box; ensure that they are proficient but weed out those who are problematic—do your job! Police supervisors and managers, first and foremost take care for your officers, they are the biggest investment within your budget. Today’s officers are not more fragile, but they have far more on them than we did in the past. The current climate in this country has created an ‘everyone is watching you atmosphere.’ It seems social media reporters and cameras are everywhere. So, today’s officers have got to get every call right first time and every time. In Major League Baseball, a player is paid millions of dollars to maintain a good batting average of .300. So, they only get on base three out of 10 times for millions, breaking it down further. A few hundred thousand for seven outs. The stress on our police officers is that they have to have a perfect batting average for a yearly salary often less than an MLB player’s one trip to the plate.
Therefore, we are the masters of the destiny of the profession. We do not draft cops; we are an all-volunteer force. So, we accept this start to the transition for we want to regain the glory days.
