Think Different

Officers and Altruism

2012-01-23T07:57:00.003-06:00

*Appeared in the Sun-Times Beacon News on January 15, 2012

I was recently driving my squad car past an east side elementary school during dismissal. Some kids lingering in the crosswalk saw my uniform and ran up to say hello. One child seemed eager to get my attention and worked his way through the other kids to the window of my squad and said, “Look at my coat!” I admired his winter coat and told him so. He replied, “A police officer bought it for me.” Puzzled, I asked him which police officer but he just shrugged his shoulders and ran away.

This episode made me reflect upon the many altruistic acts performed by my fellow officers that I had witnessed over the years and realized there were many similar, but untold stories. Although it’s extremely contradictory to ask people to tell about acts of kindness they’ve performed because the mere fact that it’s altruistic means they seek no recognition, I sent out an email and asked our officers to provide instances where they, or someone they knew, used their position to benefit someone in need. As I sifted through the responses, I was absolutely overwhelmed by what I read--- especially since there was a common theme to each story – a vehement request that their name not be used.
It is an honor to share a few with you:

One officer tells the story of transporting a female to jail who was arrested for retail theft. As it turns out, she was stealing school supplies for her daughter because she could not afford to buy them. A jail officer sought out the list of needed supplies, bought them, and delivered them to the mother.
An officer responded to a call to find a family of 6 with only one bed in their apartment. The kids were sleeping with blankets on the apartment floor so the officer donated a bed frame, mattress and bedding from her own home to the family in need.

Two officers responded to a home where a distraught family had just witnessed their dog get hit by a car. The dog had taken its last breath and the officers knew they couldn’t leave the family in their grieving state so they retrieved a blanket, wrapped the dog, and helped the kids write goodbye letters and place them with the dog for burial.

After taking a report from an elderly woman whose window-mounted air conditioner was stolen, the responding officers purchased another one and installed it for her.

But my favorite story left me breathless. An ex-prostitute with a drug habit was living on government aid in a housing project. She finally left the complex and went to rehab never to return to that life again. A police officer privately funded her stay in rehab because he believed that she could turn her life around.

The nature of a police officer’s job is to respond when people have been victimized or at their worst. While this is the part of the job that tends to wear on officers, it also provides opportunities to make a difference –the very reason most of them enter this profession. There were countless other stories of purchasing coats for those who were cold, buying and delivering groceries and hot meals to those who were hungry and replacing items for those who have been victimized. They do it not because they are police officers, but because they are human beings who instinctively extend their hand to help someone else in need.

I often write about police officers who tarnish the badge and abuse their position of authority because I believe it is our duty to shine the light in those dark places. The reality is that the majority of officers are reflections of the acts I’ve described. They use their power for good and like true heroes, prefer to do so when no one is watching and expecting nothing in return.

Part with those who go wrong

2011-12-22T10:55:00.001-06:00

In response to my last column about “bad apples” in our organizations, I received a scathing e-mail from a reader who took issue with my reference to “the beloved Penn State coach”. He accused me of presenting skewed facts and misleading the public by referring to the coach in this way, saying, “Paterno didn’t molest anyone and you give this impression with your slanderous comments.”

To be clear, I was talking about Jerry Sandusky when I referenced the alleged sexual abuse against young boys. The reader took issue with my using “beloved” as an adjective before the word “coach”. I responded back and pointed out that Sandusky has been on the coaching staff since 1969 so he must have been “beloved” by someone to have been employed by Penn State for so long. The term “beloved” is subjective in my opinion. (I also pointed out that he should have been accusing me of libel and not slander since slander refers to the spoken word and libel the written word).

After I was done with my bratty and sarcastic response, I realized that he had a point. I concede to the fact that Joe Paterno is widely known as the “beloved” coach and my reference to Sandusky as such may have been misleading. However, the angry reader missed the point of the column entirely which was about cops being outraged by fellow officers who tarnish the badge. It also dealt with having the moral courage to stand up and acknowledge bad behavior within our own organizations rather than turning a blind eye or attempting to cover it up.

In the reader’s quest to preserve the reputation of the “beloved” coach, he failed to see that Coach Paterno bears some responsibility for the alleged molestation that occurred on the young boys after it was brought to his attention. While he did not molest anyone, he failed to follow up on information he received from an eye witness and the molestations continued. I give him credit for at least reporting it to university officials but once he came to the realization that nothing was being done about it, he should have taken it a step further and gone directly to law enforcement. Just ask Mr. Sandusky’s victims if they would have preferred that Paterno or any of the people who had knowledge of the abuse step up and make some noise until they were heard.

When someone has knowledge of something illegal or harmful that is occurring and they do nothing about it, they bear responsibility by allowing it to go on. Period. When they ignore objectionable behavior, they are condoning it. Is it a horrible position to find themselves in? Absolutely.

Don’t misunderstand and think that I’m idealistic enough to believe that we can all live on a moral high ground. I can assure you that I have been guilty of turning a blind eye to something at some point in my life because I was afraid. Most of us have been in situations where we know we should say something but choose not to. It’s easier to remain silent because we risk being ostracized by those who would have preferred that the information never be brought to light. It’s easier to hope that someone else comes forward so we don’t have to be the one. After all, there are people who will be loyal to the person committing the atrocity and turn their anger towards the whistle-blower.

My admiration goes out to those courageous enough to stand up and do what it right even when it’s uncomfortable. Abe Lincoln summarized it best when he said, “I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.”

Policing Ourselves

2011-12-05T10:03:00.001-06:00

In reference to my column where I talked about the Chicago Police Officer who tarnished our badge and our profession by falsifying an incident, a reader wondered if I get pushback from my fellow officers when I bring these topics to light because I’m supposedly breaking the “blue wall of silence” by illuminating these dark places.

The answer is no.

I sometimes feel like police officers get painted with a broad brush because the headlines report about corrupt officers leading people to believe that all police officers are dishonest. I can concede to the fact that there are police officers who should have never been allowed to assume the great responsibility that comes with the power they are afforded. I will admit that there are some police officers who use their position of authority in ways that serve themselves. There are police officers who take advantage of sick time and leave the officers who come to work every day to pick up their slack.

While they exist, it is in minuscule percentages when compared to those officers who come to work every day and do their jobs with a warrior spirit and a servant heart. The people that disrespect their office and abuse their power exist in every profession. They exist in religious institutions, the medical profession, political office, and most recently, in the locker rooms of prestigious colleges. Give me any profession and I will show you someone who has violated the core principles of humanity and the organization they represent because of their own character flaws.

The reason I don’t get any negative feedback on calling out the ones who don’t deserve to wear the badge is because the great majority of our officers are just as angry as the public at large about the lack of respect for the position they hold. In fact, the main reason institutions get into trouble in the first place is by failing to acknowledge when someone in their own organization does something devoid of ethics. Or worse, they cover up the wrong-doing in the hope that no one will find out about it.

I don’t think the general public is naive enough to believe that no one will ever abuse their position of influence or office. But we expect that it be dealt with swiftly should it occur. When the Catholic Church covered up the sexual abuse allegations against Priests, the public was outraged. When Penn State turned a blind eye to the heinous sex acts being committed on young boys by their beloved coach, we took issue.

The same goes for the “thin blue line” in policing. In the police departments of old, I can assure you there was cover-up and corruption. But I can tell you with great confidence that the times have changed. In our profession, if you commit an act that is a disgrace to the badge, you stand alone. The thin, blue line of loyalty has dissipated because there are systems and processes in place by which cover-up and deceit only serve to get an officer unemployed. Blind loyalty is no more.

Just like the public should be outraged when organizations attempt to cover up wrong-doing for the sake of avoiding a scandal, so should every person who is a part of the disgraced organization. The reason the police officers don’t get upset with my shining the light in dark places is because they don’t want those unworthy to wear the badge either.

It takes immense moral courage to stand against a colleague who you know to be engaging in behavior that is destructive or illegal. And it takes even greater mental fortitude as the leaders of organizations where it is occurring to acknowledge it. But it must be done.

Observations from a CrossFit Beginner

2011-11-23T15:32:00.000-06:00

About four months ago, I heard the rumblings of a trendy phenomenon called “CrossFit”. My police department was buzzing about it and so I searched the Internet to investigate. I was led to a web-site where I watched a video about CrossFit and decided instantaneously that it was for crazy people. The video depicted men and women with chiseled abdominals lifting Olympic-sized weights and maneuvering feats of athletic elitism on boxes and gymnastics rings. The decision to stick with my 30 minute routine on the elliptical with a magazine at my local gym seemed sound.

One of my co-workers and newly converted CrossFitter would often stop by my office to chat about which part of his body he couldn’t move after his Workout of the Day (WOD). While that was more validation for me to stick to my elliptical, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by how much he loved it. He assured me that all fitness levels were welcome and convinced me to try it “just one time.”

I scheduled my session and made my way to Barebones CrossFit where I was met by Coaches Dave, Melissa and Jason. I was immediately intimidated by their minimal body fat and deducted that my initial impression while watching the video on-line was correct. I also noted a bucket in the middle of the gym labeled “pukey”. Compelled by these observations, my “fight or flight” survival instincts kicked in and I decided to wait for the coaches to look away so I could escape (fighting just didn’t seem to be an option given their muscular physiques). It occurred to me that I had already provided them my identity and it was painfully obvious that they would be able to catch me with minimal effort if I ran, so I reluctantly stayed.

It was during the next few weeks that the coaches would provide me with “elements” training – an introductory phase where I would learn proper form and technique before joining the seasoned CrossFitters in their WOD. Despite my being the new face in the gym, no one missed an opportunity to introduce themselves and provide encouragement in those moments when I needed it. Now that I am able to put it in proper perspective, it was the kindness of the CrossFitters that kept me coming back in those days I felt intimidated and overwhelmed. They continue to do that for me every day.

In the elements phase, I felt pain that I had never felt before. I was no stranger to strength training but this was different and unlike any other experience I’ve had in the gym. This was full body training that encompassed stamina, strength and flexibility all at once. It was grueling and it moved me so far out of my comfort zone by challenging everything I thought I knew about fitness and what my body could endure.

I finished the beginner phase and became an official CrossFitter. Over the past four months, I have come to the realization that the workouts do not get any easier. They aren’t supposed to. I have conquered some personal milestones like climbing the rope and doing pull-ups without a band. I can even do some double-unders (although I invariably suffer from welts in the process). Even though I’m gaining skills, every WOD makes me want to curse Dave, Jason and Melissa (and I often do!). Each day is a new challenge because no work-outs are the same. When I attain a goal, we celebrate the achievement but the ultimate victory is the understanding that you can always be better than you are.

I started CrossFit to get in better shape; I remain there because of what it has done to stifle the little voice inside my head that tells me to quit when things get hard. In the “box”, it’s not an option to quit because the coaches will remind you that the work-out you are doing is named after a real soldier who lost his life serving our country. When I begin to feel as though I cannot do 50 more box jumps or pull-ups, I remember that 20 minutes of pain is nothing compared to what our soldiers endure in the trenches. There are some days I modify the prescribed weight and there are some days I’m slower than everyone else but CrossFit has taught me to condition my inner voice to say, “Do not give up” and my body listens.

That is a lesson for both inside the gym and out.

Craftmanship means giving your best

2011-11-18T08:22:00.001-06:00

One of my pet peeves is when people do things only half-way. I spend a lot of time explaining this concept to my children when they leave a chore half done or complete a homework assignment that is clearly not their best work. I repeatedly tell my children that the work they do is a reflection of who they are and they should always take care to give the world the best of themselves.

I find that humans will often take the path of least resistance when left to their own devices and if we aren’t conscious, laziness and apathy can become the norm. This is why diligence must be constantly reinforced.

This is illustrated beautifully in the construction of timepieces. In the beginning of watchmaking, individual masters made one of a kind works of art for royalty. These watchmakers were artisans and they spent many months making a single timepiece that was a precise mechanical masterpiece and a thing of beauty. The inner mechanisms of the timepiece were likely never seen by anyone but that didn’t matter to the artisans. They still took care that each piece was beautifully designed and hand-crafted to perfection.

There are still many individuals in different trades that operate under that same philosophy. Those who take the time to perfect their work for the sake of pride are today’s master artisans.

I sometimes think we have lost the concept of craftsmanship. By that, I mean the diligence and effort that goes into work that leaves the creator’s spirits lifted. It is the feeling you get when you stand back and assess your efforts and are proud and inspired by the product. One does not have to handcraft timepieces to be considered a craftsman. You simply have to put your skill and mastery into whatever it is you do.

Craftsmanship is not just about physical construct. I see police officers who exhibit craftsmanship through their service to others every day. Every contact with a citizen is a chance for them to reveal their mastery. Even when issuing a citation to a driver or taking someone into custody, if they do so with professionalism and character, they are displaying pride in their work. An officer who treats someone who chooses to break the law with dignity and respect is mastering their craft. Ensuring that a police report is a thorough and accurate reflection of the incident that occurred is a practice in craftsmanship.

Giving your best in all that you do can become tiresome. I have seen people lose their motivation to work at their highest potential because they felt their effort was futile or unrecognized. There is certainly something to be said for losing inspiration and motivation because of a shattered spirit. We can all point to something that was unfair or unjust at some point in our lives and easily use that as an excuse to stop giving our best. I watched many artisans in their trade give up because they felt they were underappreciated.

Those who have mastered craftsmanship understand that the motivation to give their absolute best comes not from external praise or recognition. It is the intrinsic motivation that comes from the realization of purpose. An officer who writes tickets to please their supervisor or to generate revenue for the city will easily become frustrated by elements beyond their control. In contrast, the officer who understands that their job is to do their part to prevent traffic crashes by upholding the law has a purpose that is bigger than themselves. They understand that issuing a citation (no matter how negatively received) is their contribution to preventing the loss of life.

No matter what your life’s work, a true artisan will not let outside influences dictate the quality of their work. The pride that goes with giving the best you have to offer in all circumstances is what craftsmanship is all about.

"Routine" Traffic Stops

2011-11-03T11:20:00.000-05:00

56 law enforcement officers were killed as a result of assaults in 2010.

Traffic stops accounted for seven of those 56 deaths. If you do an internet search of “police officers killed during traffic stops”, you will find pages and pages of stories where officers have been killed during a “routine” traffic stop.

We are taught in the academy that there is no such thing as a “routine” traffic stop. What might seem like a relatively minor traffic violation to a police officer could potentially result in a fatal encounter depending on who is in that car. An officer never knows if their next encounter might be the one that keeps them from going home to their families at night.

That is exactly what happened to Officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab. The Tampa, FL police officers were killed by Dontae Rashawn Morris after Officer Curtis pulled over a vehicle in which Morris was a passenger because it didn’t have a license plate. Curtis found that Morris was wanted on a warrant for writing a bad check and called for backup. Both officers approached the vehicle on the passenger side to take Morris into custody but he spun around and shot both officers. There were no radio transmissions after the shootings.

These officers represent two of the 56 killed in assaults last year. What the statistics don’t tell you is that Jeffrey Kocab’s wife was 9 months pregnant with their first child at the time of his death. They don’t tell you that David Curtis was married with four boys ranging from 8 months to 9 years old. They don’t tell you what impeccable human beings Officers Curtis and Kocab were or how much they contributed to their profession and their community.

I tell the stories of these police officers to not only memorialize them, but so you can understand the risk associated with a “routine” traffic stop.

If you are ever pulled over, I ask that you keep this story (and the countless others) in the forefront of your mind when confronted by the police officer.

Remember, they don’t know that you are a law-abiding citizen who gives to countless charities. To them, you are a potential threat.

If you see an officer’s overhead lights behind you, pull over as soon as possible. If you continue to drive, the officer will assume you are trying to flee from them. When you come to a stop, be conscious of your movements. The glove compartment is where most of us keep our insurance cards and vehicle registrations but it is also a common place for criminals to conceal a weapon. You might be well-meaning when you reach into the glove box on your own accord, but the officer will most likely tell you to stop. This is not because he or she is in bad mood. It is because they have no idea what you are retrieving.

If you are reaching under your seat or maneuvering in such a way that it is suggestive of guilty nervousness or that might arouse suspicion that you are hiding something, you can expect the officer to react. Many criminals attempt to “stash” illegal substances or firearms before being approached by the officer so it is imperative that your hands remain on the steering wheel prior to the officer’s approach and that you comply with his or her requests. If there are passengers in your car, advise them to do the same.

Most importantly, do not exit your vehicle. There is no greater threat to an officer than someone who begins to approach them.

As unpleasant as it is to be pulled over by the police, your cooperation during a traffic stop is greatly appreciated by the officers. They do not want to become another statistic.

What You Wear. Who You Are.

2011-10-14T07:50:00.000-05:00

I am of the opinion that there are certain events for which we should dress up. Among these events are holidays, the theater, and court.

My holidays are pretty casual and consist of visiting friends and loved ones but I always insist that no one wear jeans. My kids scoff at this but yet I refuse to capitulate. The interesting part is that I have no good explanation for making them wear dress clothes except that more photos are generally taken on holidays and it wouldn’t hurt to look nice in a photograph that is a snapshot of time. Other than that logic, it just feels right to dress up on holidays. (This is applicable only to the major holidays, by the way. I’m okay with a pair of jeans on Columbus Day.)

I feel the same way about the theater. My family frequently attends performances in Chicago and at the Paramount and I believe we owe it to the performers to put forth some effort in our appearance. Not to mention that theaters are typically ornamental and decadent in décor and we should blend in with the surroundings. I think it adds to the magic of the evening when you make an effort to dress up. If you have no interest in the arts, you will find this preposterous or not applicable – or both.

You may find it strange that I didn’t include church on my list. As a child, I dressed up in my Sunday best because it was expected. I still adhere to this myself but I have bounced around a few churches in Aurora and have noted that the trend is more casual than the days of old. I firmly believe that Jesus just wants you to show up whether it is in cut-off jeans or a nice suit. You might feel as strongly about dressing up for church as I do about dressing for the theater. This is the beauty of life. We can co-exist even with different viewpoints.

Someone told me that commercial air travel in the 1940’s and 50’s, there was an unspoken dress code. Air travel at that time was used primarily by affluent individuals and dressing up to board a flight denoted status. Today, commercial airfare is affordable and commonplace so it is not unusual to see someone in flip-flops and cut-offs. I’m a little conflicted on this issue. Personally, I don’t like to look like a slob to the person who is greeting me at my destination.

I have been in many courtrooms over my career as a police officer and it astounds me how people present themselves in a court of law. Even if you appear for something as minor as traffic court, I believe you should look professional. The same goes if you are a defendant or a plaintiff in a criminal proceeding. For some reason, wearing a torn T-shirt with a heavy metal rock band emblazoned on its front and tattered jeans doesn’t portray a likeness of someone who respects the law or the criminal justice system.

