By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The sensations of sight, smell, and touch are the stuff of memories – sometimes traumatic memories – in the minds of first responders. Less considered is the soundtrack that goes with the job. One thing I missed from my TV and movie cop heroes was the lack of theme Read more »
By Steve Pomper Marcus Aurelius (121-180), Roman Emperor, Stoic Philosopher (Photo: Jastrow, Public Domain) When I was first hired as a cop, our police chief gave each recruit Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and Influence People. Before the academy he “encouraged” us to read it and he’d ask us about it after graduation. Not Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D We aren’t yet a third of the way into 2024. As Springtime provides its annual renewal of hope, the season of mayhem has not abated. As of March 12, 2024, 7 law enforcement officers had been murdered by gunfire, 1 by stabbing, 1 has drowned, 4 were killed being Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski It is not every day that a loved one ships out to a branch of the U.S. military, evoking bittersweet emotions stemming from what lies ahead. The same is true for police families whose loved ones sign up for the direly needed and hugely perilous profession of law enforcement to serve citizens. Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D I read a lot of police-related articles in law enforcement publications and consumer media. As I skim along to see what’s new I often nod in agreement or sigh in frustration and, every once in a while, pause to ponder something I’d never thought of quite the way the Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D It’s trauma time in America. There is a truism that those who have been in battle are the most silent about its realities. My own father and uncle served in combat zones in WW2 and I could never pry from them the war stories that I so wanted to Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Rhetorically referred to as the best seat in the house of life, police work affords some inexplicable experiences catering enough material for any law enforcement officer to write a non-fiction book that may be interpreted as fiction. Unrelenting tides of life-threatening encounters confronted by cops are enough to take anyone’s breath away. Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski I watched a pseudo-TED speech by a seasoned policeman whose beginnings of swearing in as a cop were riddled with abject trauma from the gruesome loss of his mom (fatal crime victim) and dad (suicide), manifesting resiliency to turn worst-case scenarios into pure passion for helping people in dire straits. The presentation Read more »
By Steve Pomper After graduating from the Washington State police academy in 1992, the Seattle Police Department assigned me to a precinct that was not my first choice but only because of my selfish interest in a shorter commute. Still, a trade with a senior officer was already in the works when I showed up, so Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski The annual Faith and Blue weekend transpired recently, with community members and the clergy meeting and praying over cops and forging formidable bonds. Among many just like it, the following gratitude for cops’ blessings was published by the Whittier Police Department crimefighters: “Happy Faith and Blue Weekend! We are thankful to all Read more »