Your ink pen is trying to kill you. Well, maybe not trying to kill you, but it certainly has the potential to do so.
"What a stupid thing to say," is what you're thinking right now. I don't blame you. Many coppers - including me - tend to be pretty literal with both their views and their expectations. Stay with me for a minute here.
Officers have been overwhelmed with technology, especially in the last ten years. As a profession, we struggled for years without the best technology to solve our problems, or even to begin addressing them effectively. Then suddenly, it was as if some giant inventor/entrepreneur in the sky discovered that cops need stuff. Pretty soon, more and more stuff was invented - as George Carlin used to say, stuff leads to more stuff - because as new and better equipment came on-line, it gave other folks ideas about tools and techniques, and they went out and invented... more stuff.
In the computer world there is a construct called Moore's Law, which states that computing power will double every 18 months. However, many observers believe that the pace has increased, and that Moore's Law should reflect an even faster growth curve.
That's kind of what has been happening to law enforcement and corrections. We have our own version of Moore's Law.
The problem is that, while it's great to have better tools with which to do the job, we sometimes haven't addressed the risks inherent in technology. While the proper use of many of our tools and toys is self-explanatory, sometimes it's not. For the new technology to be safely and effectively used, we sometimes have to develop appropriate training. Law enforcement has done a pretty good job at that, and we continue to do better.
While this concern tends to center on weapons and other things that can obviously get you hurt or sued, there are other things that we use (often on a daily basis) that can get us hurt (or sued) if we don't pay attention. Some of those things are mundane, everyday objects.
Like your pen.
I'm going to stay away from the issues of how your pen can get you sued. I think you can figure that out for yourself. I'm a lot more interested in how a lowly ink pen can get you hurt.
There is nothing earth shattering here; it's a matter of staying focused on what you're doing, and how that impacts your day to day survivability while on the job. This is true whether you're out on the street, at the range, or in the office with your feet up (said the old sergeant...).
Every officer knows someone that has been hurt because they lost focus. Losing focus is something that happens to us all. We really can't avoid it. Long shifts, overtime, and just the daily grind can make it happen. Sometimes it becomes more an issue of divided attention rather than a loss of focus. Some examples:
- Getting distracted by another subject or vehicle while on a traffic stop;
- Using a mobile data terminal or laptop while driving;
- Talking to someone while doing your daily TASER spark check;
- Using your cell phone while writing a report;
- Chatting with someone while cleaning your firearms.
If you can't think of ten more off the top of your head, you're not even trying. Incidents like these are a daily occurrence.
Some of these moments are caused by attempts at multi-tasking, which is something all officers have to do almost all the time. However, when the technology that surrounds you ratchets up your distraction level, a simple daily task can turn into something that gets you hurt.
Now, nobody reading this needs to be lectured about officer safety, or about paying attention. We all know how important that is. What I hope you will do is consider how much of a negative influence relatively minor technological occurrences can have, and how much they can cause you to lose your safety/survival focus. The more you think about it, the safer you'll be.
Remember, your pen is trying to kill you. When you're using it to write a citation, or when you're sitting in your car at night with the dome light on, writing something down, you are potentially in danger. Your pen, or anything else that pulls your focus away from your surroundings, creates a hazard for you. That's how your pen is trying to kill you.
Because you're actively engaged in managing your personal risk, you realize that you cannot eliminate every negative thing that might happen to you. All you can do is avoid the dangerous things and situations that you can avoid, and manage the danger level in the things and situations that you can't. Is it possible that you could get hurt while writing a report in a secure location? Sure. Remember the last time you pulled your chair closer to your desk or table, and smashed your knee on the table leg? However, that injury is much less severe than what might happen if you're writing a report while seated in your parked patrol vehicle.
Realizing that you will always have to deal with distractions and with multi-tasking, all you can do is create the safest environment possible for yourself and your partners. It's easy to get distracted, and to make a small mistake that leads to a severe outcome. Minimize those potential times by putting your technology in its place.
And watch out for your homicidal pen...
Stay safe, and wear your vest!
