Making Criticism Constructive

Making Criticism Constructive

Police officers are typically a straightforward, direct bunch. They’ll tell you when they think you’re doing something wrong, or when you could be doing it better. And mostly that’s good—we can’t afford to be dancing around one another’s feelings when we’re  in a foot pursuit or ...
Police & Group Identity

Police & Group Identity

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother…” Shakespeare’s Henry V, Act IV Human history is a repeated dialogue of division. From the earliest times, humans have divided themselves into groups and then competed with ...
To Be Your Own Cornerman

To Be Your Own Cornerman

I start off with a quote from Sylvester Stallone. No, not, “Yo, Adrian.” And surely not, “Absolutely.” Rather, I start this article with something rather profound, “If you think people are inherently good, you get rid of the police for 24 hours. See what happens.” Yes, Sylvester ...
September: A Month to Remember

September: A Month to Remember

September is a very significant month for law enforcement. Of course, we’ll always remember September 11, 2001, more commonly referred as simply “9/11,” the date when our country was attacked. For those of us in the profession, it also bears significance in that 114 of our LE ...
Of Rookies: Rekindling the Blue Flame

Of Rookies: Rekindling the Blue Flame

Every time we start reading anything that starts with “Once upon a time …” we can almost predict that the closing will end with something like “… and they lived happily ever after.” Most of the time such stories share epic tales with a message in the background, like those stories of ...