| Police work is the forced evolution of your | | | | regulated and educated-so it becomes a finely |
| perceptions of the human condition. Every | | | | tuned and accurate trigger for |
| moral code, belief and preconceived deal of | | | | adrenalin-induced action. |
| socially appropriate behavior will be | | | | |
| assaulted, shaken and taken to the turf in a | | | | The toll of maintaining this level of |
| law enforcement career. | | | | awareness can be staggering to officers, but |
| | | | with experience comes an ability to balance |
| Police work rattles your adrenalin cage, | | | | perspectives and accept the realities |
| slaps you in the face with raw reality and | | | | encountered. |
| gives you 3 seconds to make rational, | | | | |
| informed-possibly life-or-death-decisions. | | | | Police work is a daily parade of people in |
| | | | crisis. And every crisis is unique to the |
| Imagine this: your work day is punctuated by | | | | people involved, but may be based on a |
| having 20 tons of water dropped on | | | | conflict common to many. One shift may |
| you-sometimes someone, or your intuition, | | | | include a dozen domestic disturbances, all |
| shouts a warning, sometimes not. The water is | | | | caused by families in crisis, but all unique |
| a threat to you, to those around you and to | | | | due to the different individuals involved. |
| your fellow officers. It is inevitable and | | | | |
| inescapable. You must deal with it every | | | | Experienced police officers accept that every |
| day-every time it happens. | | | | person encounters times of crisis in their |
| | | | lives and that most people are not accustomed |
| So...do you train to become strong enough to | | | | to crisis and don't react well to it. |
| drop to the ground and endure the water's | | | | Emotions can be excessive, responses out of |
| onslaught? Do you train to become agile | | | | character and judgments impaired. The police |
| enough to leap out of harms way? | | | | officer becomes the critical incident expert |
| | | | during those times of crisis. Their uniform, |
| Or, do you train yourself to become an arrow | | | | badge, weapons and vehicle are tools that |
| that pierces the water, splitting and | | | | reinforce this role, but their demeanor and |
| deflecting its' power, while you remain | | | | actions establish their authority as a |
| steadfast and totally aware of it-even while | | | | welcome reality within the unreality of the |
| surrounded by its' potentially lethal | | | | critical incident. |
| torrent? | | | | |
| | | | Officers are expected to know all the rules; |
| If your only need is to survive the deluge | | | | render fair, impartial judgments; rebuild |
| and continue on, any of these training | | | | realities and read minds. While others scream |
| options might be acceptable. But what if | | | | in agony, reel in horror or become |
| self-preservation was only conditional? What | | | | enraged-the officer must take actions that |
| if every work day centered on waiting for, | | | | protect all, enforce the law and resolve |
| and being prepared for, the water? | | | | chaos. Regardless of personal injury or |
| | | | threat to life and limb, police officers are |
| Waiting for, anticipating and reacting to the | | | | expected to perform their duties |
| water. | | | | professionally and without hesitation. |
| | | | |
| Ever ready, ever alert, ever prepared. | | | | The tragedy and human suffering that touch an |
| | | | officers' life takes a special fortitude of |
| Police work demands being prepared to act-and | | | | spirit and mind to keep that touch from |
| that demand creates tremendous anticipation | | | | creating wounds in personal realities and |
| of action. You watch, you wait, you review | | | | personalities. In times of trial, the |
| action options. You listen, learn and wait | | | | camaraderie borne of this specialty fuses to |
| some more. And eventually you see that | | | | become a bond that brings officers, and |
| anticipation of action has to be controlled, | | | | balance, back-safe in body and sound of mind. |