It seems that all law enforcement agencies are always in competition with one another. You cannot attend a chief’s conference or sheriff’s conference without overhearing braggadocios remarks about their departments. Nor should we forget our fire departments as well, you are just as bad. Sometimes these boastful remarks are on their business cards, painted on the sides of vehicles and plastered on their websites. There was once a fire engine company that painted their rig with “Engine Co # None”. When they were asked, was this a misspelling or misprint. They explained another engine company (their rivals) had emblazoned on their rig—“Second to None”. Therefore, they were now “Engine Co #None,” putting them in first place now. Some of this may be in lighthearted fun and esprit de corps, but what are you saying to your staff and citizens.
I have never been one for quotes, but this one speaks volumes. The legendary college football coach Paul William "Bear" Bryant (1913-1983) is attributed to this quote. “No coach has ever won a game by what he knows; It's what his players know that counts.” Now pause for a moment and apply this to law enforcement leadership. Chiefs and command staff, when you boast of your department’s successes; it’s not all about you. It’s your staff that takes you there.
This brings up training, and how well trained is your staff? Not going to discuss the weakest link in the chain analogy but will offer you a realistic scenario. As a chief or sheriff, you will get that call in the middle of the night. You are being notified of what is going to be a dark sky day for you come morning. As you are listening over the phone, you recall which shift or staffers are handling this event. Sometimes you are thankful, and sometimes you shake your head and say, “why me?” To avoid this dilemma, instead of wasting time and efforts over bragging about superficial items, focus on investing in your officers. Yes, I said invest in training your staff—all of them.
Polling—I have polled a few close professionals within my address book. Given that a magic wand could cover all the training costs, backfill and expenses, what topics would you want your staff to receive? I have received some interesting responses.
Crisis Intervention and Mental Health Training—Encounters with individuals experiencing mental health crises are increasing. Proper training can help officers de-escalate situations, reduce the use of force, and connect individuals to appropriate resources. Recognizing signs of mental illness, PTSD, or substance abuse. This would include de-escalation techniques specifically tailored to mental health crises. I would recommend including building partnerships with mental health professionals and agencies, often it is not what you know but who you know. Relationships matter, make them now.
Implicit Bias and Cultural Competency—Enhancing officers’ understanding of diverse communities helps in building trust, reduce complaints, and improve community-police relations. All staff should understand and mitigating implicit bias in their decision-making. Developing effective communication across different cultures and socio-economic groups.
Advanced Tactical and Scenario-Based Training—Ongoing and continuous improvement of tactical skills and real-world scenario training ensures officer safety and effective response to high-stress situations. Force on force training should be included, more than punching holes in paper.
Scenario-based judgment training using simulation technology. Firearms, Use of Force and even vehicle operations /pursuit management could be enhanced with simulators. The cost of state-of-the-art simulators is very extortionary cost for most agencies. Academies or partnerships should consider this investment.
Active shooter and mass casualty response—Team coordination in high-risk situations responses, including complex, coordinated terrorist attacks (CCTAs), hostage negotiations and hazardous materials. Initial incident command familiarity. When a critical incident occurs, every officer should understand the immediate needs to be addressed. What is the Kill Zone, and why is it important? How to establish an inner perimeter. How to locate a command post, and so on. This knowledge can get the public and responders safe much more quickly than waiting for a supervisor to show up.
Would offer a free connection for this training. Contact the Louisiana State University NCBRT/ACE Academy of Counterterrorist Education (www.ncbrt.lsu.edu).
Applications of Artificial Intelligence—Understanding its applications and how to benefit departmental applications and to include investigations. This is a rapidly emerging topic matter which many are well behind the curve on.
Patrol investigation—Entry level investigative training for patrol to enhance case solvability for better prosecutions and victim resolution. In smaller agencies, the first officer will often become the only investigator for most cases. Even more basic is how to conduct a Neighborhood canvass. With the surveillance industry creeping into our everyday lives, it is too easy to go straight for camera footage when a crime is discovered. And it becomes easy to think that camera footage is our only resource. I recall a captain once told, you never know who was looking out the window. We need to be knocking on doors, not just the ones that have a video doorbell, but every door and asking the right questions. We may be leaving witnesses (and evidence) on the table when we neglect this old-fashioned flat footing.
Officer wellness—Investing in your staff’s well-being is solid advice! This would include physical and mental wellbeing for the whole officer. The environmental stresses on today’s officers, along with the mental agonies of today, require more than yesteryear. Invest in their mental wellbeing with year-round program support.
Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is no longer a training for “some,” or as some kind of specialty. As we have increasing contact with those in an altered conscious state, it’s simply a basically needed skill for every street officer. Having an idea of what we’re looking at, and what resources are available to us is critical for a thorough response.
So, chiefs and sheriffs, if you have been wondering about what to train on, here are a few topics from some very respective law enforcement leaders across the country. Finally, listen to your training staff! Those who are closest to the issues will have the insights for the solutions.
William L. Harvey | Chief
William L. "Bill" Harvey is a U.S. Army Military Police Corps veteran. He has a BA in criminology from St. Leo University and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville (103rd AOC). Harvey served for over 23 years with the Savannah (GA) Police Department in field operations, investigations and completed his career as the director of training. Served as the chief of police of the Lebanon City Police Dept (PA) for over seven years and then ten years as Chief of Police for the Ephrata Police Dept (PA). In retirement he continues to publish for professional periodicals and train.
