By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D S’mores, apple cider, shelves ready for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The first snowfall, adjusting the thermostat for chilly mornings, and finding all those sweaters that were stored away just a few months ago. Between raking leaves and finding a creative Halloween costume, your local police department is ready for Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Almost everyone being interviewed for a job claims that “I am good with people.” That’s not enough for the law enforcement officer. For most people being “good with people” means knowing how to engage in polite conversation, handling occasions when people are mildly upset, or dealing with occasional conflict. Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D “I just want to help people.” That’s what candidates applying to be a police officer sincerely say when asked why they want the job. It remains the statement of most police officers who are in the job. It is also a lament when officers are assaulted, rejected, persecuted, and Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski The first half of today’s title of this article is credited to the fine folks at the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association, of which the union staff and service members simulated the heroic efforts of first responders, weighted down by duty gear, who unhesitatingly scaled thousands of steps to save lives impacted Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski When we hear or read about first responders, nurses are sometimes mentioned. They are at the ER doors when ambulances roll in with exigent cases requiring triage amid gory and graphic realities. Registered nurses tend to patients before an ER physician broadens the charts. Some patients are inconsolable and feisty, engendering de-escalation Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Similar to the Chicago-based Light the Line’s mobile wellness unit responding to cops in the field of operations and tending to their needs, the National Law Enforcement Ministry’s mobile service is staffed by former officers who are police chaplains going to locales where first responders are grieving the loss of police lives, Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski First responders race to myriad calls for service, meet an array of different people, and help manage unspeakable circumstances the day of the tragic incident and well beyond, helping victims/ surviving loved ones cope a bit better…circling back to ensure everything is mended as best possible. Albeit without expectation, cops receive gratitude Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a policeman. I trace it back to around age six-ish, daily observing NYPD cops patrolling the neighborhood, tacitly envisioning myself in a blue uniform, helping others through tough times and dire circumstances. Achieving my childhood dream took me far longer Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski I recently wrote about a cop I know who was fired for something he didn’t do, due to out-of-context reporting and by disregarding the officer’s intent, which brought two controversial issues to mind. The realities of police empathy and gallows humor. While some people believe every cop should treat every person as Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Recent attention has been paid to the problem of uncertainty in training physicians. A study cited in a publication of the National Institutes of Health shows that uncertainty is one of the major stressors for medical students and practitioners. The foundational principle of “first do no harm” in the Read more »