The irony is not lost on me. For example, one of my favorite sights is a defendant in the courtroom dressed in a calm colored suit with hair that is neatly groomed only to watch the police video of the defendant at the time of the offense looking vastly different. I know they are trying to portray a wholesome look in court and I’m okay with that because I don’t think you can really mask your actions by putting on cufflinks.

This isn’t really about what you wear. It’s about who you are. You can dress up for church every Sunday or wear a suit to court but if your character is disheveled, the truth of who you are always comes out no matter how you attempt to disguise it.

When you tarnish one badge, you tarnish them all

2011-09-29T12:13:00.000-05:00

Nothing infuriates me more than a police officer who abuses their authority. Whether it be an overt action of excessive force or a seemingly minor compromising of one’s moral compass, there is no room in this profession for those who use their position of authority with dishonorable intention.

Take for instance, an off duty Chicago police officer who was on her way to work and running late when she was deterred in traffic by a funeral procession. Clearly impatient and agitated, she began weaving in and out of the line of mourners’ vehicles. Debra Green was one of those mourners in the procession for her deceased sister. She yelled out to the rude driver and pointed to the funeral procession flag to put her on notice.

We’ve all been in the unfortunate position of being late when an obstacle presents itself. When I’m running behind schedule, I’m convinced that the traffic lights conspire against me in perfect harmony to redden themselves on my approach. This is masterly choreographed the entire length of my commute. The days I’m stuck awaiting a train are notoriously when I need to be on the other side of the tracks.

Since I’m a naturally impatient person, I’m always in a hurry even when I’ve nowhere to go. I’m also guilty of letting out a groan of annoyance when I approach an intersection to see that I will be delayed by a funeral procession. However, in that circumstance, I’m able to snap out of my own selfish need to continue moving and put things into perspective. I remind myself to be grateful that I’m not in the procession mourning a loss, or the one for which everyone is gathered. This is why I was so annoyed by the actions of the off-duty officer. But the story gets better.

After Debra Green yelled out to the rude driver, the police officer radioed for assistance saying that Green threw a bottle at her vehicle which went through an open window and hit her in the face. Green was detained by the police and subsequently charged with battery which resulted in missing her sister’s burial.

Investigators from the Independent Police Review Authority discovered that a Chicago Police blue-light camera had captured the incident. The footage revealed that the officer’s account of the episode was skewed. Her windows were rolled up when she alleged that a bottle came barreling through. This was uncovered after the officer had already lied on the witness stand in her testimony against Debra Green.

To be clear, I am well aware that there may be some missing data from this incident for which I am not privy. I don’t have documentation of the court transcript, the police report or the subsequent internal investigation and I have learned over the years that there are three sides to every story: one side, the other side and the truth. But I do know that the charges were dropped against Debra Green and the police officer has since resigned from the Chicago Police Department and has been charged with felony perjury awaiting a hearing.

I’m wondering if this officer has had a chance to reflect on the circumstances in which she finds herself. I empathize with that panicked feeling of being late to work but I’m so disturbed by the tangled web of lies that were spun so she could justify her actions. Had she been late to work, she may have incurred some minor discipline and the story would end there. Because she was a police officer, she was able to use her position of authority to manipulate a situation for her own benefit. She did so at the expense of her career and the expense of the rest of the law enforcement officers who practice nobility and upstanding character both on the job and in their personal lives.

When you tarnish one badge, you tarnish them all.

Symbolism of a tree

2011-09-15T12:07:00.001-05:00

The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks caused us to pause and reflect as a community on the profound tragedy that fundamentally changed us as a nation and as human beings. Like many, I was glued to the television last Sunday watching the memorial ceremonies taking place at the crash sites in somber remembrance. Tears were shed in solitude as I listened to the personal stories of loss and sacrifice. I thought of my police and firefighter brothers and sisters who perished that day while running towards the catastrophe instead of away from it. Those first responders are credited with saving the lives of thousands of people and they are what we epitomize when we think of heroes.In the middle of the melancholy, I heard a story about a pear tree that was planted at the World Trade Center complex more than 30 years prior to the 9/11 attacks. It stood as part of the scenery and like most gifts of nature, it was taken for granted as it was rather unassuming. After the attacks, the tree was found clinging sideways in a pit in the middle of the destruction. It had dwindled to an eight foot stump and was covered with ash. The towers crushed the tree’s branches and it was scorched so badly that the vibrant, green color had been replaced with black and gray. There was little hope for its survival as its roots barely clung to the earth. It looked like a wounded soldier. The tree was plucked from the rubble and transported to the New York Parks Department where many attempted to nurse it back to health. It lay dormant during the winter months that followed the 9/11 attacks but in the spring of 2012, green buds poked out from the stump creating hopes it would survive. Through careful pruning and constant care, the tree grew and flourished only to suffer another setback last March when it was uprooted during a storm. Amazingly it recovered yet again and grew to a height of 30 feet in time for its return to the place we have come to know as Ground Zero.The symbolism is quite majestic when you stop and think about it. With assistance from the parks department employees, the tree was able to grow new roots and become stronger. We as a nation suffered a horrific loss and in the dark days that followed the attacks, we felt broken, uprooted, and vulnerable to further terrorist acts. The color drained from our lives and we were left with shades of gray. Life as we knew it had changed.But in the face of adversity, we found hope. Despite the deplorable actions of terrorists that were rooted in hatred, Americans locked arms and stood together as one. We focused on the stories of heroism and kindness that occurred on that fateful day. In the days that followed, we nurtured our survivors back to physical and mental health and supported those who incurred personal losses. At ground level, workers rolled up their sleeves and cleaned up the debris. At higher levels, security for our nation was revamped and new measures implemented to prevent further attacks. Out of the dust and debris, we rose as a nation.While attending the 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at the Aurora Central Fire Station, I looked around at our police officers and firefighters mourning the loss of the first responders and it was clear to me that each will still run toward the gunshots and into the fire because that is their call to duty. Like the pear tree, we as a nation and as a city have grown new roots and are stronger and more resilient than ever before. The loss brought us to our knees and yet we rise, dust ourselves off, and do what we were called to do.

The Voice Inside Your Head

2011-08-30T19:47:00.002-05:00

Several months ago, a colleague from the police department told me about his new obsession, CrossFit. It’s a strength and conditioning program that appeals to police officers and firefighters because it requires proficiency in endurance, stamina, strength and flexibility – all crucial elements of job performance.

Before being hired, police officers are required to pass the state standards of fitness which include a timed 1.5 mile run, bench press, sit ups and a flexibility test. Most departments still use these standards as a measurement to determine a new applicant’s fitness level. That makes sense for prospective hires but for a police officer patrolling the street, these benchmarks do not replicate the actual demands one encounters.

Foot pursuits are not uncommon during an officer’s shift. When a bad guy decides to run, the officer giving chase does not do so at a leisurely pace for a long distance. Pursuits rarely last more than a few minutes but the officer is in full sprint during the chase. They jump fences and call out their location and direction of travel over the radio in full gear while simultaneously keeping mindful of the threat posed by the criminal. This level of physical agility requires more conditioning than the state standards. The most elite officers I know train daily to keep in optimal shape so they have an advantage over the criminal.

I decided to try CrossFit training at BareBones CrossFit in Yorkville. I was immediately intimidated after meeting my coaches because it was clear from their minimal body fat and muscular physiques that they are elite athletes. Observing that I was clearly out of my element, I decided to wait for them to turn their backs so I could escape but I had already given them my real name. Fearing they would hunt me down, I reluctantly stayed.

One of the first work-outs involved doing as many rounds of rope climbing, kettle ball swinging, 400 meter run, and pull-ups as possible in 20 minutes. The last time I climbed a rope was in 7th grade so I laughed at the prospect. My coach showed me a modified version of the climb that would build my skills so I would eventually be able to scale the rope. After my first few sessions, I wanted to deliver a punch to my good friend for suggesting CrossFit but I was too sore to form a fist or raise my arms. Instead, I pressed on and continued going back for more.

The work-outs are designed with a prescribed standard to be met. I seem to modify the standards more often than my gym mates but that’s okay because I’ve learned something far more important in my 2 ½ months of CrossFit. I went there to get in better shape; I remain there because of what it has done to the little voice inside my head that tells me to quit when things get hard. In CrossFit, you cannot quit because the coaches will remind you that the workout you’re doing is named after a real soldier who lost his life serving our country. When I begin to feel as though I cannot do 50 more box jumps or pull-ups, I remember that 20 minutes of pain is nothing compared to what our soldiers endure in the trenches.

That little voice inside our heads actually determines if we fight or give up. I have heard many stories of police officers who, after being critically wounded, have rallied and found the strength to fight back and survive. It’s all because they trained their inner voice to say, “Do not give up.”

This isn’t a commercial for exercise. Rather, it’s a reminder that you don’t have to be a soldier or a police officer to be a warrior. You are stronger than you think in any area of your life but you must condition that voice inside your head to tell you so.

Experential Learning

2011-08-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

When I was the lieutenant on midnight shift, we were brainstorming methods of burglary prevention when one of the sergeants suggested that the only way our citizens will learn to close and lock their doors was if the police started taking things they leave in open view to teach them a lesson. Of course we would return the items when they were reported stolen. We all pondered that thought for about 3 seconds until we came to our senses and realized that it was a terrible idea. Great in theory maybe, but not in practice!

I once stole a bicycle from a garage. Well, I guess it doesn’t count as stealing because it was my son’s bike and I took it from my own garage to teach him a lesson about leaving the garage door wide open. I had warned him repeatedly that his bicycle was going to get stolen but after my warnings fell deafly upon his ears, I took matters into my own hands and committed the “burglary”. I held out for a week before I gave him his bike back. He subsequently complied with my plea to be less careless.

One of my colleagues was so frustrated with his wife leaving the doors to their home repeatedly unlocked that he decided to create some experiential learning to drive his point home. He left for work (or so she thought) but he was actually casing the house. He waited for her to leave for the grocery store and found that she had left the back door unlocked -- again. Unknown to his wife, He arranged for a co-worker to come over and hide in the house. When she arrived home and walked in, the friend jumped out and grabbed her. To be clear, I don’t condone this extremism and I can assure you that the husband slept on the couch for quite some time afterwards. However, she has not left the house unlocked since.

Sometimes a person has to feel the consequence of something before they understand the lesson. If only we were wise enough to heed the advice that others offer before we have to feel the discomfort. Hindsight always provides such clarity when we come to the realization that we should have listened and changed our behavior. We frequently don’t do that because we all carry an air of infallibility. Bad things only happen to other people. That is, until something bad happens to you. Sometimes the bad things are unpredictable and out of our control. But most of the time, we become victims because of our own carelessness.

We are currently dealing with a burglary problem in our city. While violent crime is the lowest it has been in decades, property crimes continue to be an ongoing battle that our officers are fighting. The frustrating part for police about the burglaries is that a majority of them are preventable. Criminals are looking to prey upon careless people to victimize. They don’t want to work very hard and so they look for an easy steal. Your open garage and car doors provide them with the perfect opportunity.

During our bi-weekly meetings where we address crime statistics, the common theme for most burglaries reveals unlocked doors. Our officers have tried issuing Crime Prevention Notices when we see an open garage door or valuables left in plain view in a vehicle. You may have even been awakened in the middle of the night by one of our midnight shift officers telling you that your garage or front door is open. We are trying to be vigilant for you but there is only so much the police can do to protect your property.

Since we cannot subject you to the aforementioned experiential learning for obvious reasons, I ask that you heed our advice so you don’t become a victim.

Gratitude. Get some.

2011-08-04T08:45:00.002-05:00

Wherever we go, we can find something to complain about. When we are in the throes of the frigid, winter months, we complain about the cold and we long for the heat. When the treacherous 90 degree heat finally arrives, it makes us yearn for a cold front to cool things off.

Every year, my children count down the school days that bring them closer to summer and when it finally arrives, they whine, “I’m sooooo bored!!!” It seems we are by nature, hardwired to see what is wrong rather than what is right in nearly every scenario.

I am often astounded at the spectrum of attitudes when I listen to the viewpoints of my comrades at the police department. The recent contract settlement between the city and police union left some angry and disappointed while the response of others was, “I am grateful to have a job.” Those who choose to see the negative, focus only on the things they lose. In doing so, they become so clouded in their own negativity that they fail to see anything good in a situation. Those who make the choice to feel grateful they are employed with a roof over their head, food on their table, and a job to go to every day, enjoy a sense of peace within them. There are setbacks and disappointments that occur in life for which we have no control; however, we get to choose how we view the situation.

While investigating car accidents throughout my career, I have watched seemingly normal people transform into irrational human beings in response to a “fender bender”. I’ve always made it a point to tell the owners of the vehicles that their cars can be replaced. A car is an inanimate object made of metal but loss of life cannot be resurrected at a body shop. If no one is hurt, be thankful. If no one has died, be grateful they will recover and live to see another day. Every situation we encounter is an opportunity to place it in proper perspective.

Gratitude is such a simple concept and yet it does not come natural to many of us. We think it is an innate emotion but I don’t believe that to be so. I think some people have a natural tendency towards gratitude but the majority of people go through life with lenses that only allow them to see the worst in people and situations.

The field of psychology has been studying the effects of gratitude since 2000. Normally the field focuses on distress rather than on understanding positive emotions but gratitude has become a mainstream focus of research because empirical data has shown that people who are more grateful have higher levels of achievement, well-being, and are more satisfied with their lives and their relationships. According to Greek philosopher Cicero, ““Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.”

I know many police officers who have survived life-threatening situations. Making it through a traumatic experience is sometimes the awakening a person needs to begin practicing gratitude. I say “practice” because the rest of us must make a conscious decision to live our lives being grateful. Energy goes where attention flows so our negative thoughts dictate how we see the world. However, forcing yourself to be grateful will literally alter your perspective. Rather than saying, “I have to ” replace it with, “I get to…” That one simple conscious exercise will begin to bring things into focus.

No formal education can teach you to appreciate what you have so begin your own gratitude experiment. Randomly throughout the day, find ways to express gratitude and make a concerted effort to be completely conscious of what you have. The more you practice gratitude, the more good you will do in the world.

Police should NOT have to parent your child.

2011-06-02T12:58:00.000-05:00

This past week marked the end of the school year for most Aurora students.

This is my favorite time of year as sunshine and blue skies become a consistent feature in the scenic backdrop and warm air stays for more than a fleeting moment. There is a sense of limitless possibility for the months ahead and the kids enjoy more freedom as they are allowed to stay up later and sleep in a little longer. There is still a schedule to be followed but it’s made up of baseball games and summer camps.

For police officers, summer represents something a bit different. It means enforcing noise ordinance violations for loud parties and “thumping” vehicles that disturb the peaceful quality of life for our citizens. The summer months also mean that officers spend a lot of time parenting other people’s children.

The ability for our children to roam freely through the neighborhoods is precisely what we want for them. After all, when we were kids (insert “back in my day” preface), we stayed outside in the summer until the street lights came on and only stopped home briefly for necessary re-fueling in the form of food.

However, a problem occurs when children are given too much freedom with too little supervision. This becomes a police problem because when left to their own devices, some kids will exercise poor judgment that might result in their crossing paths with a police officer. Trespassing, criminal damage, burglary and curfew are some of the crimes associated with youthful offenders.

I subscribe to the notion that nothing good happens after dark. I have tested this theory as a patrol officer over the years and find that I’m rarely wrong. Curfew laws were implemented because someone smarter than I developed this hypothesis long ago. I cannot come up with one reason for a minor to be out past curfew unless they are coming home from a job or a sanctioned school or church event. If those exceptions do not apply, I am inclined to believe that kids roaming the city after hours only means that they are engaged in shenanigans.

For arguments sake, let’s give our angelic kids the benefit of the doubt and assume that they are “playing” aimlessly after hours and not breaking any laws (with the exception of curfew). I am still in strong opposition given the fact that there are people out after dark that might prey upon our innocent children. In other words, the curfew laws exist as much to protect our children as well as ensure that they aren’t engaging in criminal activity themselves. My daughter will often say, “Mom, you can trust me.” To which I respond, “I trust you but I don’t trust other people.” She has little room for rebuttal in that statement. Feel free to adopt that as your own.

If you lived in Davenport, Iowa, you could potentially be punished if your child commits a crime. Davenport adopted a statute to address the wave of juvenile crime they were experiencing and decided that parents should “exercise reasonable control” over their children. Parents can be ordered to attend parenting classes as well as pay hefty fines for their child’s infractions.

This ordinance outlines the importance of parents being accountable for their children. Being a parent means that it is your job to supervise your children. That means knowing where they are at all times. That means taking the time to get to know their friends and making sure they aren’t being subjected to bad influences. Being a parent also means saying “no” when necessary.

The best parents I know impose rules, limitations and expectations upon their children. It is no coincidence that those parents also have good kids.

The "F" Word is not Allowed

2011-05-18T13:30:00.000-05:00

*Appeared in the Sun-Times Beacon News on Sunday, May 22, 2011

Police officers don’t use the “F” word. It’s taboo in our culture and when an officer does slip and incorporate the dreaded word, they open themselves to ridicule from their fellow officers. The “F” word to which I’m referring is feelings.

In the police culture, it’s been imbedded that we cannot show weakness because it is in direct conflict with the image of power and strength we are trying to project. Cops are really good at keeping a “game face” even when confronted with a tragedy that yanks on their heart strings. In some ways, it’s a blessing that most officers develop an emotional shield to protect them from the painful things they’ve seen. The callousness often used to describe a police officer’s lack of feeling is systematically created over many years of being the first responder to scenes of death and destruction. These layers eventually become so thick that some officers don’t have to pretend not to feel anymore – they simply don’t. At least they think they don’t.

In some ways, I see this emotional shield as a necessity for public servants. If doctors, nurses, firefighters and police officers didn’t develop one, they couldn’t sleep through the night without replaying the images over and over again. The fact is that those who say they are unaffected by the devastating tragedies usually find that it manifests in some other aspects of their lives. While they may successfully block the images from their minds, they turn to unhealthy habits that serve as outlets for their pain. But it almost always catches up with them.

One of our officers arrived first on the scene of the fire on Claim Street that took the lives of six people last weekend. He ran into the burning building and tended to victims that didn’t survive. As if that weren’t enough to handle, that same officer had a baby die in his arms the week before as he was administering CPR. When I checked in with him to see how he was doing, he answered, “Fine.”

When someone asks how you are, fine would be an acceptable answer. It means satisfactory. Most people go through life being just fine. If you had to endure what that officer endured, I surmise that you would not be fine. Perhaps he thinks he’s fine but I know he’s not. I know because this stuff gets deep inside your psyche and no matter how much you want to block it out and ignore the pictures that are etched into your memory, they keep coming back. This is the very stuff that changes us over the years. This is why the suicide rates of police officers are double that of the general population--- because they aren’t fine.

