‘Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.” – Mark Twain

As stated in previous publications, I do a lot of research and interviews before I scribe these articles. This time is no different as I find myself and law enforcement professionals participating in the discussion(s) talked about in the American media and the consequences of “opinions vs. facts.”

As we watch/listen to social media and the American brainwashing devices (ABD – the television, radio, etc.), you would swear American law enforcement professionals are killing young people by the bushel. You would be under the assumption that law enforcement is traveling in murder squads all over this great country, shooting first and asking questions later. This is not the case and wrong to the highest level!

The real action guys and gals

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” – Marcus Aurelius

During recent conversations, one of the participants made an incredible observation followed by a powerful statement. She stated, “The news is reporting irresponsibly and inaccurately, which is causing all this mess!” This declaration is bold and can be perceived as correct, given that we all may or may not have been part of situations that are “media-worthy.” During these circumstances, as first responders or investigators we have the facts as we are responsible for reporting and testifying in criminal/civil court proceeding. This begs the question: How many times have you seen a news report on the above-mentioned situations and said, “What the heck are they talking about?”

This reaction is usually due to the inaccuracy of the media reports of which you have factual knowledge. The information you have cannot be disclosed at that time because it may tarnish the investigation. In this case, we only give the minimum information to the media as to keep “investigative integrity.” People do have the right to know; however, the truth is what they need to know and this can only come through proper investigation.

Now, the media is bound to report stories that are of public interest and concern. The way they report these stories is up to their perspective, which leaves plenty of room for interpretation. The way people interpret things is individual-centric. You may see something in one way and your friends/family see it another. Regardless, law enforcement professionals rely on facts to make their interpretations rather than riding a unicorn, armed with tactical glitter, to meetings under rainbows with leprechauns who are spinning yarns based on their recently obtained social media law degree.

Some definitions

“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” ― Joe Klaas

Below are some definitions of words that often come up in my discussions. As a matter of fact, the words “fact” or “facts” came up in five conversations more than 11 times and the words “story” or “stories” came up more than 12. With that information in hand I decided to look up the definitions of these words, at least as defined by Merriam-Webster:

 

Story – a fictional narrative shorter than a novel; specifically, short story; the intrigue or plot of a narrative or dramatic work. A widely circulated rumor: a lie, falsehood.

Facts – something that truly exists or happens; something that has actual existence. A true piece of information.

 

It would appear that the word “story” could be perceived as “skewed view” of reality as interpreted by an individual and unfortunately these individuals may not have the vital law enforcement job knowledge required to make important life and death decisions in a matter of seconds.

The word “facts” seems to be the reality of certain situations and often overlooked because, as stated in the above quote, may “piss you off.”

Important numbers

“If you think that statistics has nothing to say about what you do or how you could do it better, then you are either wrong or in need of a more interesting job.” – Stephen Senn

After my conversations I found myself looking for data on police interactions and accusations according to American media. I found a video from MSNBC featuring Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber on “Morning Joe” on Jan. 18.

Melber does some numbers in which he states that police officers are NOT accused of any wrongdoing 99.1 percent of the time. That is staggering! You would swear (if you listen to media) that police officers are participating in acts of misconduct on a daily basis throughout America. On the contrary, the video I saw stated that:

“There is a perception that there are a lot of bad cops out there. However, the reality is that 99.1 percent of law enforcement officers are NOT accused of any misconduct of any kind. In 2015, 965 civilians were fatally shot by officers; this kind of situation gets the media’s attention, understandably. However, it is important to realize that the media is reporting on less than 1 percent of all law enforcement interactions in a given year. What about the 99.1percent of law enforcement interactions that take place without incident? We don’t hear about those, so let’s look at some interesting statistics. There are 698,000 law enforcement officers across the country. Those 698,000 officers have approximately 62 million interactions with civilians in a given year. Out of 62 million interactions, less than 1 percent of all civilian interaction with law enforcement has a negative outcome. How many of us can say that we make a mistake or have a negative outcome at work less than 1 percent of the time?”

I guess those facts are not that interesting!

Be safe and God bless!

Dr. Danny McGuire, Jr. is assistant professor of criminal justice at National Louis University in Chicago. If you’d like to join a coffee klatch, discuss material or just need an ear for peer support, contact him at dmcguire3@nl.edu.

By Danny McGuire

“There is nothing permanent except change.”

~Heraclitus

Times, They Are a’ Changing

Heraclitus is responsible for some great quotes and the above was stated sometime between his birth in 535 BC and his death in 475 BC. So much insight and yet it was more than 2,000 years ago; nevertheless, it applies to today more than ever.

