Jan 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 1

2022 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
Officer suicide, police fatigue,
stress-related maladies, healthy
relationships and care for injured
officers are all topics we need
to be familiar with. As a police
veteran, I can testify that open
discussions of these issues are
relatively new to the police profession.
Staying current on best
practices to keep yourself and
your brother and sister officers
healthy and serving well is a
survival skill, not just a warm
feeling.
Top police training tip on “How
to enjoy your life while avoiding
death by a thousand cuts”:
Some officers never learn to
accept positive critique. Instead,
they become defensive and internalize
anger toward anyone
who has the nerve to try to make
them better cops. If you can learn
to appreciate constructive criticism
from FTOs, assistant district
attorneys and supervisors
instead of letting it anger you, it
will eliminate a major irritant in
your life. It may also make you a
better cop.
4. BE A BETTER CRIME FIGHTER
One of my observations over
the years is that no knowledge
is lost in police work. I remember
a former meat cutter turned
deputy sheriff who was able to
solve a poaching case due to his
knowledge of how the game had
been field dressed, a cop who
was a coin collecting hobbyist
whose knowledge was key in
solving a burglary, and a farm
boy who spotted a stolen farm
implement that an urban officer
might never have recognized.
Top police training tip on” Writing
effective case summaries”:
One of the best ways to introduce
an investigation is by writing
an effective case summary,
which lays out your investigation
and findings succinctly and in an
orderly, logical and easy to read
format. This allows the prosecutor
to quickly gain a solid understanding
of the facts of the case,
as well as any potential defenses.
5. BE EVEN SAFER & KEEP
READING IN 2022
There are literally thousands of
online resources available to law
enforcement today. Of course,
we want you to continue reading
The BLUES each month, but online
police sites like Police1.com
and Policemagazine.com keep
you informed on a daily basis of
what’s happening in the world
of law enforcement. Also spend
time reading and studying Police
Survival techniques.
Many of PoliceOne’s digital
pages are devoted to issues
related to tactics, training and
legal updates around the use of
force and officer safety. Their
writers give significant attention
to active shooter, ambush and
major incident response. Because
these events are statistically rare
but could happen to any agency
or even a single officer, a review
of this knowledge base is time
well spent.
Top police training tip for “Preventing
active shooter drills from
going sideways”:
It’s not uncommon for a drill to
be executed then simply ended
without a plan for a thorough,
all-encompassing debrief. Make
sure you have a debriefing plan
in place so you can identify what
went right, spotlight what can be
refined and learn from what may
have gone wrong.
7. GO HOME TO YOU FAMILY
SAFE & SOUND AFTER SHIFT
Your number one goal should
always be “do your job to the
best of your ability and always,
always go home safe and sound
at the end of your shift.”
You may work in a safe, quiet
town where not much happens
or just the opposite where
a shooting or SWAT call is an
hourly occurrence. You are not
Superman, and you are not bullet
proof. On average, there are
at least one or two officers shot
in the line of duty every day in
America. One of those will not
make it. As a collective group,
we need to reduce the number
of officers that don’t make it
home to their families. EVERY-
ONE needs to make it home. Be
safe, be consistent, be vigilant,
and use your training. Your family
needs you and we need you.
Welcome
to
2022
28 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 29