Joanne Furnas is the Director of Victims Services at AID and she facilitates stress debriefings for firefighters and police personnel after traumatic incidents. I gave the police officer (the one who said he was fine) her phone number and plead with him to reach out to her. He called me a few hours later to tell me that he had not only called her but she made herself available to him immediately. He shared that his meeting with her was very helpful.

According to Joanne, the officer was minimizing the incident. Because I know Joanne’s no-nonsense method, I was glad to hear that he agreed with her assessment. He went on to tell me the details of the fire through his eyes and said it was “the worst thing he’s ever experienced” in his career.

I think he’s actually on his way to being fine because he sought the help he needed and he’s talking about the pain rather than stifling it. Some might think it’s a weakness to ask for help. In reality, admitting weakness and reaching out for help is a sign of true strength.

Bad Attitudes and Glowworms

2011-05-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

*Appeared in the Sun-Times Beacon News on May 8, 2011

In my third grade classroom there was a poster on the wall that read:

I wish I were a glowworm,

A glowworm's never glum.

'Cuz how can you be grumpy

When the sun shines out your bum!

I didn’t understand what that poem meant until I was in my 20’s, and I had an epiphany about attitude. I was partnered with a veteran officer and two hours into our eight hour shift, I began to realize that that there was not a single thing he enjoyed about his job or his life. Being assigned to ride with me was also a source of contention for him and he wasn’t bashful about telling me so.

I found his disdain for life odd – especially given the fact that it was a beautiful summer day and the few calls we answered were relatively uneventful. As we patrolled the streets, I visualized a dark cloud exclusively over his head in contrast to the sunshine surrounding the rest of us and I laughed out loud as the glowworm poem popped into my head. It was at that moment that I started to understand the effect our attitude has on our entire existence.

Throughout my life, I have been bombarded with lessons about attitude. It’s not what happens to us in life, but the way we respond that makes a difference. If you can’t change a situation, you must change the way you see the situation. I understand these lessons on an intellectual level but conceptually, there are times I find it difficult to find the light when darkness seems to be so overwhelming.

As I gained more experience as a police officer, I began to understand how the metamorphosis from an optimist to a pessimist occurs. I became distrusting of other human beings though not without reason. I had been lied to, spit on, and physically attacked while doing my job. I saw the evil human beings did to one another and started to become suspicious of motives all around me. There was a moment where I quietly challenged my decision to make this my career and I felt my own dark cloud begin to hover.

Because I’ve always been very analytical and self-aware [by my own estimation], I started to pay attention to the negativity of my co-workers and it suddenly became clear that the miserable ones seemed to feed off each other like vultures. They gravitated towards one another because they validated each other’s thoughts and beliefs. They were always victims and they effortlessly found someone else to blame for all that was wrong. Never did they stop to look in the proverbial mirror and ask themselves if they might be part of the problem.

My favorite book is “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. In his book, Frankl writes about his experiences in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. He took particular interest in how some of his fellow prisoners seemed to endure and even thrive, while others gave up and laid down to die. From this, he concluded that, “everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedom is to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances – to choose ones own way.”

We all struggle in some way with things that are completely out of our control. But the way we gain control over these things – even if only attitudinally – is where our freedom lies. We don’t have to experience torture in a concentration camp to apply Frankl’s teachings to our own lives. We each have the freedom to make choices that liberate us from our self-imposed prisons.

If Frankl’s story doesn’t motivate you to choose the way you look at things, maybe you need to surround yourselves with more glowworms.

Our Life Could be 99.9% Over and We Don't Even Know It.

2011-04-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

A passenger of a commuter train in Chicago was robbed of her iPhone last month at the Fullerton “L” stop. The offender struggled with her, eventually snatched her phone, and then fled as the train doors opened to the next stop. That is an unfortunate incident in itself but it doesn’t end there. When making his get-away, the robber ran towards an exit and pushed 68 year old Sally Katona-King as she was walking towards the train platform, knocking down the metal and concrete steps. Katona-King died as a result of her injuries.

Katona-King, a church Deacon ironically, was a victim of circumstance and proximity. Some may find peace in believing that “it was her time”; that her life’s end had been etched in stone with no alteration - that this was her fate. Others believe that life brings forth a sequence of events that unfold by chance and circumstance. They believe that every choice we make as we move throughout our day has an impact on the way things manifest.

Think of the precise moment a fatal car crash occurs. There is one millisecond in time that brings the crashing of two objects together and subsequently alters lives and history. Some people play events backwards after a tragedy and secretly wonder what would have happened if they had turned left instead of right or didn’t stop to get gas. Others avert tragedy and declare that they were supposed to have been in that building that caught fire or on that plane that crashed but something in their plan was altered thereby sparing their existence.

I don’t know where Ms. Katona-King was headed as she moved towards the platform on that fateful day, but what if she had paused to listen to the jazz musicians play on the platform or stopped to buy a newspaper, thereby altering the precise moment that the armed robber crossed her path?

My colleague and friend worked as a fatal traffic investigator for many years and his computer screen-saver had these words: “Your life could be 99.9% over and you don’t even know it.” I thought that was both morbid and disturbing until I reflected upon the powerful reality of that statement. Police officers come to understand this notion very well because we are front line to the gunshot or the crash that abruptly closes the chapter on a life.

Katona-King ultimately died because a thug stole a cell phone. I wonder what would happen if we turned back the clock and the owner of the cell phone altered her actions slightly. This cell phone robbery only made headlines because of the death that resulted but I can assure you that there are hundreds more incidents you don’t hear about because stealing a cell phone isn’t really newsworthy.

I frequently ride the train to Chicago with my family and I am very conscious of the unconsciousness of most of the commuters. Smart phones have become an appendage to the human body and most people walk with their head down, oblivious to their surroundings because they are engaged in a text conversation or they are scrolling through their news feed on Facebook. What if we could prevent these robberies by being aware of our surroundings? What if we made it difficult for those who prey upon others by being astutely conscious of the risks and threats around us?

I cannot say for sure if we have the ability to alter events. It might be a long shot to suggest that simple changes in our routines and habits might change the course of history. But I do believe that we can prevent being a victim by being conscious and smarter in the way we move through the world. Maybe we cannot alter fate, but I think there are some things we can do so we aren’t leaving everything to chance.

A Mom and Some Eggs

2011-04-08T08:14:00.000-05:00

My car got egged on April Fool’s Day. I'm not sure if the date had any significance or if it was just an act of delinquency on a typical Friday night. I surveyed my neighbors and learned that a few of them spent their Saturday morning at the car wash as well. Because there was no permanent damage, neither my neighbors nor I filed a police report.

Upon returning to work on Monday I received a letter of appreciation for two of our officers from a citizen that had been forwarded to me from the Chief. I settled in with my cup of java in eager anticipation to read the compliments bestowed on Aurora's Finest. The letter was from a mother who praised the way our officers handled her teen aged son who had been caught "egging" cars with his friends the previous Friday night.

GASP! Were these the same culprits who chucked perfectly good eggs at my perfectly clean car? I started to relive my emotions when I walked outside and discovered the gooey mess and secretly scolded myself for not filing the police report on Saturday morning. The boys were caught in the adjacent subdivision so there was little disputing these were the same offenders.

After my blood pressure dropped a bit, I continued reading the letter. My mood shifted as I read the emotional words of a mother who was mortified by the actions of her child and very eloquently described the scenario for which the police officers caught her son and his friends. The boys were handcuffed and detained while the officers collected statements from witnesses and victims which is a standard procedure.

The victims of the damage opted not to press charges because the boys had never been in trouble. In a refreshing shift from the norm, the offending teens apologized to each person with humility and sincerity. The police officers (according to mom) used the incident as an opportunity to mentor the kids about the consequences of their actions and what a felony criminal damage conviction would do to their future when it came to applying for colleges and jobs. They reiterated that one bad choice can alter a future in a moment’s time.

My anger dissipated as I read the "sentence" imparted by the boy’s mother. He was required to pay for each of the cars to get washed and his ultimate consequence was that his car (used in the commission of the crime) was to be taken away and subsequently sold.

Because I have children who will be of driving age in less than three years, I empathized with the plight of this mother and the feeling that her child should be punished but relieved that it was going to be by her and not a judge or jury. I often tell my children that my wrath will be far worse than what they will incur from a school official or the law and I detected that the mother who wrote shared the same philosophy.

I'm grateful to the mother for writing to the Chief to describe the excellent job done by our officers. Society tends to focus on what is wrong rather than what is right and it's refreshing to see that someone is paying attention. But I'm even more grateful to this mother for having the courage to shine a spotlight on her son’s actions rather than trying to defend him or displace her anger and ridicule the police for doing their jobs. It is our natural instinct to protect our children when they do something wrong but we must acknowledge objectively when they do and apply consequences. That is good parenting.

Judging from the officers’ described remorse of the boy; I surmise that the harshest punishment of all was knowing that he disappointed his mom.

Privacy and Parenting

2011-03-25T09:51:00.000-05:00

My daughter rolls her eyes every time I ask to speak with the parent of the friend with whom she is making plans. She has a similar reaction when I ask her to call me from the land-line of the home she is visiting so I can make sure she is where she is supposed to be. Naturally, this falls into my “trust but verify” philosophy and even though she’s only in Junior High, my intention is to get her used to my parenting style for her upcoming high school years.

Now that I am embarking on being the parent of a teenager, I feel as though I’ve earned the right of passage to use the phrase, “Back in my day.” Back in my day, my parents’ greatest challenge (from my vantage point of-course) was my tying up the home telephone while talking to my best friend for hours at a time. Things were pretty transparent back then and the worst breach of privacy was my mom reading a handwritten note that I inadvertently left in the pocket of my jeans that made it to the laundry. If we weren’t careful with these secret notes they even got intercepted by teachers from time to time !

Today we have to contend with cell phones that are used to rack up enormous amounts of text-messages back and forth. Kids can delete their texts thereby erasing any evidence of malfeasance. Their Facebook in-boxes contain their inner-most thoughts and even the most attentive parents can be completely ignorant to the teenage underworld because technology provides the venue to be secretive.

Having cops as parents mean my children are subject to searches at any time. It is not unlike me to randomly say, “Hand over your phone” and inspect a sampling of text messages when the urge strikes me. My daughter thinks this is a privacy breach but I disagree. I tell her that I pay for her phone and the bill for her unlimited texting capabilities so I have full access to the content. If she were to pay for her own services, I might capitulate to her privacy argument. By the time she is able to pay her own way, I surmise that she’ll be in her late 20’s and my vested interest in her communication will have waned.

As I wrote in a previous column, my daughter doesn’t have a Facebook page--- yet. She will be getting one in a few months when she turns 13. However, I will ensure that she has “friended” me so I can see her news feed. I do vow to practice restraint from posting anything that would embarrass her on her wall but I will be voyeuristic in my pursuits. Furthermore, I will insist on her password in the event I want to check her in-box. Once again, I apply the same logic. I pay for the computer and the internet therefore I own the content.

There are some parents who believe kids should be given the same privacy rights as adults. As a police officer, I have come to the conclusion over the years that this philosophy is good in theory but not in practice. The parents who claim to “respect privacy” are usually the last ones to know why the police are knocking at their door. Worse yet, they might not see a serious problem involving drugs or bullying that their child is having before it is too late.

There is a fine line between being an informed parent and giving your children space. I try very hard to balance it so they can make and learn from their own mistakes in judgment while simultaneously protecting them from harm. As parents, it is our responsibility to be intrusive in our child’s lives --- even if it they deem it unfair. Remember, you are their parent - not their friend.

Scolded by a Citizen

2011-03-10T15:07:00.000-06:00

Mary lives on Aurora’s east side. I’ve never met her but she left me a long voice mail telling me she was disappointed by my last column about officers and self-initiated activity.

If you recall, a suburban Police Chief mandated that his officers make two traffic stops during their shifts. My position was that it is a shame that police management has to resort to forcing officers to do the work they should already be doing.

But my position is not what upset Mary. She felt my tone was sarcastic and said it had a “biting edge”. I was very bothered by her assessment because it wasn’t my intent to sound sarcastic. In fact, I usually apply my gift of sarcasm quite purposefully and this was not one of those times! Her comments made me wonder if I’d missed the mark completely, so I called her to get some more insight on what upset her.

Mary was a bit shocked that I called her back and even apologized for leaving the scolding voice-mail. I assured her that she need not apologize for her own interpretation of my words. Because I am not a writer by trade, I often wonder if my message is being conveyed in the most appropriate way and I rely on the feedback I receive (both good and bad) to generate discussion. Mary did not shy away from respectful dissension. She said it was unsettling for her to hear me talk about targeting criminal activity through traffic stops and took exception to this excerpt:

“Some feel that the premise of the contact is to find something wrong and I readily admit that it is. I’ve never heard of a police officer pulling someone over to tell them that they are doing a really good job driving their car. Make no mistake--- these contacts are to find illegal activity.”

Looking at my words from another vantage point, I can see how the tone might have been perceived as sarcastic. I regret that. I was simply trying to make a no-nonsense point that we find stolen property, guns, persons wanted on warrants, etc. through traffic enforcement. I assumed that most law abiding citizens were comfortable with this method because they know it results in busting criminals.

My assumption was wrong. I’m sure there are more “Mary’s” out there who felt the same way but weren’t compelled to pick up the phone and tell me about it. Mary feels that targeting people through traffic stops is the wrong way to go about finding criminal activity. She is more in favor of police officers engaging citizens by building relationships with them. She described the walking beat cop and said, “the officer should be a friend rather than looking for a crime.” Mary didn’t appear to be soft on crime, however. Her theory is that in building these relationships, officers are alerted to crime.

Mary is exactly right. What she is describing is the Community Policing philosophy that has been proven in both theory and practice that developing partnerships with the community benefits both the citizens and the police. Citizens who take responsibility for their neighborhoods and work with the police see dramatic improvements. In taking the time to get to know each other, trust develops and communication ensues. Crime reduction through innovation and problem-solving is a natural consequence.

However, that is just one component to fighting crime. I must say unapologetically that one of the reasons crime has dropped to an all time low in Aurora is because our officers are aggressively pursuing gang members and criminals who commit violent crimes. We have to be relentless in our pursuit against those who exist to terrorize our community.

Building relationships is invaluable. So is aggressive police work. Even more important are Aurorans like Mary who are vested in this city and care enough to suggest that we can have both.

Self-Initiated Contacts

2011-02-26T21:41:00.001-06:00

I recently posted a link to an article on my Facebook page that generated quite a bit of spirited discussion amongst my cyberspace cronies. The article from Officer.com highlighted the initiative by Chief William Clay of the Belleville, IL, Police Department directing his officers to make two self-initiated contacts in their 12-hour shifts.

“Self-initiated contacts” are simply contacts with the public primarily through traffic stops though they can also occur through field-stops. Field-stops are when an officer stops a person who is walking and makes contact with them to ensure that they are not engaged in criminal activity.

For some citizens, self-initiated contacts automatically conjure up the notion of a “quota”. Those of us in policing have learned how dirty the “Q” word is for citizens. When I was in the ticket-writing business before my dangerous desk job, I would often be accused of writing a ticket only to fulfill the police department’s quota. I took the time to explain that the Aurora Police Department does not have quotas and would justify (while making a conscious effort not to sound sarcastic) that the ticket I was issuing had everything to do with the receiving party’s infraction rather than moving another bead on the abacus. The quota accusation ranks up there with the “Why don’t you go mess with the real criminals and leave me alone?” question that only further serves to illustrate the lack of responsibility for ones actions – but I digress.

Chief Clay described the new initiative as a method of getting his officers more engaged with the public in order to address crime. This is a pleasant way of saying that contacts through traffic stops are an effective way of locating criminal activity through warrant arrests, drug possession arrests, and others. The Chief is absolutely correct in that the more contacts his officers make the probability of finding criminal activity increases.

Law abiding citizens probably have no issue with police officers increasing traffic stops Because mandatory contacts do not require the officer to take action, discretion is still within the officers’ purview so getting stopped does not necessarily mean a ticket will be issued. Most law abiding people are on board with any initiative aimed at curbing criminal activity.

Police Officers have mixed feelings about this mandate. When I was in patrol, we had a similar directive from our Commander who required us to make one traffic stop a day. I recall some of my colleagues being defiant about the directive but I also remember thinking that it wasn’t a lot to ask of an officer to make one traffic stop in an 8-hour shift. I still feel that way. Many people in the private sector have jobs that require them to meet objectives set forth by their boss. Asking officers to make more contacts is not much different than a company setting a sales goal. Private companies concentrate on profit as the bottom line. Our bottom line is reducing crime.

Some feel that the premise of the contact is to find something wrong and I readily admit that it is. I’ve never heard of a police officer pulling someone over to tell them that they are doing a really good job driving their car. Make no mistake--- these contacts are to find illegal activity. Therein lies the issue with some citizens in mandating a certain number of contacts. Will it lead an officer pulling over someone committing an infraction that would normally be overlooked because of apathy? Maybe. But that is why police officers are not very popular - because they are enforcing the law and holding people accountable.

My position is that it’s a shame that officers have to be forced to do their job by putting these arbitrary numbers in place. We shouldn’t have to mandate officers to carry out the oath they were sworn to uphold.

For the Aurora Citizen - Third Time is a Charm

2011-01-29T09:25:00.001-06:00

I have heard the “third time is the charm”. Although I’ve never been well versed in statistics, I am conducting an experiment to determine its validity.

This is the third column I have dedicated to you, the Aurora citizen, on the importance of locking your car and your home to prevent those individuals who cannot help themselves to supplement their material possessions by stealing yours.

My second column on this topic was delivered with “tough love”. Looking back, I see now that my tone was harsh and scolding but I thought that method was well suited to break your pattern of complacency. At our most recent CompStat meeting, a venue where we report on crime trends in the City, each Lieutenant reported that burglary is still the overwhelming problem in their respective areas.

This should not surprise you. Historically we have noted that when the economy is in the tank, it brings with it a rise in property crimes. One does not have to be an astute criminologist to understand that desperate times often result in desperate acts. However, each Lieutenant also reported that an overwhelming percentage of burglary victims admitted that their vehicles or residences were unlocked at the time of the crime.

My scolding obviously did not result in a change in your behavior. Since I’m not one to give up easily, I will now appeal to you in softer tones. I’ve decided to make a plea to those of you living in the “it won’t happen to me world.” PLEASE stop leaving your doors unlocked, your garages open, and your GPS devices, iPods, and other valuables inside your vehicles in plain view so that thieves won’t steal them!

Crime cannot exist without opportunity. You, my fellow Aurora citizen, continue to provide the crucial component of opportunity for criminals to victimize you. The most successful cops I know have the ability to think like a criminal. Years of experience in dealing with crime and criminals allow them insight into the dark side of the human psyche. Please join me in that journey for just a moment.