As I watch on social media and the American Brainwashing Device (ABD – The Television), some protestors attempt to waver the professionalism of our brothers and sisters. They are using profane speech, attempted stare downs (for which, more than likely, would be met with a physical response by their contemporaries “on the street”) and invading the safe reactionary gap officers use to keep themselves safe. Activists are using this platform to put our political leaders in the “fetal position” and making law enforcement professionals feel like they are the bad guys. With that said, officers must never forget that they are the last line of defense between anarchy and “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Facts and Fictions

“Sometimes fiction is more easily understood than true events. Reality is often pathetic.”

~Young-Ha Kim

Again, I found myself having conversations with law enforcement professionals at the “Coffee Clutches” where we meet and have great discussions. Here are some “Facts and Fictions” we threw around these past few weeks:

Fact: The law enforcement field is changing and it is completely out of your control. This power resonates with politicians, special interest groups, the media and upper management, which as we recently witnessed, can be solvent one day and gone the next.

Fiction: Outside resources can fix all the problems. This is fiction to the highest degree. The problems we are facing in law enforcement today resonate directly with abuse and mishandling of situations by top-tier leadership roles down to the street officers.

Fact: Outside resources can make all the suggestions in the world. Action will change the direction (i.e. effective training for first line supervision, more supervisory manpower as opposed to more supervisor duties in addition to training and equipment for street personnel). This also means municipalities must follow the recommendations and then spend money on those recommendations as opposed to flowerpots and pretty lights which will be destroyed by protesters anyway.

Fiction: All police officers go out each night with discrimination and violation of civil rights in mind.

Fact: An overwhelming majority of officers are ethical and moral people. They have families and want the best for those families. They do their jobs to the best of their abilities, utilizing their training and moral compasses to “do the right thing” each day. They aren’t looking for parades and awards; they just want to be properly supported by their leaders (professional and political), to go home to their families after a shift and for the public to understand that they have chosen this role to protect them – the same people assassinating their morale and character.

Priorities

“The bottom line is, when people are crystal clear about the most important priorities of the organization and team, they work with and prioritized their work around those top priorities, not only are they many times more productive, they also discover they have the time they need to have a whole life.”

~Stephen Covey

Most people rely on daily routines to survive. Whether family or professional life, no one likes to change “what works.” We have a tendency to resist change because we as humans have the propensity to seek pleasure and avoid pain (see Sigmund Freud, Jeremy Bentham and Epicurus). Change is painful at times especially when the majority of those affected by changing are not those who precipitated those changes.

With that said, stress will start to enter your life because of uncertainty. This ambiguity may be in the realm of “how do I handle this situation now?” or relying on supervision that will also not have direction from their own direct leadership and so on.

Here is a stress management tip you can use daily to help get you through the stress:

Prioritize.

Your life and your family’s dependence on you coming home after your shift are paramount. Being stressed out, especially over things out of your control, can play a major role is illness, both mental and physical.

Prioritizing is the key to being successful and managing the “unknowns” in life. Some people’s priorities are “family before work,” while others have “work before family.” Those in the latter category seem to be those that are stressed the most. Whatever your priorities are, take a step back and re-prioritize if you must to lessen your stress.

“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”
~Colin Powell

More talk, more action

I once again found myself in the midst of a conversation with current “everyday heroes” – that is, law enforcement officers. This time it was a female officer and two male officers from different Chicagoland area agencies. These officers were off duty and I had met them for a coffee klatch one afternoon. Our time together started with the exchange of pleasantries and continued into talk of the job which, as it sometimes does, evolved into frustrations that have been mounting over time.

Each of these officers had varying amounts of time on the job. One had 24 years on and was in his late 40s; the other male had nine years on and was in his 30s. The female officer had 17 years on and turned 40 the week before our meeting. I only share this demographic data in hopes that the information will be reflective to you. Maybe you share these characteristics.

The “job talk”

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

~Confucius

During the exchange of pleasantries, questions such as, “How’s your family?” or “How are you?” provoked smiles and stories of carting kids to and fro. Hockey, baseball, football, cheerleading, etc., seemed the center of conversation and lasted a good 30-40 minutes. Then boom! The damn job!

The 24-year vet announced his disapproval with current promotions at his department. The adjectives used were commensurate with anger, frustration and downright disgust. As he vented, his smiles from telling me about his son playing college football turned into an energy-consuming frown. He was soon crunching his brow and gritting his teeth. I thought to myself, “This got way too negative way too fast.”

He continued and during a much-needed pause, the 30-something male started with, “You think that’s bad…” and the negativity continued. Piggybacking off this, the female officer joined in saying, “This guy this, that guy that. I hate this job!”

This continued for a good 15-20 minutes as I sat back and took it in, all the while listening to highlights and making mental notes of frustrations exchanged. At this point I interrupted and asked a simple question: “Was there ever a time you liked the job?” I suggested they think about that as I went to the men’s room.

Stress can hurt you

“Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether you let it affect you or not.”

