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 of public speaking before a live class of law enforcement officers was limited to two minutes…and this brave and resilient police professional bared his soul, engaging in the class subject matter of oratory skills and captivating the acute attention of his seated peers.
Police Lieutenant Aram Choe, who offers reality-based police-oriented material via his social media site 911 Strong, exercised his turn at the front of the class, saying, “I’m in POST [Police Officer Standards and Training] management school and today’s class was about public speaking. We each had to give a 2-minute impromptu speech in front of the class. I didn’t know what I was going to say when I got called up, so I spoke from the heart. I have had a lot of new followers lately who maybe didn’t know this about me. This is me.”
(Photo courtesy of 911Strong.)
I do not know many who would get up there and speak raw, as Lt. Choe had. I have worked with some, though—more on that in a moment.
Makes one wonder who else in the class of cops was carrying a cross, successfully enduring all the requisite processes designed to weed out subpar police candidates and duly onboard those who overcome hardships and wish to pay it forward…
Although I am a biased reporter here, I endured some hellacious and inexplicable childhood traumas…followed by a long battle with recurrent cancers. Eventually, I made it to the long-cherished and hard-fought moment of swearing in…taking my passion for resolving matters and pillaring others to the community.
Similarly, a sizeable number of cop cohorts with whom I worked opened up and shed burdens, each sharing riveting stories involving mind-bending trials and tribulations they and their loved ones endured, in darkness, until light showed them the way to public service as a law enforcement officer.
It is always cliché but true that people who become police officers do so because they “want to help others.” It is not often we hear why, understandably. Grace and humility prevail, embracing those who we realize are voluntarily positioned to shield us from whatever harm’s way throws at us.
Like everyone else sharing the planet, these officers come from all walks of life and may have confronted evil episodes of utter loss, the type that most folks resign themselves to, grieving until the heart just cannot bear any more impacts.
Although it is not necessarily revealed, most cops who have battled any trauma typically turn a once-dire dilemma into a forte after they jut their hand in the air, recite the police officer’s oath, hit the streets, go from call to call, and avail all their energies, using their unfathomable experiences as bona fide catalysts to salvage lives in dire straits.
Cops who have had an episode of suicide in their family bring that abject horror to the table, often successfully talking overwhelmingly distraught people down from the literal or metaphorical ledge. As a backup officer witnessing such incidents, I gleaned the depths of compassion in cops whose relatability was palpable.
Earlier in my police career, my agency rolled out a Police Officer hiring event, advertising widely. Several police officers from the NYPD flew down to Florida and tested, were put through the significant sift of vetting their entire lives, and endured the arduous selection process whereby the department ultimately extended job offers to the finest of the bunch.
Although present-era New York City compels many NYPD cops to consider greener pastures where they are respected and permitted to perform police duties, back then the group of applicants from the NYPD were all on duty during and long after the Twin Towers were reduced to rubble, the smell of death wafting the air for a long time. “It’s still stuck in my nostrils,” one NYPD-officer-turned-Florida-cop told me.
(Photo courtesy of 911Strong.)
These now-former NYPD officers, in time, explained that they were assigned to help oversee the collection, classification, and custody of various body parts. I recall being told some of the details, and how stupefied I was. As were other police colleagues.
Naturally, one may wonder how anyone could experience such a travesty and aftermath, yet still go on and give selflessly.
The former NYPD cops who joined us went on to have robust careers in policing, some achieving supervisory status overseeing squads of LEOs. Resiliency.
Other NYPD cops who were at Ground Zero, and have since retired, nevertheless expend efforts to buttress any folks feeling excessively challenged by life, despite the permanent physical and psychological scars born of police work:
Another police officer new to our department joined us after taking some time to mourn the loss of his wife in a plane crash. As his FTO (field training officer), I pondered the extraordinary sensitivities and dutifully prepped to recognize any threads of a challenged and shaken psyche, despite knowing he had to undergo and pass a complete battery of a psychological examination (680 questions when I went through the psych, likely far more when he was scrutinized) and the polygraph.
He went on to perform well and surprised me with how stable he was throughout many calls that certainly tested his mettle.
He was “cut loose” after having performed stellar duties as a probationary police officer.
Afterward, I was assigned to train a young lady whose pedigree all equated to “survivor.” Years of abuse can easily break people. Some people build back and exhibit a resolute persona to never be victimized again…and become fantastic cops whose resiliency born of harsh life circumstances shapes ideal public safety professionals putting others’ lives sharply in focus, knowing a depth of pain they wish no one else experiences, ever.
Let’s close with a message posted by Lt. Choe: “I have these conversations with people today who ask me if I knew what the world would be like today, would I have still signed up? My answer is a resounding yes. The unknown is one of the guarantees in this job. The challenges we face today are certainly daunting.
“But I reflect on the real social injustices around the world. The stuff that is happening to our children. The legal slavery that is happening in other countries. And I have to ask myself, do I have any room to complain? Sure…this isn’t fun. But I firmly believe this too shall pass.
“As a believer in Christ, I believe everything is God filtered. Meaning, that out the other end is going to be something God intended for us. Know that you have a purpose here. Know that your purpose is God filtered. Live your purpose.”