Imagine that you are an experienced thief. We’ll call you “Five Fingers <insert your name here>. You make a living stealing from others. You prey upon the poor, oblivious souls who are careless with their property and you seek them out. You wait for the cover of darkness and head out to a neighborhood that doesn’t have a lot of traffic. You dress in dark clothing to blend into the night armed with a back-pack. You simply walk along the cars parked in the street, peering into vehicles and inconspicuously checking door handles. Alas! You find an unlocked door and quickly duck into the vehicle undetected. Inside, you discover a garage-door opener. You stuff it into your back-pack and make a mental note of the address in the event you decide to return when no one is home – but that’s for another day…

You continue down the street, pleased with the high number of unlocked vehicles. Your back-back is getting heavy from the purse, laptop, camera, and other valuables you stole so you call it a night. You walk boldly down the street to your car that is parked a few streets over.

Even if someone saw you, they will rarely think anything of it because you don’t do anything overtly “suspicious”. You have learned over the years that people will second-guess themselves and ultimately do nothing. That is, until the following morning when neighbors swap stories about being burglarized. Only then will someone remember seeing a person walking down the street with a back-pack. By then, you will be home making plans to visit a different neighborhood.

Through my “third time is the charm” role-playing experiment, my hope is that you will begin to think like a criminal as a means to prevent being victimized.

If you don’t, I’m out of ideas.

Practical Wisdom

2011-01-13T20:05:00.001-06:00

Aristotle theorized that practical wisdom--- having the moral will to do the right thing coupled with the skill to know what the right thing is--- was the highest virtue one could attain.

In their book “Practical Wisdom”, authors Kenneth Sharpe and Barry Schwartz detail the psychology behind Aristotle’s theory and its application to real life and the way institutions are managed. They found most employees of organizations have to choose between doing the quick or expected thing, over doing the right thing because they feel as though they do not have the autonomy or authority to choose the right thing if it conflicts with production or operations.

I couldn’t help but make the correlation to police work since there are specific sets of policies that dictate how police officers are to respond to given situations. A great example is an officer who is dispatched to a residence for a conflict between neighbors. In the interest of time (productivity), officers are expected to handle the call and move onto the next one so the calls don’t back up. The very least the officer will do if there are no arrests to be made is to write a report documenting the incident and moving on. In doing so, nothing has been done to solve the problem and we will most likely be called back as the tension escalates.

This pressure for productivity overrides the logical approach one might take in mediating the conflict. A better approach might be to learn the root of the problem and discussing the underlying issues with the parties involved. Sometimes misunderstandings are the catalyst for incidents that turn violent and can be diffused with some effort. This is why the judgment of the officer is crucial. The moral will to want to right a wrong must be coupled with the officer’s skill in knowing if the participants are reasonable enough to work on the issue.

Some officers might believe that practical wisdom is impossible to apply because we cannot overcome the culture of policing that pressures officers to be rapid in their response to calls. It can be problematic to spend time getting to the root of a problem because of other citizens waiting for their calls to be answered. Because we have always considered rapid response as an imperative, changing the culture is challenging.

During his research, Aristotle studied the great craftsmen of his time. He was particularly fixated on the artisans who built columns and structures. The craftsmen quickly learned that it was difficult to use a ruler to measure the cylinder-shaped columns so they figured out a way to bend the ruler so it wrapped around the column. This bended rule is what we know today as a tape measure.

This analogy is quite powerful because it speaks to the practical wisdom that Aristotle felt was applicable to all human beings abilities to adapt to their surroundings and come up with solutions to specific issues. Policing is no different. We want to empower our police officers to determine that each situation is unique and problem-solving requires the moral aptitude and skill to do what is best in that particular situation. When dealing with human beings, we have to be able to exercise judgment and adaptation to allow the best outcome.

However, Schwartz and Sharpe point out that no matter how specific the rules, there will never be an absolute approach that fits all situations. This is indicative of policing by the level of discretion afforded our officers as they carry out their duties.

The most important aspect of the “bended rule” is the moral will. It is not enough to be a skilled craftsman or a skilled police officer if ones moral compass is askew. Applying discretion to serve yourself is a form of manipulation and so the only adaptation made in any situation should be with the service of others in mind.

8 Police Officers and the Void they Leave

2010-12-30T14:02:00.004-06:00

Effective January 1, 2011, we will lay off eight patrol officers - 8 members of our police family.

These eight officers chose the noble profession of law enforcement believing that they would spend their careers with the Aurora Police Department.

They have been members of our family for several years and there is no easy way to watch them walk out the door. As each of them hand over their equipment within the next few days, the reality becomes painfully intolerable.

There are many fingers pointing blame in all different directions and the mud being slung only means that no one walks away clean, but none of that really matters. How we got here and who is to blame only adds distraction to the fact that our brothers and sisters in blue will leave a void of great magnitude in our police department.

As the Commander of the Patrol Division - where each of these officers are assigned - I can confidently state that their individual contributions to our police department will not be forgotten.

We must continue our police mission because that is the oath we have taken. But we do so with Officer Ray Morris, Officer Scott Carter, Officer Steven Pacenti, Officer Chris Moore, Officer Mark Carey, Officer Aendri Decker, Officer Erin Lapp and Officer Kyle Hoffman in our thoughts and as part of our history. Godspeed.

Courage versus Bravery

2010-12-30T09:21:00.000-06:00

There is no shortage of bravery in the Aurora Police Department. I have worked alongside of many men and women throughout my career who did not hesitate to run towards the sound of gunfire or to jump fences in pursuit of an armed suspect.

I originally believed the law enforcement profession attracted these “fearless” individuals who think nothing of putting their own lives on the line for strangers in the name of preserving justice. Since bravery is the ability to persevere despite fear, pain, and risk of danger, it would seem that those without bravery need not apply.

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that bravery is not as difficult as it seems. Ask any person who has put themselves at risk to help another and they will tell you that they simply acted without thought. When a person falls, it is our instinct to extend an arm and help. This is why a soldier or police officer often refutes accolades after an act of heroism by responding, “I was just doing my job.”

Because it is inherent in our nature to help each other, we are all just “doing our jobs” as human beings. The only difference between police officers and the common citizen is the hours of training that make officers more confident and equipped to face dangerous situations. As Aristotle pointed out, we become brave by doing brave acts.

I’m sure many will dispute this belief by saying that they could never do the job of a police officer or firefighter. Over the years, I’ve heard many people say that confronting a suspect in a home invasion or running into a home engulfed in flames is not on their list of things to accomplish. I challenge that when confronted with a situation where you must act immediately in order to prevent a catastrophe or save a life, most would do so without pausing to consider the risk.

Bravery is not as difficult as it appears to be. Courage on the other hand, is quite rare. Bravery and courage are often used synonymously but they are not the same. Physical bravery is to act upon instinct while moral courage is the thing that sets the truly courageous apart from all the others. It can manifest in seemingly minuscule ways or it can be magnificent in magnitude. It is the strength to stand firmly grounded while those around you scurry to align themselves to the majority opinion.

The “Thin Blue Line” is an emblem representing the camaraderie of police officers signifying their unity and solidarity. Over the years, the term has taken on a negative connotation and may now depict corruption and cover-up of those officers who tarnish the badge. Fortunately, policing has evolved whereby the thin blue line of protecting those corrupt officers has faded considerably because of courageous police leaders who in their own organizations have declared it intolerable. Even more courageous are the line level officers who stand up in defiance of corruption and boldly police themselves and their comrades.

Being courageous might simply mean thinking differently from everyone else and declaring as much. It is more common for a person to avoid promoting viewpoints outside the comfort zone of consensus thinking for fear of being seen as foolish, to avoid embarrassing themselves, or angering other members of a group. Cowardliness is choosing to protect one’s own interest rather than opposing an injustice. True courage means doing what you know is right, even at personal risk.

Resolve this New Year to practice more courage. Resolve to fight the urge to sit in silence when you know you should be speaking out. Resolve to stand up against a wrong when you know it would be easier to allow it to occur. Resolve to defend someone who deserves defending even if it will make you uncomfortable or unpopular. By practicing courage, you will become courageous.

Solution to Red Light Cameras: Don't Run It!

2010-12-07T07:16:00.000-06:00

When I first learned of our city’s implementation of red-light cameras, I was vehemently opposed. Not because I saw them as a revenue generator, as has been the main accusation against them, but rather, I saw them as taking away discretion from police officers. For example, if an officer pulls you over for a traffic light violation, he or she might find it more advantageous to issue a warning rather than a citation. I know in my patrol career, I weighed many factors before deciding which course of action would ultimately change a driver’s behavior — which is the ultimate goal of law enforcement at its very core.

After the cameras were installed, I asked our Traffic Division supervisor, Sgt. Scott Mantzke, to educate me on the cameras and the ticketing process. Operating under full disclosure, I offered my trepidation. Sgt. Mantzke proceeded to show me how he and his staff watch each video and view still photos of each violation to determine if a ticket should be issued. He explained that questionable infractions are not ticketed, thereby blowing my discretion complaint out of the water. I then accompanied him to several citizen meetings where he gave a presentation on the cameras.

I learned quickly about the many concerns to quell. For example, some felt as though rear-end collisions would go up as a result of stopping quickly at a red-light camera intersection. They haven’t. A comparative analysis shows that rear-end collisions have not increased. Another complaint was that the yellow lights do not allow for adequate stopping time. They do. Each stoplight is set to show yellow for a minimum of four seconds in a 30-mph zone. If you are traveling the speed limit, physics proves that you will be able to stop in 2.4 seconds. If you are speeding, it takes longer. It was interesting how each presentation to the community started out with the audience thrusting their hands up in the air to voice their concern. The hands slowly went down as each myth was dispelled.

One gentleman identified himself as an attorney and offered to the audience that he received a red-light violation in the mail and could recall the precise moment he traveled through the intersection. He was adamant that he cleared the yellow light and planned to fight the ticket. Because a ticketed driver can go to a website where they are able to view their violation, he did so confidently. The scenario that played out in his mind’s eye was very different than the footage that showed him blatantly running the red light. He hung his head and paid the ticket.

I found the same reaction from those who chose to fight their ticket in front of a hearing officer. I sat in during one of the sessions and watched as each driver pleaded not guilty only to be shown the video. Upon watching one video where a female obviously drove through a red light, the hearing officer looked puzzled as to why she was pleading not guilty and asked if she had any explanation. The female lowered her mouth into the microphone and stated, “I was going to buy beer” and then quickly fled the courtroom. The audience roared with laughter. Her comedic performance was a hit but she was still cited.

Part of the problem is that we have been conditioned to speed up when the light turns yellow. This means that we have to re-program the way we drive. Red-light cameras don’t eliminate crashes as evidenced by the terrible accidents we have captured on video due to someone running a red light. They do, however, reduce the risk. Some might still believe it’s a revenue generator. To those people I simply state, don’t run the red light.

Stereotypes does cops disservice

2010-11-08T13:36:00.003-06:00

I haven’t had my coffee yet so please bear with me as I spew forth some of my pet peeves through my lens as a police officer.

As in many professions, I’m sure there are things that get under your skin as it pertains to your work at hand. For example, those who work for the United States Post Office likely have abhorrent feelings when they hear the phrase, “going postal”. It’s an unfair generalization and a negative stereotype that those in the postal profession must endure.

I’m sensitive to these generalizations because I have had to sometimes smile politely after telling others what I do for a living. When I inform them I’m a police officer, I’m often met with, “YOU, are a police officer? You’re so small!!” My canned response is generic laughter with the playful comeback, “I may be small but I can maim you in 17 different ways.” Surely I jest but it is quite frustrating to be judged on physical stature. Now that I spend more time in an office, I tell people not to worry because I leave the real policing to the muscular police officers on the street. (The only thing I have wrestled with since entering a management position is a stubborn staple and a staple remover. I always win though.)

While I’m venting, I speak on behalf of all police officers when I say that parents should stop telling their young children that the police will arrest them if they don’t behave. I have been enjoying a meal while on duty when parents at the next table point to me and say, “You see that police officer, Johnny? She’s going to arrest you if you don’t clean your plate!” This is just one of the many examples I’ve heard over the years. (My favorite was a father who told his son that I had handcuffs and would use them on him if he didn’t stop wetting his bed at night.)

I realize that this may seem like a harmless threat imposed upon children with the intent to get them to fall in line. In reality, it only serves to make children afraid of the police. We work very hard to teach children to trust police officers so if they find themselves in danger, they will seek us out. The conditioning that occurs by well-meaning parents is counter-productive and actually does us and your child a disservice. If children fear we will put them in jail for not cleaning behind their ears, they won’t come to us when they are in trouble. If you are a parent that has done this at some time, don’t worry. Just make it a point to set the record straight. It’s your job to get your kids to eat the green stuff and brush and floss - not ours.

My coffee is still brewing so I will continue my rant…

If you ever have the unfortunate experience of getting pulled over for a traffic violation, please don’t ask the officer if they have better things to do. Furthermore, please do not utter, “Why don’t you go after the real criminals?” If you ask any police officer, you will most likely hear that the least favorite part of their job is writing tickets. Unfortunately, we have to uphold all of the laws - not just the felonious ones. This means that if you are caught speeding or running a red light, we must use enforcement. I realize that committing a traffic violation does not make you a dangerous criminal. However, traffic laws are enforced to prevent serious injury or death from car accidents. Although it may seem like we are targeting law abiding citizens, I assure you that we do it with your safety in our minds and try to convince you to correct your behavior.

My coffee is done brewing and I am done spewing.

The Dark Side of Facebook

2010-10-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

I am the meanest mom on the planet. If you don’t believe me, ask my 12 year old daughter. She recently advised me that she is the only person at her middle school that doesn’t have a Facebook page. I found this difficult to believe and set out with a series of interrogating questions to prove that there is at least one other middle school student that doesn’t have a Facebook page, thereby negating her argument that she stands alone. Judging by her face, I clearly missed the point of her message.

I explained to her that the Facebook terms and conditions clearly state that you must be 13 years of age to have an account. I do not judge other parents who allow their children under the appropriate age to partake, but the argument that “everyone else’s parents lets them...” falls deafly upon my ears because I have never altered my principles based on what others are doing (or not doing).

Truth be told, I don’t even believe that 13 is an appropriate age to have a Facebook page. I am keeping an open mind about allowing her to access the site when she turns 13 in ten months but that will depend greatly upon her maturity and will also come with stipulations. Since social networking has exploded into our daily lives, the world has become more flattened. We can talk to people from different countries via video conferencing and digital communication. We are removing barriers with other parts of the world by meeting in one place to discuss ideas and share our blogs. There is much to be said about all the positive aspects of connectivity but there is a dark side that cannot be ignored or discounted.

A venue for sharing pictures and status updates can quickly become a cesspool for cyber-bullying and harassment. Bullying has been an epidemic since schools have been existence and those who suffer at the hands of harassers now have to contend with a digital venue. Before the digital age, bullying and harassment were confined to the school yards. As if that were not enough, it is now even easier to torment a victim through social networks because the bully (who is often a coward beneath the exterior) can hide behind a computer screen to impart even more damage through sheer volume.

Tormenters are becoming cleverer in the way they victimize their prey. It is not uncommon for kids to “post” altered pictures of a person, create a fake page of their victim on Facebook, or threaten violence. These messages and postings are read by everyone in the network and if you have had occasion to check out the Facebook page of a high-schooler near you, there is no shortage of connections.

I’ve heard some people pass it off with the “kids will be kids” mantra. I reject this vehemently because we are seeing a number of teen suicides that can be linked to cyber-bullying. Nine teens were charged in connection with the death of a 15-year-old Massachusetts girl who committed suicide after weeks of bullying on Facebook and at her high school. The bullying included disagreements over teen romances at school and it continued with taunting text messages and harassing postings on Facebook.

The police are discovering a new realm of methodology in the commission of crimes and appropriate laws are being enacted to make electronic harassment illegal. But that doesn’t change the fact that parents need to police their kids’ Facebook pages and text messages and look for anything unsettling. If my daughter gets a Facebook account, she can be assured that my terms and conditions are that I have access to her site and privacy is not an option. As parents, we can be far too trusting when it comes to our child’s cell phones and in-boxes.

As for being labeled the meanest mom in the world, I’m okay with that.

Don't Over-Share!

2010-09-24T11:21:00.001-05:00

*Appeared in the Sun-Times Beacon News

The number of Facebook users has exceeded the United States population. The online social network is fast becoming the most powerful social interaction tool in the world. It closes the gap between friends and family from across the miles and allows us to get to know our neighbors a little better.

Some argue that Facebook allows people to hide behind their computers rather than have real, social interaction with others. I disagree. I see it as another communication tool that enhances the relationships we form with our friends and acquaintances. In our busy lives, we don’t get to connect with those we care about as often as we would like so Facebook is a nice way to stay in touch. We share our thoughts in the form of a status update, we link videos and articles that resonate with us, and we post our vacation pictures in real time.

Although posting vacation pictures is a great way for others to share in our travel experience, believe it or not, it also puts us at risk for thugs breaking into our homes and robbing us blind. (You had to know I was going to take it down this road!) It is so tempting to share our hardships while in the security line at the airport and then post the picture of the long awaited umbrella drink as soon as we’ve landed at our destination. I am guilty of this myself. In fact, I fell into a false sense of security because I assumed that since my profile is set to “private”, unauthorized people will not see my content. However, after sitting down with a computer guru for a few minutes I quickly learned that my assumption was incorrect. Hacking Facebook is a cottage industry and does not pose much of a challenge for a tech savvy individual with dishonorable intent.

Websites are now popping up that prey on unsuspecting Facebook and Twitter users. A website created by a Danish web developer uses what people post on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to reveal the location of empty homes. (The site shall remain nameless because I refuse to give the developers a free plug.) The site works by sifting through status updates to pinpoint users who are advertising their vacation destinations. Once they’ve hacked into a page, it’s not difficult to pinpoint a location by searching a name in one of the many Internet search engines. You would be astounded how easy it is to determine where a person lives from the white pages on-line or from real estate transactions that are easily searchable with merely a name.

Facebook is making it even easier to share locations with your connections with the introduction of a new feature called “places”. If you are using Facebook on a smart phone, the internal GPS sniffs the air for local Wi-Fi networks and compares them to a map of known network locations. If you are at the movies, your phone will quickly figure out which cinema you are in. While it won’t identify that you are in Theater 5 watching a Steven Seagal film, it is easy to surmise that you will be gone from your home for roughly two hours. Armed with that knowledge, I could conceivably break into your home in that time frame and steal your belongings before you’ve had the chance to wipe the popcorn butter from your chin.

People use these technologies to connect with friends and find things that may be of interest to them. The risk comes when too much information is put out there. Be conscious of over-sharing, the potential risk that might result, and the unintended consequences.

We all want to see the pictures from your family reunion in Tulsa, but it might be smarter to share after you get home.

