After more than four decades of law enforcement, both as an officer and chaplain, I’ve learned a thing or two. Actually, I’ve learned five things, five traits that are critical to law enforcement officers (LEOs) thriving during their career and in retirement. I recently shared these with an audience of active and retired law enforcement officers in Texas. I began with a story. A very important story to American law enforcement.
It was a January night when Whiting Sweeting fled on foot into the cold to escape the law. With arrest warrant in hand, Officer Darius Quimby pursued. The warrant was for trespass, a minor property crime, yet Sweeting vowed not to be taken alive. He ran into the snow-covered woods, jumped on a large rock, and threatened to kill the first man who touched him. Undaunted by the threats, Officer Quimby came up behind Sweeting and pulled him from the rock to take him into custody. The two men engaged in a brutal fight. Sweeting overpowered the officer and struck him down with a fatal blow. That was January 3, 1791. The New York constable was the first American law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty. Yet, more than 230 years and over 27,000 line-of-duty deaths later—in the midst of ever-increasing violence—American law enforcement officers are still on the job, risking their lives to protect ours.
Two centuries later, the world is more violent, America is more violent. The ancient psalmist writes, “I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!” (Psalm 120:7). Men have been fighting (and killing) each other since the dawn of time. And there’s no indication things will change anytime soon. So, as the war between good and evil continues to rage—the battle lines are skewed by people who insist that all humans are basically good and are only interested in benevolence.
Law enforcement officers know better.
The proliferation of violence is cause for alarm. Not only does it way heavy on officers, but it also weighs heavy on their families and friends. How do officers face such danger daily and remain sane? In the police academy, cadets are taught criminal law and police tactics. But there’s more to policing than knowing the law and using proper tactics. There’s also the human component that includes and a soul and a spirit.
There are five traits that I believe are critical to the health of every LEO. The first three I borrow from former Los Angeles PD sergeant and author Joseph Wambaugh. In a 2016 interview, Mr. Wambaugh is quoted as saying, “…there are three qualities…that a good cop needs: common sense, a sense of humor and a bit of compassion.”[1] Over the next few newsletters we’ll take a look at these—stay tuned!
Bringing Hope to Law Enforcement
The SBLF—at no cost to officers or their agencies—brings hope to LEOs with training seminars that help them navigate a myriad of issues they deal with. One way we do this is by training chaplains. In the “Winning a Gunfight” seminar and book, officers learn how to win a gunfight tactically, mentally, and ethically—or body, soul, and spirit. As important as it is to survive a gunfight, winning is much more important. Winning means you come out of a gunfight as a victor. Winning is having a holistic victory. It goes beyond a tactical victory. It also means being victorious mentally and ethically. It’s complete victory—body, soul, and spirit. Please partner with us to make strong officers with strong relationships by giving them real hope for complete victory! To help, go to TheStrongBlueLine.org and click the “Donate” button.
On the Road
In late September, Dave Evans, a SBLF board member and retired San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) sergeant, and I had breakfast with the newly appointed San Antonio Police Chief Jesse Salame. We shared the SBLF’s mission and our Adopt a Cop prayer initiative. He is all in! Chief Salame expressed his excitement about the initiative and will allow us to promote it at all roll calls and with the cadets in the SAPD Academy. After talking to the Chief and attending the special prayer group some officers (both active and retired have formed), Dave and I are extremely excited about the future of the SAPD.
Pray for your police.
[1] (Source: https://www.baltimoresun.com/sd-me-dickey-column-0926-story.html)
