By Stephen Owsinski The chronicle of havoc due to Hurricane Ian upending much of SW Florida demonstrates dire circumstances and the first responders who champion search and rescue operations plucking people from unimaginable ruins. In the mix are survivors’ animals, scared and confused by the tumult, but saved by the caring hands of public safety Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D If there was one way to be a good leader there would be one book on the shelf at the bookstore, instead of an entire section on leadership. You can lead like a Naval commander of a battleship, a major league coach, or even Jesus. You can be a Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski The image you see above depicts a rare moment during which the NYC Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President Patrick Lynch is bestowing the NYPD’s “LV” pin to one of its long-serving law enforcement icons. In Roman Numerology, the “LV” represents 55 years of service as a law enforcement official. Generally, that is Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski There is always something to be said about first impressions. For young minds, there are GIGO principles shaping them in one of two ways: Goods In, Goods Out or Garbage In, Garbage Out. There is also much to be said about first responders who diligently try to instill the good version of Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Holistic wellness for police officers is finally coming of age. With new understanding of brain science and the effects of stress and trauma, more law enforcement agencies and even state legislatures are making laws and policies to strengthen first responders mental, physical, and career health. A critical component of Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski Ordinarily, each sheriff and his/her deputies pin a star-shaped badge on their uniform, representing countywide jurisdiction and an all-encompassing range of civil and criminal processes. Some metropolitan police departments pin star badges on their street cops. Generally, city police chiefs pin stars on their uniform collars. Expressly, some pin the word CHIEF Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski With the toppling of historical statues and the frenzy of renaming buildings in recent years, it is refreshing to witness the opening of a new school whose namesake pays tribute to a slain policeman and his indelible guardianship over humanity, predominantly our youth. The approximately 800 students at the Sparks, Nevada elementary Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D There are plenty of occupations that aren’t on a 9-5 schedule, but America still seems to run on the assumption that weekends exist and summertime is for relaxing. Here are some things that your police officers have been doing in the dog days of August. In Indiana, K9 handler Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D As a walking piece of police history, I remember the days when my duty belt consisted of my Colt .38, a pair of handcuffs, some tear gas, and a baton ring. How things have changed! I also added wrestlers’ knee pads for doing CPR while kneeling on broken glass, Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Of the estimated 850,000 police officers serving the U.S., approximately 110,500 are women. Despite the inclusion of women in recruiting efforts and their gains in supervision and administration, there is an 85% chance that the police officer answering your 911 call will be a man. Much of the speculation Read more »