Play Like You Practice

2010-09-10T13:40:00.001-05:00

Before Jim Carrey catapulted to fame on the big screen he was a cast member on the sitcom, “In Living Color”. He portrayed a character named Fire Marshal Bill whose scarred face and safety advisories included demonstrating (usually on himself) the very disaster he was warning against. The slapstick comedy was a hilarious parody of Fire Marshals everywhere which is why I began looking for similarities when I met real life Fire Inspector Marty Wolding.

I’ve been attending school safety inspections throughout Aurora as a police representative and I wondered if anyone else at the meetings was attempting to parallel Fire Marshal Bill with Fire Inspector Marty. Fortunately for the well being of every school-aged child in the City of Aurora, Marty bears no similarities to Jim Carrey’s character. (My thoughts otherwise were only short-lived senses of private amusement in my own head which is not uncommon for me).

In fact, Fire Inspector Marty takes his job very seriously. This is evidenced by the posse of school officials that follow him around school campuses scribbling feverishly as he barks out the not-so-obvious hazards along the way. I don’t think like a firefighter so he has my undivided attention when he points out the seemingly harmless dangers in the school environment. During our visit to a west side elementary school, Inspector Marty advised the principal that the artwork on the walls was nearing the 50% accumulation rule and no more could be affixed. He explained that if the artwork were to ignite, the paper would accelerate the flames and sternly advised that flames travel faster than people. At one point, Marty actually began removing chains made of construction paper because they were dangling in a hallway corridor. What I see as children’s’ art, he sees as a fire hazard and makes no apologies for removing anything that would compromise the safety and well being of a child.

I attend these meetings with several other police officers so we can offer a perspective on the procedures to take should a dangerous incident occur on school grounds. Police officers and fire fighters are first responders but the situation dictates who will take the lead. When responding to a fire, the police assist the firefighters to make their jobs easier. Conversely, if an incident is criminal in nature, the fire department will stage on the scene and follow our lead. Since we work in tandem, it is crucial that these inspections are attended by representatives from each of our respective professions.

You may not often think of the planning and preparation that goes into critical incident training. You may not even know that your child had a fire or lockdown drill since school went back in session. Most people don’t concern themselves with preparedness because they honestly believe that tragedies only happen to other people. That very mind-set could be the difference between life and death and so it is imperative that you talk with your kids about the importance of these drills.

People like Fire Inspector Marty, along with scores of dedicated Aurora firefighters and police officers, work very hard behind the scenes to make sure tragedies are prevented. We work even harder to prepare ourselves and our schools should a serious incident occur. We also encourage school officials to impress upon their staffs the seriousness of the drills. First responders have learned that you play like you practice so it is crucial that school administration lead the charge in getting as close to perfect as possible.

I was very pleased to hear from my daughter that they had a drill at her school and had to run through it again because they weren’t quiet enough. In a real disaster, that school will be prepared thanks to a dedicated staff who understand the importance of training. In the police and fire professions we believe the more you sweat in training the less you will bleed in battle.

2010-08-25T20:58:00.000-05:00

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

A Little Empathy Goes a Long Way

2010-08-25T20:54:00.000-05:00

My best friend’s father has owned a business in a surrounding city for nearly 30 years. Like many small businesses in this economic climate, he has been forced with the difficult task of closing his doors. With this comes the harsh reality of displacing his employees – one of whom has worked for him for 15 years. Unfortunately, this employee did not take the news very well and his anger at the situation manifested in the form of threats of violence against my friend’s father.

He called and told me that he has had to fire many employees over the life of his business but none left him with such an unsettling feeling as did this employee. For the first time, he felt as though a person was capable of harming him.

Workplace violence is a very real phenomenon as evidenced by the recent shooting of 8 people by a disgruntled employee in Connecticut. For this reason, I advised my friend’s father to call his local police department to report the incident.

But this column is not about workplace shootings. It’s about police service and how one interaction with an officer can formulate a reputation about that police department – and all police officers.

When the officer responded, my friend’s father explained the words and actions that lead him to believe that his employee may be capable of coming back to harm him. The police officer’s response was this: “You may as well hire a body guard because the police can’t protect you 24/7.”

Because I think like a cop, I will admit to you that the very same thought has crossed my mind in some situations. In fact, when people are victims of property crimes and ask for a full forensic work up, I have to fight the urge to make a sarcastic statement about watching too much C.S.I.

But then I remind myself that no matter how many similar reports I have taken, there are human beings that were victimized and the crimes against them are significant and singular to them. Now, I know for sure that my friend’s father was under no illusion that the police were going to provide him with a 24-hour bodyguard. He wanted the incident documented in the event that the employee returned. Furthermore, he needed some direction from a person who was equipped to give him some advice about keeping himself safe. What he didn’t need was a cop who seemed bothered by the fact he had to show up.

I realize that poor attitudes are not exclusive to the police profession. I have had many encounters in my role as a customer or client when I wondered how the person assisting me had come to loathe his job so much. I suppose it has less to do with the job and more to do with his or her overall attitude about life in general but that is a column for someone in the field of psychology.

Most people are reasonable and understand that a police officer cannot solve all of their problems. What citizens come to expect, however, is an attitude of service when they encounter a police officer. Service comes in many different forms but the most effective thing a police officer can do is provide people with a sense of empathy for their plight. It wouldn’t have taken much for that officer to tell my friend’s father that his fears were understandable and provide him with some tangible resources and reassurance that the police where there to assist him.

The most successful police officers I know have achieved levels of success by treating people with dignity and respect – whether it is a citizen to whom they are providing a service or a person who breaks the law. An important lesson for police officers is that people will forget what you said, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Going Above and Beyond

2010-08-25T20:49:00.001-05:00

I know that Aurora Police officers provide excellent service to the citizens of Aurora on a daily basis. If you are rolling your eyes, perhaps you were the unfortunate recipient of a traffic citation or other incident of misfortune. Even so, I believe the majority of the police officers you encounter are polite and professional even when enforcing the law. Like your own profession, there are only a small percentage of police officers that skew the perspective with a bad attitude.

Despite the overwhelming majority of good police officers, unfortunately it is the negative encounters we remember much the same way we tell more people about bad customer service we have received in a restaurant or a store than we do about good service. Being treated badly evokes such emotion that we go out of our way to warn anyone who will listen about a negative experience. As customers, we expect good service and when it is delivered we simply go about our lives without giving it much thought. If you are like me, you will make a mental note to express thanks for good service but then never follow through. My head is filled with good intentions but thought that does not follow action may as well not have been a thought at all.

When someone does take the time out of their busy day to compose a note or an e-mail for good service they have received from the Aurora Police Department, I am always extremely grateful. Deb Czajka, a kindergarten teacher and mother of two, probably doesn’t have a lot of free time in her schedule. And yet, she found the time to write a letter about an encounter she had with Aurora Police Officer James Zegar.

On a recent afternoon, Deb noticed the air in one of her mother’s car tires was very low so she followed her to a nearby gas station to inflate the tire. Deb was having difficulty with the air pump when she spotted a squad car parked nearby. She rapped on the window and asked Officer Zegar to assist her. According to Deb, he willingly assisted, inflating the tire while educating her about the equipment.

Officer Zegar noticed that Deb’s children were craning their necks from inside the car and asked if they would like to come talk to him. She told him her six year old would love to meet him but her three year old was afraid of police officers for reasons unbeknownst and may have some reservations. She described Officer Zegar as being genuinely concerned that her youngest son was fearful so he set out to change that impression. He allowed both boys to “help” him inflate the tire and then allowed them inside his squad car where they got to turn on the overhead lights. She offered this:

“A casual observer might wonder why a police officer would help to fill a tire or take the time to play with kids while on-duty. I would tell that person that Officer Zegar was building community relations with my mother and me. He was also educating my children. Through his kindness and actions Officer Zegar set a wonderful example for my six year old and reaffirmed his idea that police officers are “really cool” and helpful people..”

In Deb’s letter, she said that Officer James Zegar made a difference in her life through his willingness to assist her outside of an emergency. Think about the magnitude of that statement. The single most compelling thing a person can do is to make a difference in the life of another. Police officers have the opportunity to do that every day by going above and beyond what is expected of them.

Come to think of it, we all do.

When You Think No One is Looking...

2010-05-21T16:20:00.002-05:00

I received the following e-mail from Aurora resident Rick Hernandez in response to my recent column about honor in policing:

I live around the corner from the new police station and a couple of months ago I noticed a little boy outside shooting baskets. He kept shooting and shooting and missing and missing. I could see from my vantage point that he was too close and shooting to the front of the rim. I've coached a little grade school basketball (at St. Joe's in Aurora), so I decided to give him a couple of pointers. I found out that his name was Christopher and that he was smart enough to tell his Grandma that I was there. I showed him how to use the backboard when shooting in-close and told him about fundamentals. He talked a mile a minute and we spent about 30 minutes outside shooting baskets.

A couple of weeks later, as I turned onto Trask from Indian Trail, I noticed a Paddy Wagon on our street. I thought "Oh great, they've set up radar on our street." As I continued past Christopher’s house, I saw a young Police Officer out in the driveway standing next to Christopher. I continued down the street and put my car in the garage. When I got out to unload my things I looked down Christopher's way and saw that the young Officer was actually shooting baskets with Christopher. I was overwhelmed! After some deliberation, I decided to go down the street and tell the young officer that he had "made my day." He said that his name was Officer Petchke (I'm not sure of the name or spelling), but I was impressed. He said that he had seen me out shooting with Christopher before. I'm not sure if he had stopped to check on me or if he was just spreading good-will with an impressionable grade-schooler but either way he was doing the right thing and the honorable thing.

It was exciting for me to see a young Officer take time out of his day to spend on an impressionable child. Young Christopher had his first one-on-one encounter with a Policeman be a positive one and that is something that I will carry with ME for a very long time. If you see young Officer Petchke, please tell him that I haven't forgotten him.

I was so moved that Mr. Hernandez had taken the time to write me and I responded in kind. Furthermore, I went to roll call where I knew Officer Petchke would be beginning his shift and read the letter to him with all of the officers present. I took the opportunity to remind the group that while a great portion of policing is upholding laws and maintaining order, there is a component that is equally important - - building relationships with the community.

Over the years, policing has evolved from traditional (reactive) policing into a community-oriented (proactive) approach. This simply means that we have finally realized that the citizens and police can only be successful in combating problems in the community by working together. This paradigm shift has altered the negative perceptions and the adversarial relationship between the police and the citizens they serve.

I don’t believe Officer Nathan Petchke fully realizes the impact of his actions on that day. A citizen of Aurora “caught” a police officer doing something extraordinary. On the surface, it was a cop shooting some hoops with a child. But on a deeper level, it was a police officer giving a child his attention and teaching by example the art of human connection.

Someone’s true character is revealed by what they do when they don’t think anyone is watching. Someone was watching and the full implication of Officer Petschke’s actions may never be known but suffice it to say, that child might now have a favorable impression of police officers that he may not have had before that day.

Perception is Reality? Really.

2010-03-22T05:55:00.001-05:00

Our own perception is based on the way we see the world. Anais Nin said, “We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.” Nin’s statement is especially true when it comes to leadership styles and managing others.

Policing is notoriously based on hierarchy and militaristic structures. The autocratic leader is ordinarily the style that is equated to police chiefs and command level officers. Autocratic leadership has been described as a dictatorship. In this situation, the leader's word is "law." The typical autocratic leader does not involve others in the decision making process. And this type of leader might resort to manipulation or even threats to accomplish their goals. I’ve worked for several supervisors that ruled with an iron fist and the only thing they accomplished was short-term compliance. I’ve learned through the years that you can buy a person’s back but you cannot buy their hearts. Under this leadership style, officers don’t feel valued and they won’t give any more than they are required.

On the other end of the spectrum are the laissez-faire leaders. This leadership style is also known as the “hands-off¨ style. It is one in which the manager provides little or no direction and gives employees as much freedom as possible. All authority or power is given to the employees and they must determine goals, make decisions, and resolve problems on their own. I’ve always associated this style with leaders who are lazy and ineffective. Perhaps there are highly technical vocations where skills sets of employees allow for such autonomy but policing is not one of them.

Somewhere in between the two extremes lies the democratic leader. The democratic leadership style is also called the participative style as it encourages employees to be a part of the decision making. The democratic manager keeps his or her employees informed about everything that affects their work and shares decision making and problem solving responsibilities. This style requires the leader to be a coach who has the final say, but gathers information from staff members before making a decision.

Democratic leadership can produce high quality and high quantity work for long periods of time. Many employees like the trust they receive and respond with cooperation, team spirit, and high morale.

In my experience, I’ve found that extremists on any subject matter are often incapable of seeing an opposing viewpoint. However, in policing, it is difficult (and perhaps unpopular) to find yourself labeled as a democratic leader. The very term gives the perception of weakness and lack of discipline. If orders aren’t being barked at subordinates and general orders aren’t being recited along with the throwing down of the proverbial hammer, then the leader is somehow ineffective.

Those critics couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve long struggled with the molds we create in policing. Leaders often create other leaders in their own image and the “like think” produces more clones that lose their individuality and personality attempting to fit in. When I was promoted to sergeant, my lieutenant told me that I was too “kind” to the officers. My daily roll call was a dialogue and not the monologue to which he was accustomed. He operated in the autocratic style and felt I should as well. And so I tried. For a solid week, I morphed my personality and tried on my dictator persona only to find it wasn’t a very good fit. I marched into his office and told him that my way was different but it was equally effective.

In my present position as Watch Commander of the midnight shift, I am often told about the perceptions that other command level officers have of my leadership style and their assumptions about how it manifests on my shift. Interestingly enough, giving discipline has never been a weakness for me. In fact, I find that if it is administered fairly and consistently, most officers accept it. I use it as an opportunity for coaching and redirection and find that officers respond very well to correction when offered respectfully. The key is to discipline without judgment and understand that the actions are being called into question and not the person. Then we move on to the work that needs to be done.

The most effective leaders are those who know precisely which leadership style to apply given the circumstances. In emergency situations, the autocratic style is the most appropriate. In most other situations, it is the least effective.

And so I reject the phrase, “Perception is reality”. In fact, most of the time our perception of things is just our own skewed lenses. Because something appears to be one way does not necessarily mean that it is. Never mistake kindness for weakness.

Colorblind Leadership Starts Within Ourselves

2010-01-24T11:58:00.001-06:00

Published in the Sun-Times on January 24, 2010

Over the past few weeks, there have been an influx of racial-related headlines in the news.

Our former governor declared in an interview that he is "blacker than President Obama." In a frenzy of creative back peddling, Rod Blagojevich's attorney offered that Rod merely meant to convey that he identifies with African-Americans. I'm still unsure what Blago's comment actually meant. It's such an interesting statement that I would really like to get inside Rod's unbelievably hair-styled head to understand the idiocies that live in there.

This mea culpa came several days after it was reported that Senate President Harry Reid referred to President Obama in 2008 as a "light-skinned" African-American "with no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one."

These remarks seem more likely to have come from stereotypical bigots who are stuck in the 1950s rather than from modern-day elected officials and lawmakers that hold (or have held) positions of power and speak on behalf of entire states. Aside from the obvious fact that these "gaffs" made national headlines followed by vehement apologies from both men isn't what troubles me. These gentlemen aren't sorry about what they said. Rather, they are sorry that someone recorded them saying it.

Much like our politicians and lawmakers, it is just as important that police officers are colorblind. We see the world through lenses made up of our own experiences and values. If those values are askew, our line of sight will be, too, and it will affect the decisions we make. Police are given the power and authority to take away freedoms as a means of protecting society from harm. When exercising that power, they had better do it without bigotry or biases of any form. Best-selling author Dr. Stephen Covey said "service, justice and fundamental fairness are the foundational principles for which every police action must be grounded." This epitomizes the demand for impartiality even when triggered by our own personal experiences.

From time to time, a citizen may feel as though he or she was targeted by the police because of race. These complaints are few, but they are taken very seriously by the Aurora Police Department and investigated thoroughly.

Each officer and civilian employed by APD has been through diversity training as a means of educating and preventing prejudice. But no formal training can ever take the place of the mirror we hold up to ourselves. Each of us (police and citizens alike) should look within and constantly challenge our own belief system. Sometimes we find that our systems are not centered in rational thought. Rather, we may realize that our beliefs originated from those who imposed their own views upon us.

Our children don't seem to have a problem with diversity. Generation "Y" has grown up with social networking and instant messaging that bridges the communication gap and flattens their world so people don't seem so far away. While I grew up writing and mailing letters to a pen pal, my children are e-mailing and video-chatting with kids who live across the divide. They don't seem affected by different skin colors or different cultures. We could learn so much from their progression.

If we don't constantly re-evaluate, we will go on seeing the world through distorted eyes.

Our New Police Headquarters

2010-01-09T21:09:00.001-06:00

In the sergeant’s office of the current police department, there is a mysterious powder falling from the ceiling. It has become common to walk into the office with a cup of coffee and instinctively place a piece of paper over the cup as we set it down at a desk so the unexplained substance doesn’t find its way into our java.

The drinking fountain just outside the roll call room has duct tape affixed to it--- not because it needs to be held together--- but it serves as a reminder not to drink from it. It seems the water that flows from the fountain also contains chemicals it shouldn’t.

The dispatch center is synonymous to a dark, dank cavern--- only it has exposed wires throughout. I’m no technological guru but even a layman like myself understands that wires hanging from the ceiling are not ideal.

I share a computer with another lieutenant in an office that was once a closet--- literally. Ordinarily this would not be a big deal but it gets interesting at the end of the shift when I have to literally pick up my desktop computer and move it over to his desk. The wires are usually entangled and I have to maneuver the mouse and the keyboard over while keeping the unit in tact.

Several times a month, both the men’s and women’s locker rooms have sewer back up problems that result in unpleasant aromas filling the hallway. These backups really come as no surprise considering the sewer system supporting the current facility was installed during the same timeframe as the building itself--- 1966. Back then, Aurora’s police force consisted of around 85 officers and 15 civilian employees. Today, we have over 300 officers and 100 civilians.

Since my office is in the basement, I can only speak of the challenges I face every shift. However, I’m sure the 2^nd and 3^rd floor occupants can contribute even more workplace hardships.

There is no argument that we have needed a new police station for many years. I have yet to hear people say that we should maintain our current building--- especially after they have set foot into it. However, I have fielded some politely inquisitive and carefully worded questions about the new headquarters. Frequently, these are to the tune of, “Do you guys really need something so massive?” (Judging from my experience in the basement alone, I’m probably the wrong person to ask because I want to sing a litany of “Yessssses!” whenever I am asked.)

To be honest, I look at these questions as an opportunity to educate whoever is asking. I am a citizen of Aurora. I pay taxes here and I send my children to the public schools here. Because I wear two hats, I understand the citizens who wonder if too much money was spent on our new headquarters especially in light of the current economic climate. (The new building began taking shape years ago and well before the economic downturn.) As taxpayers, it certainly is appropriate to ask the difficult questions to keep our city government accountable.

