We have a problem in law enforcement. It's a problem that gets us hurt and killed, and it gets us sued. It also gets us disciplined and fired, and it gets us blasted in the media and the court of public opinion on a regular basis.
It's a problem we all know about - and that we have always known about. We have, in various ways and for many years, talked about it, lectured on it, researched it and written about it in articles and books (and now online).
We have spent untold hours in emergency rooms and in intensive care wards because of it. We have suffered post traumatic stress disorder because of it, and we have medically retired because of it.
We have buried cops because of it.
We have argued about it, won (and lost) elections because of it, and gotten fired over it. We have filed grievances because of it, and we have staged walk-outs and work slowdowns because of it.
We have made movies about it, and we have seen entire television series based upon it. Volumes have been written about it, in both fiction and non-fiction genres, and we have turned a former LAPD Sergeant into one of the country's best known authors because he wrote about it.
We are routinely called stupid, murderous racists because of it. We are often afraid to speak of it to the media, or to the families of those that are affected by it.
We have started associations to address it, created accreditation agencies to try to manage it, and have passed laws to force ourselves to deal with it.
We have researched, developed, written, published and circulated rules and regulations, policies and procedures, general and special orders, and training memoranda, in an attempt to manage it internally. In this effort, we have consumed enough paper and ink to choke a herd of horses. As a result we have, as often as not, confused and befuddled those that we are trying to direct with this deluge of directives.
We have been sued over it, and we have created heroes (and villains) because of it. We have fought courtroom battles over it, and we have paid out untold millions of dollars because of it.
It is not just our problem; those that work in jails and prisons have the problem too. It may not be as well known, or as clearly defined in those settings, but it gets us hurt and sued all the same.
Along the way we have created an entire industry of equipment manufacturers that conceptualize, invent, and produce products to help us either manage it or avoid it. We have provided new careers for thousands of trainers and hundreds of expert witnesses, not to mention defense attorneys, plaintiff's attorneys, reconstruction experts, private investigators, and all the attendant staff persons required to support them.
What is this problem? The one we have always known we have?
Law enforcement is risky. It is a risky business. It is very easy to get hurt, get in trouble, or get sued. This risk is there even when you do things right, and when you do the right thing.
The risk is there every time you interact with someone, even when you're trying to help them. It is there if you try to avoid or ignore them. It is there if you say something to them, or if you say nothing at all.
The risk is there every time you get a call, and respond in your vehicle. It is there if you drive like a crazy person, or if you maintain perfect, professional control. It is there if you arrive on the scene too quickly, or not quickly enough.
The risk is there when you make a statement regarding an incident. It is there if you tell investigators everything you know, or if you insist on a lawyer before talking.
The risk is there when you document your report. It is there whether you believe that less is more, and that you should not write too much down or they will use it against you - or if you believe in a thorough and accurate report, including every detail of the incident.
In fact, the risky part of law enforcement is everything we do - or don't do. Still, that's not the real problem that we have in law enforcement. Sometimes we just lose hope. We despair.
You see despair in the Chief or Sheriff that got fired from his or her last job, because someone didn't like their attempts at managing the risk. So now they're just marking time until retirement.
You see despair in the supervisor that feels like there is no support from above and no respect from below.
You see despair in the trainer that can't get the money or training time to do what they know needs to be done to help keep officers safe, and you see despair in the words and actions of officers that have tried very hard for a long time to do things right, and to do the right thing, only to end up a victim of the people and the system they are trying to protect. Sometimes they feel that there is no hope.
That's still not the real problem. We know about all of these things - we've seen them all, over and over again. None of these words bring surprise or enlightenment.
The real problem is when we decide that we can never win. That everyone is out to get us; that we're damned if we do, and damned if we don't; that the department will screw us if it can; that citizens are all "adam-henrys"; that there's no point in trying, because nothing will change anyway.
The reason that this attitude is the real problem is that it leads to all of the other bad things listed here. A belief so negatively grounded undermines any positive effort before it begins.
Of course, not all officers, supervisors, trainers and administrators feel this way. Many - most even - do their best on a daily basis to make things better for those they are responsible for and to. When faced with the deep seated negativism that we so often see, many consider it a challenge to do better, and they strive to do so.
I once worked in an agency that, no matter how good your attitude was when you walked in the door at the start of your shift, by the time you got through the preliminaries and actually hit the road, you were lucky if you weren't the same snarling beast that others were. That made shifts there long and hard.
I also worked at a place where everyone came to work raring to go, where they couldn't wait to get out there and help people, and solve problems. Working there was a joy.
Policing is all about managing risk. We came into law enforcement with risk management skills in place; we developed them as we grew up. We have each managed the risk in our own lives, in many thousands of ways, since we were old enough to understand what getting in trouble meant.
In our police careers we continue to manage risk on a daily basis. Somewhere along the way, we often start to lose focus on the entire risk management puzzle. We start to think more about certain types of risk, and we forget about others, or we try to manage risk in ways that will, in and of themselves, get us into more trouble (creative report writing, anyone?).
Here's the thing: Risk management is not a mystery, and it's not about staying out of trouble, and not getting sued. It's not about staying safe, or staying alive. It's about all of those things, and there is no separating them.
All of life is perspective. Risk management is really about managing all of the risks that we face, both in our personal lives and in our professional endeavors, because there's often no separating them, either.
We are all risk managers, looking out for each other.
Stay safe, and wear your vest!