~Valerie Bertinelli

When I came back from my bathroom break (yes, it was on purpose), the mood was much calmer and the female officer began with, “Yes, of course, when I first started it was great. The bosses were great. The citizens were good. It’s just (that) over time things changed.” I queried the officer about the change she mentioned and her reply was exactly what I hear all the time: “People don’t respect us and the wrong people are promoted to leadership positions.” I interrupted and inquired if she could control these occurrences and she replied, “I guess not.” I then asked her what she was in control of and the officer’s response was perfect. “I can control me and mine,” as the other officers nodded in agreement.

You can only steer your own vessel. You can only ensure you get to work on time, your kids get to practice, your family is provided for, your safety on the shift and your colleagues’ safety by providing backup and positive experiences.

Negativity is cyclical and breeds negativity, eventually causing personal strife, even illnesses, both mental and physical. The more negativity you subscribe to, the more frustration is created, and stress is the result. The negative stress is like drinking poison – the poison will eat away at your inner being and eventually envelope you.

A PowerPoint presentation titled “Stress Management: Part 1 – Stress and Health” by Emily K. Porensky, PhD, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, highlights the following work-related stressors:

• Being unhappy in your job;
• Having a heavy workload or too much responsibility;
• Working long hours;
• Unclear expectations or no say in decision-making;
• Working in dangerous conditions;
• Insecurity about advancement or risk of termination;
• Having to give speeches in front of colleagues;
• Facing discrimination or harassment.

Sounds accurate, at least according to the three officers I met with. Dr. Porensky continues with the impact of these stressors:

• Sixty-to-80 percent of outpatient visits may be related to stress;
• They are linked to all leading physical causes of death (heart disease, cancer, stroke);
• They are associated with development of most major mental health problems (depression, PTSD, pathological aging).

You can locate Dr. Porensky’s presentation at: https://ccme.osu.edu/WebCastsFiles/562The%20Management%20of%20Stress%20-%202.pdf

Next month we will discuss the holidays and positive methods of coping with stress. Be safe and have a great Thanksgiving!

A message to those in despair

By Don Milazzo

September was National Suicide Prevention Month, and dedicated people across the country were participating in Out of the Darkness walks to raise awareness of suicide.

At the same time, several law enforcement departments were burying officers who took their own lives.

As those departments and their members say goodbye to their friends and co-workers, it is difficult to witness how helpless they feel to have been unable to prevent it.

This is an open letter to the officer who is, right now, considering suicide. Please take a moment and read the whole thing:

I don’t know where you are on the continuum. You may be only having brief thoughts about killing yourself. You may be in a position where you are considering suicide as an option. You may have already decided that suicide is the only way out.

The statistics will state that you are a white male, between the ages of 35 and 44, and have 15 to 19 years on the job. You may have some legal problems. You most likely have relationship issues and it is probable that you are drinking more than usual.

Statistics can only tell us what is “most likely;” so if you are an officer who doesn’t fit into the previous description but are still having thoughts about killing yourself, this letter is also for you.

The pain you are experiencing – whether it be physical, emotional or psychological – is overwhelming you and you want it to stop. You deal daily with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, feeling like you are not in control, and that is one of the hardest things for an officer to accept. You’ve started to pull away from the people who care about you and have lost interest in the things that you once enjoyed. You don’t want anyone to know what is going on because you believe that somehow that would bring you shame. Every day is a struggle and the thoughts that run through your head constantly make you anxious and/or depressed. You may be experiencing panic attacks that seem like they are getting worse. You may dread going to work because you might have one there and people would notice. Maybe you are sleeping more and are having a hard time even getting up to go to work. If you are missing days from work and facing disciplinary action, this compounds the stress that you are already dealing with.

The biggest mistake that you can make is thinking that you have to go through this alone. If you look around you, any one of your fellow officers will help you. The funny thing about law enforcement is that officers will trust each other in situations which are life and death but hesitate to reach out to each other when they need help themselves.

If you are thinking about suicide, it is life and death.

Officers say that they are afraid to seek professional help because they don’t want the department to find out or take a chance on losing their weapon. Talking to a professional does not void your ability to carry a firearm, and can be a safe, confidential way to work on the issues that are affecting your life.

I have attended too many funerals for officers who decided to kill themselves, and I have held the hands of their co-workers, friends and especially family as they ask the question, “Why didn’t they tell me? Why couldn’t they talk to me?” The damage inflicted on those left behind is enormous.

Please reach out to someone; a friend, a co-worker, your EAP, peer support, a family member, your doctor, a therapist, anyone. Let someone know what you are going through. Allow someone else to help you. You can call 800-273-TALK or any of the other hotlines dedicated to law enforcement officers and talk to someone there.

The bottom line is that before you take the final step toward suicide, please try taking a step toward help.