Speaking as a citizen, I also know that public safety is crucial to a successful city. I want our firefighters and police officers outfitted with state of the art tools to do their jobs.

As an Aurora police officer, I can tell you that our new police facility will change the way we do business. For you, it means if you are ever the unfortunate victim of a crime, we will have resources and equipment that we have never before had. And yes, it is housed in a beautiful, energy-efficient building that as police officers, we will be proud to call our own. It is a building that we will grow into as our force expands to meet the needs of an abundant city for years to come.

This police department is yours as much as it is ours.

Don't Bring a Gun to a Snowball Fight

2010-01-09T21:07:00.001-06:00

In Washington D.C., hundreds of people gathered on a major street for a snowball fight. You heard me right. The snowball fight was organized through the popular social-networking site, Twitter, and citizens of D.C. showed up armed with earmuffs and long underwear with the intent of launching dollops of packed snow at each other all in good fun. Fun is a relative word and one person’s idea of entertainment is not the same as another’s. Suffice it to say, the adult attendance for this impromptu event was abundant giving credence to the idea that snowballs make us regress to our 10 year old self.

Because we are in the information technology age, naturally the event was captured on youtube.com and posted to the web almost immediately. In the video, snowballs of white filled the sky and one snowflake mass struck a vehicle in the roadway. A man, obviously angry that a snowball struck his Hummer, exited the vehicle and brandished a gun. The police were summoned and in the video of the event, sirens are heard in the distance obviously responding to the scene.

Unbeknownst to the snowball enthusiasts, the man in the Hummer is a police officer. He is an off-duty detective and the victim of the snowball shenanigans. From the video, it isn’t clear whether the detective points the gun at anyone but it is easily seen in his left hand as he stands outside of his vehicle yelling at the trouble-makers.

As a police officer, you would probably assume that I would be able to clearly see the perspective of that detective in this situation. After all, there are some scenarios for which police action is necessary for officer safety. These reasons may be unclear to the common citizen until explained.

This is not one of those scenarios. In fact, I’ve got nothing. I’ve watched the videos depicting the incident several times and it is unclear to me why the officer felt it necessary to even exit his vehicle and pull his duty weapon in response to a snowball striking his vehicle. If I owned a Hummer and were safely nestled inside the armored mass of metal, I can only imagine that my reaction would be that of amusement as a snowball launcher tried to infiltrate.

The video reveals the crowd’s disbelief as they learn the man with the gun is a police officer after he shifts his jacket to reveal his badge. The uniformed police officers respond to the scene with their weapons drawn believing that there is an armed man threatening the crowd. Well, technically there is an armed man threatening the crowd but the patrol officers have no idea it is one of their own.

It was interesting to watch the scene unfold on youtube.com as a completely objective bystander. Naturally, I do understand the potential for problems that may unfold when hundreds of people gather in one place for an unplanned event. Police presence certainly would have been warranted just to keep the peace and ensure no one got out of hand. Perhaps we would have issued an order to disperse if we felt that it was impeding traffic or putting anyone in harms way. Having said that, I can hardly imagine having to unholster our weapons.

Obviously, I don’t know anything about the police detective who reacted to this extreme. I wouldn’t be surprised if we learned that he is a decorated officer and a great guy who just reacted angrily after getting pelted with wet snow. If that’s the case, my hope is that he can admit to such.

One thing is clear: You shouldn’t bring a gun to a snowball fight.

It matters to the ones we save

2009-12-08T16:26:00.002-06:00

Appeared in the Beacon News on Sunday, December 13, 2009

Columnist Kristen Ziman

As you may have heard, due to the financial times we are all currently experiencing, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program has been suspended as a cost saving measure by Aurora Police.

Since the announcement went public, many have asked me if D.A.R.E. really works. I have heard from those whose opinions I respect say unequivocally that D.A.R.E. does not work. On the other end of the spectrum, I have heard others declare that the program absolutely works. Unfortunately there is no scientific method for proving that either side is correct. While I have never been a D.A.R.E. instructor, I do have a bit of experience to draw from when it comes to observations I’ve made about the program as a police officer.

My strongest memory that made me question the effectiveness of D.A.R.E. was when I arrested a man in his late teens for possession of cocaine. While placing handcuffs on him, he asked me if I knew a certain Aurora Police officer because that officer had been his D.A.R.E. teacher. I don’t think I need to point out the obvious irony that he was being arrested for possessing drugs. Clearly this was not a success story. I’ve heard more stories from D.A.R.E. instructors of the students they taught who didn’t receive the message being sent. However, for every failure, I believe there are probably more successes.

The problem is that measuring those effective moments is impossible. We may never know about an incident in a locker room or at a party where a peer being offered drugs declines the proposal. It’s similar to being a parent and imposing values and moral lessons in your child. You can never really know when they have heard your message and internalized it. Sometimes it may take years for you to fully realize the influence you’ve had. In the same way, we may never know that a child who says no to drugs did so either consciously or subconsciously because of the teachings instilled in them by their D.A.R.E. officer.

I have also seen the ancillary benefits of D.A.R.E. For some kids, the only positive interaction they have had with a police officer is the time they’ve spent with their D.A.R.E. instructor. One officer told me that after teaching a D.A.R.E. lesson, a student stayed after class and told her that his older brother (a gang member) had a gun under his mattress. The officer conducted a home visit and seized the gun. We can never really know if that child’s trust in his D.A.R.E. officer saved a life by preventing a shooting.

I don’t disagree with the decision-makers that our financial constraints make it impossible to continue funding programs like D.A.R.E. Unfortunately, the time and resources equate to money that is not currently available. My personal hope is that we can re-evaluate the program and reinstitute it when the economy recovers. The way I see it, if we can empower one child to have the courage to say “no”, then the program is a success.

D.A.R.E. reminds me of the starfish parable: A man went down to the beach one day to take a walk. When he arrived, he noticed that the tide was unusually low and that thousands of starfish were scattered over the beach that had been exposed by the strange weather patterns. The man looked out and saw a child out amongst the sea of starfish, gathering them up and returning them to the ocean.

"What are you doing?" asked the man.

"Putting the starfish back in the ocean," the child replied. "If I don't, they will die."

"But there are thousands of starfish beached out here and you're just one person. You won't be able to save them all in time. Your actions won't matter."

The child responded, "It matters to the ones I save".

Indifference Could Result in the Demise of Community

2009-11-15T18:07:00.001-06:00

*Appeared in the Sun-Times Beacon News on Sunday, November 16, 2009

Indifference may very well be the plague that eventually leads to our demise. The worse words strung together in the English language to form a sentence are: I - don’t - care. Of-course I’m not suggesting that those words aren’t appropriate as the answer to insignificant and meaningless questions like, “Where do you want to go to dinner?” or “What movie do you want to see?” In those situations, it may be better if one person were genuinely indifferent because some would starve before deciding on a restaurant choice if one person had a passionate preference for Chinese food while the other for Italian food. Either that, or they would eat alone.

The indifference I speak of is the kind that prohibits us from movement because we are absolutely convinced that what we do does not matter. I find so many people that fall into this category not because they genuinely don’t care but because they don’t believe that their action will have any adverse effect on a particular outcome. When we begin to fall into this line of thinking, the natural reaction is to find a place of indifference because it’s easier to not care if things don’t go our way. It’s a layer of protection that we use so we aren’t disappointed with defeat. The defense mechanism is in place so the agony isn’t quite as piercing.

Sometimes I long to be one of the ones who have mastered apathy. What a simple existence it must be to go through life genuinely not caring what happens around them as long as it doesn’t adversely affect them. I know many people who live life with the schematic that asks, “What does this have to do with me?” A great example of this was the recent beating of a young Chicago student at the hands of several thugs armed with 2x4's. Onlookers thought best to videotape the beating rather than assist the student who would later die from the injuries he sustained. Were those spectators plagued with the disease of apathy? I often wonder what goes through a persons mind when they fail to answer the call for action.

I started thinking about the consequences of a police officer who decides they just don’t care anymore. Several weeks ago, an officer on the midnight shift saw several subjects sitting in a car in the middle of the night. When he approached the car, he noted that they were smoking marijuana and he subsequently arrested them and then searched the car. In doing so, he found proceeds from a burglary that the subjects had just committed. It was later learned that the same subjects were responsible for a rash of burglaries on the far east side over a several week span. No one would have been the wiser had that officer chose indifference and drove past the occupied vehicle. It would have been much easier not to stop - not to mention much less paperwork.

You don’t have to be a police officer patrolling the streets to care about what happens in your city or your place of work. I question the possibility of what would happen if we all stopped going through life so apathetic. Imagine what we could get done if we truly cared about our life’s work and the things that happen around us.

Interestingly enough, there are many people who exist just to do the minimum and spend their lives merely getting by while suffering no consequences. It may be a simple existence but it is also meaningless. Dr. Seuss perhaps said it best: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

Officers Debate Supporting Comrades who Commit Crimes

2009-11-15T18:03:00.001-06:00

*Appeared in the Beacon News on Sunday, November 1, 2009

You probably heard about the Chicago police detective who was involved in an off-duty car accident last April that resulted in the deaths of two young men on the Dan Ryan Expressway. The detective was allegedly drunk behind the wheel and was charged with reckless homicide, DUI, and leaving the scene of an accident.

It goes without saying that the outcome of this accident is absolutely tragic. Not only did two young men perish, but the fact that the officer was purportedly driving while intoxicated, tarnishes the integrity of his badge and defies the oath that is synonymous with wearing that badge. Far be it from me to even attempt to defend his alleged irresponsibility and blatant disregard for the law that took the lives of two human beings.

It is always front page news when a police officer is involved in criminal activity. The story again made headlines last week, but for a very different reason. The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Hall served as the venue for a benefit to raise money for the detective to assist with living expenses, legal fees and defense experts. The mothers of the 21 and 23 year old men who perished in the accident were outraged at the notion that other police officers would support someone who exercised such poor judgment. I vehemently agree.

This incident has sparked some interesting debate among my fellow police officers. It is not surprising to me that most officers say they would neither purchase a ticket nor attend a benefit for an officer who made such an egregious error in judgment. The majority couldn’t reconcile themselves to the moral disregard for the law and the subsequent consequences. I even took a momentary introspective and reflective look into myself and decided that if it had been me who had drove drunk and killed two people; I wouldn’t allow a benefit to be held on my behalf. My guilt and self-loathing would prohibit pity from anyone who genuinely tried to assist.

There were a group of my colleagues, albeit a minority, who said they would contribute to the officer and for every reason I gave in opposition, there were those with strong convictions in favor of the fundraiser. The common theme was that the money raised should go to the family of the accused officer. The thought was they were collateral victims and shouldn’t have to suffer a monetary hardship because of the officer’s actions. One officer took it ever further and pointed out that we can never really know the depth and breadth of a person’s suffering. By that, he wondered if the officer had a problem with alcohol that could have been recognized or diagnosed well before the accident.

Those who said they would contribute are not morally corrupt individuals. In fact, I consider those who held the opposing viewpoint to be ethical and levelheaded. Their perspective was rooted in compassion but we just saw the situation differently. I can empathize with the need to assist the officer’s family but my thoughts were never far from that of the families of the deceased men. You can’t empathize for one and not the others.

None of us who engaged in this discussion knew the Chicago officer. If it was a close comrade, we may have changed our stance even with the understanding that the officer made a horrible mistake. When human emotion is an added variable to decision-making, objectivity becomes clouded. In the big picture, our stance on the fundraiser is of little importance as compared to the lives that have been profoundly altered by this accident. Just ask the mothers of those young men.

Fighting Crime with Compassion, Courage

2009-10-19T16:21:00.001-05:00

Fighting crime with compassion, courage

Appeared in the Sun-Times Beacon News on October 18, 2009

When I was new to the Aurora Police Department and riding with my field training officer, we responded to a domestic violence call just as our day shift was beginning. We discovered that the victim's ex-boyfriend had kicked in her apartment door and battered her because she refused to take him back. He then fled the scene. As I was gathering information for the report I would be writing, I spotted a school-aged child bustling around the bare apartment with his backpack firmly in place. I noted the child was dressed in a tattered sweatshirt -- a detail that is burned into my memory because it was a brutally cold winter day.

The veteran officer and I cleared the scene, and as I was eyeing an empty snow-covered lot to park and write my report, my training officer redirected me to a store that was just opening for business. He entered the store and returned minutes later with a bag. He then advised me to drive back to the address from which we just left. I drove the few short blocks to find the victim standing outside with her son awaiting the school bus. With a sense of purpose, my training officer exited our squad and pulled a winter coat from the bag. He placed it on the child, then knelt down and zipped it up as far as it could go. He returned to the squad and said absolutely nothing.

I thought at first that he either knew the family or that the mother had asked him for the coat. I quickly surmised that neither were true when I saw the expression of gratitude and surprise on the face of the mother.

I have witnessed and heard secondhand many heroic acts in the almost 19 years I have worked for the Aurora Police. Whether it be entering a burning building or going into an icy river, there are stories of selfless rescue where officers have risked their own lives to save another. I have seen more courageous acts committed by Aurora police officers than most people have seen in Hollywood movie scripts. Some have taken bullets or experienced near misses in their quest for peace and justice. They have fought and been injured while dedicating themselves to the mission of our police department. I have watched my colleagues work seamlessly and tirelessly to solve the crimes that have plagued those we serve. In all of these scenarios, each officer would say that they were "just doing their job."

Officers train in the academy so that every day we can handle these dangerous situations while on the job. Our departmental training is rigorous and strenuous because in police training we understand the words of the Greek soldier Archilochus: "We do not rise to the level of expectations. We fall to the level of our training."

And yet, the more important lessons are those learned when you least expect them. My training officer taught me that every human being is worthy of dignity and respect. I can recall an officer giving a bag of fast food to a homeless man, and I have seen another comfort a rape victim with gentleness and kindness. I have watched strong men bend down to the eye level of a child to calm their fears, and I have seen others shed a tear when overcome with the sadness and reality of death.

For every story of raw courage, there are more everyday acts of humanity. Brave acts deserve recognition, but it is the small acts of compassion that define us as human beings, and it is those that require the greatest strength of all.

Aurora police Lt. Kristen Ziman can be reached at KristenZiman@gmail.com.

Squad cars at schools a sign of relief, not crime

2009-09-20T23:38:00.002-05:00

Appeared in the Sun-Times Beacon News on Sunday, September 20, 2009

At a recent social event, an acquaintance of mine told me she would not send her children to an east side school (that shall remain nameless) because of its crime problem. Knowing a little about the subject matter, I was confident the school she identified didn’t have any more challenges than the other schools in the city so it prompted me to inquire about the origin of her information. Her answer: “Because there is always a squad car parked in front of the school.”

Quite frankly, I can see how many citizens might surmise that a squad car parked at an educational institution may be an obvious identifier to high crime or other problems. As logical as that observation may be, it is wrong.

Nearly every middle school and high school in Aurora has a School Resource Officer (SRO) assigned. (As a matter of fact, Aurora Police was one of the first departments in the State to assign SRO’s.) While an SRO is responsible for anything police-related that transpires within the institution, they play a far more important role within the schools.

As some kids reach middle school and high school age, their perception of the police becomes adversarial (especially for those students who are inclined to test the boundaries). These students then tend to mistrust and create distance from the police. School Resource Officers reverse the distance and trust issues because for many students, the only police officer they know is the one who works in their school. Therefore, they become more inclined to accept guidance and redirection from them.

The SRO’s serve as extensions of the school staff and work very closely with the administration and teachers to ensure each child a safe environment in which to learn. The SRO’s handle mediation among students before they escalate into criminal activity. They are often alerted to tensions among students, and because they have developed a rapport with those involved, the situation can be diffused.

Police officers assigned to schools can be seen as an extension of the community oriented policing philosophy. They are there to bridge the gap between the students and the police and their taking the time to build relationships means a better quality of life for everyone in the institution. However, their purpose runs deeper. According to school violence expert Lt. Col. David Grossman, there has not been a school shooting where a police officer was present. In the Columbine school shooting, the assigned police officer left the premises and the assailants executed their carefully planned rampage. The other schools that suffered such tragedies did not have a police officer assigned.

Like all police officers, SRO’s are trained in “active assailant” which means that if a threat presents itself within a school, they move toward the threat to eliminate it. While optimally, the active assailant team consists of four officers that work strategically as a team to directly address a threat (such as a student with a gun), an officer already inside the school can act singularly to prevent the shooter from killing or injuring more people. Waiting for officers to arrive can mean crucial time is lost resulting in many more casualties.

In the wake of the school shootings across the country, many School Resource Officers believe they have played an integral role in the prevention of violence through their intelligence gathering, interaction with students, and by their mere presence.

There are some representatives of academia that believe a police officer in their school brings with them an image of crime and negativity. Judging from my acquaintance’s negative perception of the squad car out front of the school, there is obviously some merit to this belief. With enough education and dialogue, perhaps we can begin to alter our perceptions and change our paradigms so that the presence of the police in our schools brings a sense of relief rather than a fear of crime.

Texting While Driving - Appeared in the Sun Times Beacon News on September 6, 2009

2009-09-01T19:35:00.002-05:00

I was on my way home from a Cubs game last weekend when I witnessed a car accident. I happened to look over at a vehicle in the adjacent lane as it was about to slam into the vehicle that was stopped in traffic. I cannot estimate the precise speed of the driver that caused the crash but he was going fast enough to have completely crushed the front end of his car. As I played the incident back in my head, my recollection actually registered a few milliseconds before he struck the other vehicle. In the film reel of my consciousness, I saw the man holding his cell phone in his hand and giving it his full attention as the explosion of metal on metal caused everyone in my car to gasp.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in that crash. Whether you subscribe to luck or a guardian angel as the reason the drivers walked away unscathed is of little importance. The more pressing issue as you can most likely infer is the fact that the accident was a direct result of the driver’s focus being on his cell phone rather than on the road in front of him. I’ve been paying close attention to the Illinois House Bill 71 that was approved by the House and Senate in May of 2009 and now sits on the Governor’s desk waiting to be signed. Effective January 1, 2010, the law will prohibit a person from using an electronic communication device to compose, send, or read an electronic message while operating a motor vehicle. One might think that the topic interests me because of my profession and the responsibility of enforcement that befalls officers when a new law is enacted. Despite the logic, you would be wrong. I am intrigued by the topic because I am helplessly and hopelessly addicted to my cell phone. I am guilty of dialing while driving, talking while driving, and I have even been known to (gasp) text while driving. If I know I’m going to be stuck at a stoplight for two minutes, I can get through about four e-mails of average length on my shiny iPhone. I welcome a delay at the train tracks because that means Facebook and Twitter can get some attention while the box-cars fluidly float by. I am not proud of this addiction and my confession is more of a step to publicly denounce my behavior than a means to preach about the dangers of this habit.

