The year 2016 has (to date, anyway) somehow become the pinnacle of political and social divisions and divisiveness of the modern era. Gone missing are the days of statesmanship and compromise, where position holders at least respected (if not actually understood) the views of their opponents, and more than paid lip service to seeking middle ground in search of solutions to the issues of the day, recognizing that politics was ultimately about compromise and consensus. Rhetoric is reaching a low point, fueled by extremists seek wedges instead of bridges, all the more effective to rally supporters around pet issues with no effort or desire to see or understand the points-of-view held by the other side and a bent for demonizing –hating, even – anyone who dares disagree. And the existence of the World Wide Web – a truly mindboggling development through which virtually every human being on earth can access to the whole of human knowledge, thought, and learning, at least in theory – has paradoxically somehow had the effect of furthering the pursuit of comfortable ignorance. And if someone doesn’t like something they heard from a bunch of so-called “leading experts” or “scientists” or “people who actually do the job” that challenges their chosen worldview? No worries! It’s a snap to go online and find a community of the likeminded for emotional and intellectual reinforcement!
Political and Social Divisions and Their Effect on Law Enforcement and LEOs
Though much of the divisiveness in our world is centered on political partisanship and the multitude of issues debated across that divide, it is not solely so. Attitudes about law enforcement are one area many in the community – and across many and varied demographic subsets – are sharply divided. Seemingly one after another in a constant stream, controversial and high-profile incidents that called into question the judgment, training, motivation, and biases of the police officers involved have rocked our profession, its reputation, and our standing in the communities we serve. Whether involved officers in any particular incident were or will ultimately be justified in their actions, or exonerated of wrongdoing or rights violations by their agencies or the courts, is largely irrelevant to those who’ve taken up torchlights and pitchforks in response. While critics rant they cannot hear. When the self-assured have decided, no amount of facts or evidence to the contrary is likely to sway them from what they simply “know” to be true. And when dissenting voices manage to break through, saying, “Wait a minute, have you considered…” in law enforcement’s defense, even those who might be willing to open their minds are easily drawn back by the cacophony of critics reinforcing their original belief. On issues around policing, like those of politics, there are no shortage of people willing to seek out that info alone that confirms their biases and desired narratives. To officers praying for evenhandedness and open minds, it is an alarming time.
Many of us use social media as a primary connection with large numbers of real family and true friends from our present and past; we also tend to obtain our news, form opinions, and hone points-of-view in the context and safety of self-selected tribes of the likeminded. Sometimes those in the “family and friends column” don’t overlap with the “likeminded” column and we are susceptible to cognitive dissonance when those two worlds collide intellectually and emotionally. This shouldn’t really be a problem, but… yeeeah, sure. Arguments erupt, feelings are hurt, respect is lost, and the divisiveness of the “outside” world comes home to spark little civil wars in our personal lives.
Of course, there are plenty who support law enforcement no matter what, whether citizens, other cops and their families/friends, or those in the “likeminded” column of our social media worlds – sometimes to a fault. It becomes exceedingly easy to shun those who question or challenge the profession at large or us in particular, to put up walls between us and those who remain unknown, and limit our contact to only those who we know have our backs, who you know would never challenge you as cops, and who we know believe exactly as we do about policing and the world we inhabit. It becomes easy to put up walls between not just a suspicious and unappreciative public, but also between us and those for whom we truly care, at least for now…
And then what do we lose, personally and professionally? Who do we push away that we might like to hold close, even if some of what they believe frustrates our sensibilities? And how do our intellects suffer when dissent is isolated and marginalized, when opportunities to both learn and teach through debate and discussion are lost, and we come to exist in an intellectual echo chamber where only the truth we know is the truth that matters? Too many of us gradually isolate from even people we love and those who’d challenge our worldviews out of fear and frustration, destroying relationships and morale in the process. Eventually, our emotional well-being suffers.
Crossing the Divides; 4 Disciplines to Practice for the Good of Policing (and yourselves)
Move toward the critics with an open mind
As easy and tempting as it is to wall yourself off from those who judge the police – and you, by association – do the opposite. Be open to our critics, listen with interest, and answer with thoughtfulness and consideration. A gentle answer turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1) remains true today; when people come to pick a fight the easiest and best way to disarm them is by showing a willingness to hear their grievances, consider them with empathy, and answer with a mind toward educating and illuminating rather than “taking them down” with scathing retorts.
You then represent yourself and your profession with honor, challenge their stereotypes of cops, and may even learn something about their world and the perceptions they’ve formed living in it.
Be willing to take a critical look at controversial incidents, even if it is uncomfortable
This is not to say you should take a critical look at a brother or sister officer, find fault, and then publicly join the chorus of detractors calling for a scalp. It is to say it is okay to acknowledge we sometimes screw up, training may be overlooked or even deficient, not every cop everywhere acts in good faith or with good judgment, that even cops acting in good faith still make tactical errors that might leave them no choice but to react in unpalatable ways to a naïve public, and any that anyone of us might easily find ourselves under the spotlight but for constant vigilance and keeping our heads in the game.
And sometimes, as uncomfortable as it will be, it might even be okay to share just where and how an officer screwed up after the dust settles and the facts are in.
See yourself as an ambassador of the profession
In your words, actions, and attitudes you represent not only yourself but all who wear the badge. Taking responsibility to be not just a “crime fighter” but also an integral and connected member of the community both on and off duty helps to prevent isolating and developing an “Us vs. Them” perspective. It is easy and tempting to isolate from those outside the police fraternity, unless specifically responding to calls for service or in an enforcement role, but showing the softer, more human side of cops rather than policing is one of the best PR moves you can make.
Force yourself “out there” whenever possible, even when isolating seems so tempting
Whether it is merely being part of the community where you serve, live, or both (being visible, volunteering, getting out and about to use the amenities of the community), or being social with a wide range of people, in person or online, being present is a powerful tool. A lot of cops eschew the ”_____ the Cop” (or as a spouse/partner of a cop, if that is your role) identity, and we get it; we often do, too. Still, it is an integral part of who you are and, by being visible and “real” to those for whom most cops are an abstraction, your lend credibility and humanity to the job.
Ours is a very divided and contentious world, for many reasons and in many realms, and it is a growing problem. By trying these four simple disciplines, we can all be part of the solution, and help ourselves to survive the career and its stresses at the same time.
Michael Wasilewski
Althea Olson, LCSW and Mike Wasilewski, MSW have been married since 1994. Mike works full-time as a police officer for a large suburban Chicago agency while Althea is a social worker in private practice in Joliet & Naperville, IL. They have been popular contributors of Officer.com since 2007 writing on a wide range of topics to include officer wellness, relationships, mental health, morale, and ethics. Their writing led to them developing More Than A Cop, and traveling the country as trainers teaching “survival skills off the street.” They can be contacted at [email protected] and can be followed on Facebook or Twitter at More Than A Cop, or check out their website www.MoreThanACop.com.
Althea Olson
Althea Olson, LCSW and Mike Wasilewski, MSW have been married since 1994. Mike works full-time as a police officer for a large suburban Chicago agency while Althea is a social worker in private practice in Joliet & Naperville, IL. They have been popular contributors of Officer.com since 2007 writing on a wide range of topics to include officer wellness, relationships, mental health, morale, and ethics. Their writing led to them developing More Than A Cop, and traveling the country as trainers teaching “survival skills off the street.” They can be contacted at [email protected] and can be followed on Facebook or Twitter at More Than A Cop, or check out their website www.MoreThanACop.com.