After witnessing that accident, I feel as though discussions in the media about cell phone use and driving are stalking me. When I pick up a newspaper or channel surf, reports of the dangers of texting while driving taunt me with statistics that cite cell phones as the rising cause of injury accidents. It is as though the universe is conspiring to take over my subconscious by tuning into only that channel.

Well universe, message received. I knew that my simple recognition of the fact that texting while driving is considered just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol would be enough to alter my behavior. Besides, I’m a very disciplined person by nature and I’m not one to allow a vice to overpower me.

And then it happened. Ding. A text message came through on my phone while I was driving down the street.

“No biggie. I’ll just check it when I reach my destination” I thought.

I looked down at the phone sitting in the cup-holder with the text message alert nagging at me.

“I’m sure it’s nothing pressing - - just a meaningless message from a friend meant to amuse or delight” my inner voice was saying.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter with both hands so as not to reach for the phone. Then I had an idea. I could read the text message quickly while barely taking my eyes off of the road. Yes, that is what I would do I decided. I picked up the cell phone and read the message which ended up being a bad idea because the urge to respond was overwhelming. Dare the sender of the text think me rude for not answering? I succumbed at the next stoplight conceding that this addiction would render greater restraint than I originally thought.

I am happy to report that I am slowly conquering this weakness but it is not out of sheer discipline as I had predicted. Instead, I must turn the ringer on silent and strategically place the phone into my glove box where I cannot see it or hear it thereby taking away the temptation to connect with the outside world. I can’t wait until January of 2010 to break this habit. Your life and mine depend on it.

Smart Power

2009-08-25T02:07:00.001-05:00

Published in the Sun-Times Beacon News on August 23, 2009

In a recent speech, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about foreign policy and the security of America under our new leadership. In that speech, she used the term “Smart Power”, vowing to utilize the “full range of tools” at our disposal to become partners with our adversaries.

I started thinking about the term “Smart Power” and began to realize that it applies to policing as much as it does to national security. The “tools” police officers use to maintain peace and order are laws involving search and arrest, use of force, incarceration, and many others. As America’s first line of defense, these tools are afforded us by the US Constitution and their application demands responsibility and nobility.

There are many times in a police officer’s career where the thrill of the chase becomes greater than the cause. During those times, nobility can be lost. For example, the adrenaline pumping in the veins of the police officer running through the back yards to catch the armed robber makes them momentarily devoid of the notion that they are serving their community with justice and fundamental fairness in mind. They simply want to catch the bad guy. This may be a dangerous moment for the police officer (both literally and figuratively) because the adrenaline may also lead to the officer not utilizing ‘smart power’ resulting in an abuse of authority by using excessive force. We have seen far too much video footage of officers who did not exercise smart power during an apprehension and it is those few that tarnish the badge for us all.

To me, ‘smart power’ in policing is suggestive of, not only tools like incarceration, but of possibly our greatest power - our power of influence. When I was a recruit in the Field Training Program, my Field Training Officer and I met on a weekly basis with the sergeant that was assigned to monitor my progress. In my third month of the four-month program, the sergeant looked over my paperwork and noted that I was progressing very well. I couldn’t help but feel extremely gratified by the compliment until he looked at my FTO and said, “But we still need to get her into a fight and see how she fares.” I looked at my FTO for his response and had a momentary vision of leaving the office and picking a fight with someone on the street to prove how tough I really was. My brute thoughts and knuckle-cracking were interrupted by my FTO who explained to the concerned sergeant that I had been in many situations that could very well have turned physical. Rather than immediately going “hands on” he offered that I had used my personality to diffuse many situations so that it didn’t escalate to force. What a concept.

There are many times when a situation is not negotiable and an officer must use force to place someone under arrest or protect themselves or others from harm. But I do believe that an officer’s influence is the most powerful tool they have. Police Officers should use the ethic “service above self” when upholding laws and maintaining peace. They also need to keep focused on the cause of the action and not merely the action itself. Getting into a scuffle for the sake of proving you can is an abuse of power. Authority is interesting. When used responsibly, accompanied by moral choice and guided by principles, it is extremely effective. Contrarily, when it is abused the damage can affect people for a lifetime.

Start a Movement

2009-08-14T02:51:00.001-05:00

*Printed in the Sun-Times Beacon News on Sunday, August 9, 2009

It takes just seven people to start a movement. For example, if I alone were to stop on the street and look up at the sky, those passing by will continue on with nary a thought about what I’m doing. If two more people were to stop and join me staring into the clouds, several people would pause and follow our stares into space but most would keep on their way. However, if seven of us were all standing with our faces transfixed on the sky above us, the majority of people will stop and begin looking as well.

This social dynamic is called critical mass and it is a phenomenon that builds upon slight movement and develops into momentum. When a small number of people know something in a new way, it remains the conscious property of only those people. However, there is a point at which if only one more person tunes in to a new awareness, the new awareness is picked up by everyone. This is also referred to as the “tipping point”. While glaring into the sky is an oversimplified example of critical mass at work, there are far more compelling tales of what humans can accomplish by using this technique.

Having spent several years as a Community Policing Officer, I know the sheer power of passionate people with a driving purpose. I have watched a few concerned citizens recruit their neighbors (many who were complete strangers) and come together to problem-solve around quality of life or crime issues in their neighborhood. When there is a common vision or goal, human beings can be unstoppable and the ideas and problem-solving strategies that are shared through brainstorming and information exchange are far better together than they are individually. The community and the police have a common interest in making neighborhoods a safe and peaceful place to live and once we started to realize that we want the same thing, the movement of partnerships gained momentum.

National Night Out is an event that perpetuates the notion of police and community partnerships. It was developed in 1984 by a resident who started a Town Watch newsletter in his hometown over the years, National Night Out has grown into over 35.5 million participants. The concept at its origin was simple. On the first Tuesday of August each year, residents would simply go outside as a visual metaphor for involvement in their neighborhoods. The concept strives to conquer the realities that so many of us live side by side but rarely speak to one another. Other than the occasional nod while collecting the mail, we don’t engage our neighbors. Because of this, we don’t feel a sense of unity to those with whom we share a community. In other words, we’ve stopped looking out for each other because we close our blinds and retreat into our homes. The consequence is that criminal activity moves into our neighborhoods. Quality of life issues become bigger crime issues. National Night Out serves as the catalyst for connecting with our neighbors to combat apathy.

It began simply with stepping outside but since the inception of National Night Out, residents have gotten very creative and many coordinate block parties and festivals in conjunction with the police department to bring neighbors together. In the midst of the celebrations, the theme of community involvement through partnerships is always prevalent.

Fortunately, we need not wait for an organized event before we begin to change the space we occupy. All we need is one person to care enough to make one small step towards change – one person to start a movement. Apathy is a disease and when we become indifferent, all hope is lost. Cultural anthropologist Margaret Meade said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Crime Prevention Begins with Deterring Unlawful Opportunists

2009-07-30T14:08:00.001-05:00

*Appeared in the Beacon News on Sunday, July 26, 2009

I’m generally not one to blame the victim. In fact, I have a strong belief in responsibility and accountability when it comes to the choices people make in life. By that, I mean an open garage door should not entice a criminal to help himself to the property inside. Even when an opportunity for instant gratification presents itself, the human condition allows us the ability to reason and use restraint before engaging in destructive activity – be it criminal or otherwise.

When I see a wallet left behind in a shopping cart, my thought process instantaneously flashes to the owner of the wallet and the panic they must be feeling. Most of us think along the same lines. We may have a fleeting thought about the cash inside and may even momentarily have a dialogue within our own mind about how easy it would be to take the money and throw the wallet away. If our values are in tact, our moral compass finds its true north in a matter of moments and empathy for the owner of the wallet consumes us.

The same concept applies to unattended cars with the keys in the ignition or unlocked cars with a GPS on the dashboard. Most of us would walk right on by without a conscious thought of committing a theft. Despite the majority that would not commit a crime, there is a minority that thinks and acts upon the temptation. These small percentages of people are responsible for a large percentage of crime.

On the midnight shift, one of our goals is to alert Aurora residents to behaviors that may leave them vulnerable to victimization. Officers walk neighborhoods and apartment complexes and look for vehicles that have valuable items in plain view. When we find an easy crime target, we issue a Crime Prevention Notice (CPN) that details our observations and we place it in your mailbox. If you leave your garage door open, you will most likely be awakened by a police officer’s knock to remind you to secure your door. We have issued nearly 600 CPN’s in 2009 as a result of this initiative and our hope is that residents will develop a consciousness about what they leave in plain view.

While blaming the victim contradicts my original statement, I’m afraid I’ve become a bit jaded as a result of our Crime Prevention crusade. Officers report wallets and expensive electronic devices left in cup holders of vehicles visible to anyone in proximity. As if that weren’t enough, many of the vehicles are left unlocked. In the past two weeks, 42 vehicles were broken into throughout the city on midnight shift alone. Of those 42 vehicles, a whopping 29 were unlocked. I risk sounding politically incorrect or jaded but the first thought that comes to mind is, “What were you thinking?!” In an ideal world, my aforementioned speech about accountability and responsibility is just that – the ideal. If everyone’s moral compass were true north, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Because that is not the reality, I’m afraid I must proverbially shake some sense into those of you who believe that crime only happens to other people.

Crime is inevitable. Since the beginning of civilization, human beings have discovered that humans left to their own devices will struggle with temptation and some will succumb to it. Social norms and laws are put in place as deterrence. Despite this, there will always be people looking to prey on others. Don’t make it easy for them.

Move over Spidey, Aurora crimefighters use a different web

2009-06-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

While I was “twittering” what I was having for breakfast one morning, I stumbled across police departments that use Twitter to keep their citizens updated on crime trends and other topics. I quickly went to my “Facebook” page to report my findings so all my friends would be privy to my discovery. I then found many police departments have Facebook home pages with bulletins of missing persons and wanted offenders. I immediately contacted all my “linkedin.com” associates to notify them of the social media wave, and finally “blogged” about it on my Google blogger domain site. An airplane was not readily available for me to attach a banner in hopes of spreading my message but the more I thought about it, the airplane would not be able to provide the instant gratification for which I was looking.

Surely I jest about the airplane but there is no joking about the rapid acceleration the information age has taken. Immediacy in news reporting is the new trend and we want to watch the story unfold in real time. Words like Twitter, Facebook, and other “social media” are rapidly replacing having to hover around the television to watch the news or wander to the end of the driveway to gather up the newspaper. Instead, my iphone alerts me to a new topic on Twitter and I find out within seconds the outcome of an Illinois Appellate Court case. Front page headlines are being replaced by updates on Twitter (known as “tweets”). In fact, “mainstream” media (TV, newspapers, radio stations, etc.,) were warned of this impending technology decades ago and chose to ignore it. By not jumping on the bandwagon, many outlets have gotten run over— hence the stories of their bankruptcies and other financial ills we often read or hear about, ironically enough, on social media sites! In one sense, I am saddened that newspapers are at risk of obsolescence. There is nothing like sipping coffee on a Sunday morning while passing around sections of the newspaper. In contrast, I am addicted to real-time news and information and am tethered to the electronic devices that provide it.

Policing is no different. We have all heard of the gaper’s delay that slows traffic whenever emergency lights illuminate a thoroughfare. Human beings have an inherent need to know about events happening around them - even when it has no direct effect on their lives (that’s a nice way of saying the people are nosey). It is that very reason social media so popular. Now when you see the red and blue lights, you can put it on Twitter to get the information out. (Of course, you should never “tweet” while driving!) This is precisely why police departments are dipping their toes in the social stream— because it solidifies partnerships with the citizens they serve. Conversely, the citizens not only receive information that is useful to them, but know the source is credible.

About a year ago, the Aurora Police Department joined Citizenobserver.com to give our residents the information they desire. The site allows Aurora Police to quickly disseminate news on specific criminal cases, wanted fugitives, crime trends, and other alerts to anyone that signs up to receive them. While those that have subscribed number well into the hundreds, we would like to see that number swell into the hundred-thousands. Quite frankly, we could not have reached 30 year crime lows without interaction from our community and in order to continue this success, we need our citizens to keep partnering with us. Sign-up takes about a minute. Just go to citizenobserver.com and it will guide you through. You can even get the messages sent to a cell phone or pager.

Resistance is futile because only the Internet can keep up with constant flow of information. Oh, and you can find out what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow by following me on Twitter by going to twitter.com/Lt_KZ.

Put end to things that go thump, day and night

2009-06-01T17:55:00.004-05:00

Appeared in the Sun Times Beacon News on May 31, 2009
Lt. Kristen Ziman - Columnist

Put end to things that go thump, day and night

Mother Nature has been teasing us with sporadic warm days for two months, but soon a consistent warmth will settle in and summer will be here. The gentle sound of birds chirping will sing a duet with our alarm clocks as we wake to meet the world. We will dust off our bikes, get out the gardening tools and soak up every ray of sunshine, because we know the summer months pass too fast. We will rush home from work and fire up the grill. The sound of laughter will emit from the neighborhood children while the steaks sizzle and...THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

The summer scene is thwarted by cars driving through neighborhoods with their stereos thumping so all the world can "share" in the melody of rap and hip-hop. Before you scold me for generalization of this particular genre, I will speak only to my experience in that I have never heard Kenny G or Garth Brooks past a certain decibel from a passing vehicle.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a lover of music and have even been known to bust a rhyme in sync with LL Cool J's "I Need Love" (don't test me -- I know every word). However, I enjoy my music in my own vehicle and even with the windows rolled down, you probably wouldn't hear Neil Diamond's "Forever in Blue Jeans" blasting from my stereo, because I keep the volume at a reasonable level (and because I am deeply, deeply embarrassed about loving Neil Diamond).

I would never dream of subjecting other drivers who are stopped helplessly beside me at a stoplight to my music. You may, however, have to endure the disturbing visual of me using my cell phone as a microphone, but rest assured, you won't hear a thing.

This is not about my questionable taste in music, but rather about the quality-of-life issues that test the patience of Aurora residents. When I speak with residents, I am often astounded their most pressing complaints are issues regarding the peacefulness of their neighborhoods.

Excessive noise from loud parties, car stereos and barking dogs top the list of complaints. Violent crime has been greatly reduced in recent years, so the communities have begun to recognize these quality-of-life issues and have turned to the police for help. No one wants to sit inside their house and feel it shake as a result of the bass coming from a passing vehicle, and no one wants to hear it three car lengths away, no matter what the genre.

If the noise problem is coming from a neighbor's house, I always suggest speaking with the neighbor before you involve the police. Sometimes honest concern and a respectful request will curb the problem. If it doesn't, call the police department's non-emergency number (630-859-1700 if you live in Aurora). Oftentimes, the stereo volume gets turned down with a little encouragement from your local law enforcement. Quite honestly, we would rather tackle the sub-woofers with the hip-hop blaring than deal with street violence, any day of the week.

If the police do get involved, thumpers beware. The price to pay for subjecting others to your music can be quite costly. If your noise can be heard from 75 feet away, you will most likely be issued a $75 ordinance ticket and your vehicle will be towed and impounded. It will cost you $250 to get the vehicle back, not including the ticket, tow or any storage costs. I'm no mathemagician, but those numbers add up to nearly $500.

Imagine all the Neil Diamond albums you could buy with that.

If you have any topics or questions that you would like Aurora police Lt. Kristen Ziman to address, e-mail them to Kristen Ziman@gmail.com.

Save Us From Ourselves

2009-05-17T01:10:00.002-05:00

Published in the Sun Times Beacon News Columnist Kristen Ziman

National Police Week is celebrated annually during the week of May 15th and each year, members of law enforcement pause and reflect upon those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Police Officers who die in this profession don’t lose their lives - - they give them. Every officer knows and willingly accepts the risks involved every time they begin their next tour of duty.

When a brother or sister in blue is lost, we often use his or her experience to remind us that tomorrow is not promised to anyone. We attempt to gain some insight on what went wrong in the hope we can use the scenario as a training opportunity and learn better techniques to protect ourselves.

During National Police Week, we also have somber reminders of those officers who took their own lives. Unfortunately, these scenarios are discussed in whispers as other officers speculate the reasons why or develop hindsight that reveals many warning signs. Despite those signs, there are not many confrontations. Police officers are extremely intuitive when it comes to reading the emotions of others. We have to be. Every police officer I know can tell when a person with whom they are interacting transitions from being cooperative to someone who poses a risk. This profession forces us to hone our observation skills because it is a matter of survival. It seems counter-intuitive, but the skills that we’ve perfected on the street are not always applied to those with whom we have personal relationships. Co-workers are no exception.

Throughout my career, I’ve often heard officers say they’re worried that one of their colleagues is going to “eat their gun”. The phrase befits an officer going through a horrific personal or professional problem. No matter what the scenario, we talk amongst ourselves but rarely reach out to the officer in need.

For the Aurora Police Department, this topic remains especially painful. A beloved sergeant committed suicide in 2004. His closest friends knew he had been detached and distant but never speculated he was about to take his own life. Those closest to him live with the internal conflict that begins with the statement, “If only I had…done something…asked the hard questions…pried.” Suicide leaves so many unanswered questions and we never know if our intervention would have saved a life.

I know of one officer who pulled himself through his own darkness in solitude. He recalls being on midnight shift several years ago when he was going through a bitter and angry divorce and felt as though he had reached the point of desperation and hopelessness. Because of his personal problems, he was drinking more. His productivity at work suffered and he made some mistakes that resulted in disciplinary action against him. One night while working, he drove to a remote location and got out of his squad car. He carefully removed his duty weapon from his holster and placed it to his head while pleading out loud to his higher power, “Give me one reason not to end it all.” As he worked up the nerve to pull the trigger, he glanced over at the picture of his children that he painstakingly placed on the visor of his squad at the beginning of each shift and he lowered his weapon. He now realizes that his children’s faces had saved his life that night. Today, he is happily remarried and a productive police officer who had to live through the darkness in order to see the light.

Police officers are problem-solvers by nature. Unfortunately, some are better at solving the problems of others while their own lives are in disarray. The job teaches us to hide emotion as a coping skill - a skill that is necessary to shield us from the suffering we see on a regular basis. It doesn’t teach us to ask for help when we need it and that can be the one thing that saves us from ourselves.

Trust but Verify

2009-05-06T02:44:00.004-05:00

Sun Times Beacon News
by Columnist Kristen Ziman

My children think it’s cool to have parents that are police officers. Since they are only in elementary school, there is a rock star status associated with the uniform. When I offer my shiny handcuffs to their friends, my kids are left beaming with pride at the awe of their comrades. Because I am a sensible person, I realize that my adorable young children will most likely lose that luster as they enter into their adolescent years and denounce my profession. This phenomenon will have less to do with the profession itself and more to do with the rebellion that naturally occurs during the teenage years. Plus, I plan to stalk them using my keen detective skills inherent with the trade.

By that, I mean that I will insist on knowing every one of their friends. To make life more torturous for them, I plan on telephoning the parents of their cronies each time there is a sleep-over planned in order to ensure parental supervision. I will be suspicious when they answer their cell phone and give their location. If GPS cell phone tracking isn’t advanced enough to follow them on Google Earth I will surely demand that they call from a land-line for verification purposes. To further make their lives miserable, I will personally enforce the curfew laws of the City of Aurora making sure that the a hours are adhered.

As if that weren’t enough, I will respect their space just enough for privacy but will hone in on their belongings in their bedroom and question whenever I see anything that raises suspicion. Furthermore, I will set expectations of their academic performance and if their grades do not meet those expectations, they will cease their extra-curricular activities until they have reached my proposed academic eligibility.

Being a police officer for 16 years gives me insight into the fact that some parents are not fulfilling their parental job description as well as they should. I have seen many parents who blindly trust that their kids are doing the right thing without questioning or confirming. Those same parents seem surprised when they get a call from the police department informing them that their child was arrested for attending an underage drinking party and need to be picked up from the police department. Some parents are even insistent that it couldn’t be their “Johnny” because he is sleeping over at a friends house. I’m not at all insinuating that kids won’t make bad choices now and again. Because teenagers are coming into their independence, the occasional withholding of the truth and testing of the waters is to be expected. This does not make your child a juvenile delinquent but rather a perfectly normal adolescent. The key is having proper perspective and knowing what actions are a battle of wills and what actions are teetering on bigger problems.

For example, we were experiencing a rash of vehicle burglaries in a particular area of town. On one evening, a teenage boy was observed by a witness suspiciously walking around parked vehicles and looking inside the windows. When officers arrived, they learned that the young man was out past curfew and arrested him accordingly. When the officers went to the teenager’s home, they spoke with his parent and gained consent to look around his bed room. The officers discovered several car stereos and GPS units in the teen’s bedroom – obvious proceeds from vehicle burglaries. It was unbelievable to me that the child’s parent didn’t notice the accumulation of electronic equipment piled up in plain view. The mother had no idea that her son was out past curfew and hadn’t bothered to question him regarding the property in his room.

Denial is another emotion that every parent must fight. When my children come home and tell me that they were wronged at school by a friend or a teacher, my first question to them is, “What was your role in the incident?” I often find there is more to the story than they lead me to originally believe. When parents don’t pursue the story in its entirety, they often find themselves in conflict with the school or the police by vehemently defending their child without exercising the possibility that there may be merit to the issue.

I have been involved with many parents who immediately dismiss a police officer or school official that expresses concern about their child affiliating with gang members or engaging in questionable activity. The moment of truth comes when the police officer or school official pulls up their child’s MySpace page or pictures on their phone and shows the parent images of their son or daughter flashing gang signs to the camera. Some police officers make home visits and speak with parents for the purpose of informing them that their son or daughter is fraternizing with gang members only to find the parents vehemently defending their child. A search of the child’s room by consent of the parent can sometimes reveal gang graffiti on the walls and drawn in notebooks boldly declaring their allegiance to a gang. Many times the parent doesn’t know that the symbols are gang related but most don’t bother to ask or research. These are only a few examples of parents wearing blinders that prohibit them from seeing what is really going on with their child. It is those very blinders that put kids at risk of being a victim or a perpetrator of violent crime.

My overzealous parenting really has nothing to do with my job as a police officer. It has more to do with my job as a parent. Although I exaggerated the use of a GPS tracking device for my kids, I believe that every parent must make a concerted decision to police their child. That is not to say that you should never trust what your child says. Trust but verify.

I am prepared for my children to grow out of proudly declaring to their friends that their parents are police officers. I am also prepared to trade in the rock star status in exchange for taking an active role in their lives and keeping my eyes open to the things that can potentially harm them - even if they get upset with me in the process.

Police Can Sometimes Lack Tact

2009-04-25T16:08:00.001-05:00

Published in the Sun Times Beacon News on April 26, 2009

by Columnist Kristen Ziman

A much-viewed You Tube video, which shows an off-duty, obviously intoxicated, Pennsylvania police officer inside of a bar mocking the scene of a murder at which he was the responding officer, has spurred public outrage. The obscenity-laden tape shows the officer laughing at the plight of a murder victim who was shot between the eyes as other tavern patrons listen and cackle in response. He is obviously enjoying the spotlight, and even makes fun of the mother’s reaction when she identifies her son.

Among those publicly calling for the police officer’s termination is the NAACP. In the video, the police officer suggests that the victim, a black man, is a drug dealer. The police officer, who is white, seemed to find the entire incident humorous in a way that is disturbing to anyone on the outside looking in. While I understand that some may see the video as a racial issue, I’m believe that this is more about blind ignorance and disrespect than it is about race.

I’ve read some interesting blog posts in response to the video and I’m amazed at the polarized viewpoints. One blogger suggested that police officers handle things differently than most people and that humor and alcohol are common methods for dealing with traumatic incidents. I would be a blatant liar if I didn’t admit to exercising a warped sense of humor about some of the tragedies I’ve seen in my career. I have told myself on more than one occasion that if I didn’t laugh, I would cry. The desensitization that occurs in police officers is necessary so we can function in our lives. If we were not desensitized from tragedy, we would surely not be able to cope--- and sometimes--- we don’t do very well at coping despite the protective measures. As the blogger suggested, some officers may turn to alcohol as another layer of protection (which may explain the Pennsylvania police officer’s obvious intoxicated state).

I must also confess there are some incidents for which we police officers lack emotion because they involve career criminals that knew the high stakes of playing the “game”. When investigating a crime, it is not uncommon for us to shake our heads when we learn the victim was caught up in criminal activity that obviously had the high propensity for danger. The Pennsylvania officer’s declaration, “We’re looking at it like, one less drug dealer to deal with--- cool,” makes me wonder if this was one of those instances. Even for police officers, it is much more difficult (and sometimes nearly impossible) to conceptualize when innocent victims lose their lives to random acts of violence in contrast to those who knew the risk and still chose the lifestyle. (I have heard many who are not in police work suggest the same). As disappointing and astounding as it may seem to some, I understand the psyche of that Pennsylvania officer because it is a glimpse into the dark side of police culture.

However, that is where my empathy ends because understanding it is not the same as condoning and I cannot defend the indefensible. Some of the other bloggers suggest that the police officer on the video is an evil human being and deserves to be fired. I know far more stories of police officers who stay and comfort families after a tragedy or those who attend court on their off time because they are emotionally vested in a case. The officer in that video is not a representative of all police officers.

As much as I disagree with vilifying him, I believe he should be held accountable for the exhibitionist style of disrespect. Even if the shooting victim was a career criminal or a drug dealer, he is still someone’s child. The police officer’s lack of respect violates a human being’s right to dignity. While some of us may be able to understand it, there is no excusing it.

True Acts of Charity

2009-04-12T11:00:00.001-05:00

Appeared in the Beacon News on April 12, 2009

Although I rarely ride Metra, I recently decided the train was the best way to go to a training class in Chicago. I arrived at the transportation center about 15 minutes early and stood in line to purchase my ticket. Once I got to the window, I was stunned to learn Metra didn't take credit cards. Those who know me well know I rarely carry cash. I go through life swiping my credit card for nearly everything because I find it less cumbersome than writing checks or fumbling with loose change.

The cashier directed me to an ATM so I again waited in line to get cash. When it was my turn, I fed in my credit card and typed in my PIN number and waited. Denied. The transaction could not be completed because my PIN number was incorrect. After trying twice more with the same results, I looked at the people waiting behind me and offered with nervous laughter that I was having technical difficulties.

I then panicked because my train was about to leave. Recognizing my angst, a man behind me offered to give me some cash. I was taken aback by his offer and my initial (and silent) reaction was "no way." I am not very good at taking charity as my pride tends to be an inhibitor, but I had no other choice. I could either accept the man's offer or I could politely decline and miss both the train and my class. Without hesitation, he handed me a $20 bill.

I scribbled down his address and promised I would pay him back. He gave me a knowing smile and said, "It would make a great letter to the editor if you didn't because I read your columns in the Beacon." I was absolutely flabbergasted (but secretly giddy) at being "recognized."

After I recovered and took my seat on the train, I thought about a previous column I had written about Good Samaritans and instantly knew I had crossed paths with one. Some might argue the man wasn't really a Good Samaritan because he knew where to find me if I was delinquent on my payment. Nevertheless, he most certainly did not have to bail me out of my predicament. My ride on the "cash-only" Metra train gave me an hour to contemplate human nature and what makes a person trusting enough to hand over $20 and risk not getting paid back.

If I'm honest with myself, I don't think I would have given money to a total stranger if the tables were turned. Being a police officer for 15 years has made me rather suspicious of the motivations of others. Mind you, this isn't something I'm particularly proud of, but it comes from years of investigating the intricate scams that some criminals successfully pull off by tugging at the heart strings of others.

I have seen seemingly gentle mothers use their children as props to scam money from charitable victims. Then there are unsuspecting people who handed over money to the nice couple that knocked on their door with an empty gas can and a "stalled" vehicle -- the same thing they pulled in several neighborhoods and made a handsome earning. There are hundreds of similar scams that I have seen over the years that have made me into the skeptic I am today.

And then a man in a train station gives me a moment to pause and reflect on humankind. I immediately settled my debt by sending him payment, but I wondered what he would have done if I hadn't. Some people just give to others without expecting anything in return. No scams. No motives. No need for recognition. Whether it be a kind act or a charitable donation, those who selflessly go out of their way for others are reminders of everything that is right in the world.

If you have any topics or questions that you would like Aurora police Lt. Kristen Ziman to address, e-mail them to Kristen Ziman@gmail.com.

Publicizing Police Complaints

2009-03-20T16:05:00.002-05:00

Appeared in the Beacon News on March 15, 2009

By KRISTEN ZIMAN Columnist

When I was a patrol officer, a citizen filed a formal complaint against me, claiming that while arresting her, I picked her up and threw her against the transport van. I remember receiving the official notification of the allegation and feeling the blood drain from my face when I read that an investigation was being launched and that a guilty finding may result in my termination.

Not only was I not guilty of the infraction, but, ironically, I'm so much smaller than the person who filed the complaint that it would have made it nearly impossible for me to lift her, let alone throw her, as she claimed. One of the sergeants for whom I worked even gave me the humorous nickname "Crusher" based on the sheer irony of my predicament. Eventually, justice prevailed and the complaint was ruled "unfounded" after several of the citizen's own family members gave statements that exonerated me. Despite being found not guilty, that allegation sits in my personnel file to this day.

There are many innocent officers who have had multiple complaints of varying allegations filed against them resulting in a "not guilty" finding. For this reason, I vehemently support Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis' refusal to submit the list of officers who have complaints lodged against them by the public. Although, facing a contempt of court charge, he later turned over the list, I share his position that complaints that are "unfounded" and officers who are "exonerated" should not be branded as "repeaters."

I have been following Weis' story along with the published comments in response to his refusal. The common feeling amongst the bloggers is that Weis' actions are another example of police corruption and "cover-up." "It's about time (police) be exposed, branded, and made to pay for their egregious behavior," one person posted anonymously.

I can't speak for the Chicago Police Department, but I can speak for Aurora police when I say that every citizen complaint is heard by supervisors and investigated for validity. The complaints are taken very seriously, with accountability being the force that drives the process that protects the public from "cover-up" and corruption.

When I became a sergeant, I was surprised at the number of citizens who filed complaints against officers. I was even more surprised when I began to learn that a number of allegations were fabricated. When our squad cars were outfitted with video cameras and microphones, many accusations were dispelled after viewing the incident and finding no validity to the complaint.

Self-preservation drives human beings who break the law, and it is not unusual for them to accuse an officer of misconduct for their own self-interest. For example, a law-abiding citizen probably has never felt as though they were being harassed by the police. In contrast, criminals who are routinely (and repeatedly) arrested notoriously complain about police harassment.

The common citizen sees this so-called harassment as good police work, where the criminal may see it as an impediment to their lifetime of criminal activity. When the latter occurs, it is not uncommon for them to file a complaint.

Regrettably, a very small percentage of police officers are in this profession unfaithfully. It is the officers who have repeated complaints filed against them with "sustained" (guilty) findings who should be on the "list" of repeaters.

Those officers who abuse their power do substantial damage to our noble profession and should be held accountable to their department and the public.

The vast majority of police officers are doing their jobs and risking their lives every day. Vigilant police work and unyielding pressure on criminals may result in a higher volume of complaints.

If the officers follow the law and departmental procedures, they should have the support of the public and their department to keep their names off of a list that could be damaging to their careers.

If you have any topics or questions that you would like Aurora police Lt. Kristen Ziman to address, e-mail them to Kristen Ziman@gmail.com.

Classic Good Samaritan

2009-02-26T18:24:00.000-06:00

Last week, police officers on the midnight shift responded to a suicide in progress where a man tried to hang himself in the basement of a home. The first officer on the scene found the unconscious man hanging from a homemade noose. The officer immediately grabbed and lifted him up to release the pressure from his neck while his back-up officer cut through the noose. After freeing him, they guided the man to the ground. Because he was not breathing, one of the officers, Mike Nilles, administered CPR including mouth-to-mouth recessitation. He continued the life saving efforts until the man vomited in the officer’s mouth (saving a life is far from pretty) and began to breathe on his own.

I went to the hospital to check on Officer Nilles and found him in the emergency room waiting for the nurse to administer a blood draw for an exposure kit that would advise in 24 hours whether he contracted H.I.V. or other diseases from the man he saved.

The officer knew the male was intoxicated and had a history of drug abuse when he chose to perform CPR. He could have easily waited for the medics who were only minutes away and let them use a breathing apparatus. Knowing that time was critical, however, he placed his own safety in jeopardy and acted without regard to his own life. I asked Officer Nilles if he had a conscious thought about the risk to himself before he administered CPR and he said the only thing that went through his mind was, “We can save this one.”

This is just one of many heroic acts that police officers perform in their tour of duty that you never hear about. It didn’t make headlines and there were no drums beating or crowds cheering as the man’s heart began to beat again. The medics whisked the victim away and transported him to the hospital where he will recover and be given a second chance. The officer quietly left the hospital ate the salami sandwich in his squad car that he packed with him, and went on to the next call.

Throughout my career, I’ve often thought of the classic story of the Good Samaritan when witnessing fellow police officers who have acted so bravely to save a life. I’m confident everyone knows the parable where a man walking a dangerous road was beaten, robbed, and left to die. A priest walked by the battered man and crossed to the other side of the street without stopping. Another traveler came upon the injured man and continued on his journey as well. The Good Samaritan found the man and stopped to render aid. He dressed the man’s wounds and carried him to an inn where he used his own money to pay the innkeeper to watch over the man until he was well enough to leave. The Priest and the traveler didn’t stop to help the man because they worried about what would happen to them on the dangerous road. The Good Samaritan stopped to assist because he worried about what would happen to the man if he didn’t.

Officer Mike Nilles never worried about what would happen to him as he breathed air into the lungs of the man. He knew the man would die if he didn’t. In defining moments like these, there is no pause for reflection or reasoning. It is the same instinct and call to action that make police officers run towards gunfire while everyone else runs away. It all comes from the same place of courage and nobility and it has few witnesses.

Thankfully, Officer Nilles did not contract any diseases as a result of his life saving efforts. His actions demonstrate the character of which police officers are made and remind us all of the Good Samaritans dressed in blue that are willing to put others' lives before their own.

A Tragedy Like No Other (Printed in the Beacon News - October 26, 2008)

2009-01-26T15:12:00.000-06:00

The catastrophic helicopter crash involving the medical flight crew of the Air Angels and the small child they sought to save shook the core of many of the emergency personnel that responded to the scene. Even the veteran officers commented that the horrific destruction that occurred just before midnight on October 15th might very well be the worst we have ever witnessed and it will likely be incomparable to anything else we will see again in our careers.

As each detail unfolded and it was confirmed that the wreckage was in fact that of the Air Angels, many of us held our breath as we thought quietly about the Air Angels that we personally knew or the notion that those on board were public servants just like ourselves. Tragedies are always difficult for firemen, medics and police officers but there is a sobering effect when the victims are emergency personnel. A first responder’s sole mission is to save the lives of others and when the lives of those who serve are taken, we are left wondering why.

When we received information that a one-year-old child was being treated on that flight and that her mother was unaware of the crash and driving to Children’s Memorial Hospital to be with her sick child, there were gasps from everyone on scene. As we confirmed that there were no survivors, the silence among our brothers and sisters from Aurora Fire Department and our own Aurora Police Department family seemed louder than the noise of the emergency vehicles on the scene. It was with a heavy heart that we coordinated efforts to deliver the notifications to the family members of those who lost their lives. Unfortunately, this part of being a police officer never gets easier, especially when it involves the loss of a child. I went home that morning and held my kids tighter than usual. Every moment of my day was spent grieving for baby Kirsten whose life had barely just begun. Each of us on the scene that fateful night grieved for the parents whose lives had been forever altered.

Despite the heaviness, each member of the fire department and the police department recognized that there was a job to do and each carried out their missions with precision. A tragic event of such magnitude requires that each agency be in tandem - - constantly communicating with each other. Each agency communicated clearly and delegated tasks to those responding to the scene. When an emergency situation transpires, there are no small jobs. Officers who tape up the scene and block off streets in order to contain the area contribute as much as those who are on the front line. After determining that there were no survivors, the instincts of emergency personnel supersede emotions and a purpose becomes clear - to preserve the evidence from the crash so that we can later determine why it occurred. In these unforeseen tragedies, sometimes the only solace is being able to understand why it happened so that we can prevent it from happening again.

The debris left behind from the helicopter has been cleared and the site of destruction has evolved into a peaceful memorial. The four crosses that stand serve as reminders that there were heroes on that mission. We take solace in knowing that the Air Angels flight crew has saved countless lives in their years of service. When an Air Angel puts on their flight suit; when a firefighter dons their protective gear and when a police officer snaps on their gun belt, they understand that there are no promises of going home at the end of their tour of duty. Yet with service being the primary calling to their chosen profession, they willingly accept that risk every day.

The day after the crash, a medical helicopter flew overhead while traveling to Good Samaritan Hospital carrying a patient from an accident. I looked up and smiled. Their jobs go on. I looked past the helicopter and knew that three angels and a little cherub were smiling too.

Lost Warrior

2008-12-23T11:19:00.001-06:00

Law enforcers lost another warrior last month. A Chicago police officer was fatally shot in the head after a struggle with a bus passenger who was causing a disturbance. Somehow the belligerent woman was able to disarm the 27-year veteran and use his own service weapon to end his tour of duty - Permanently.

When a brother or sister in blue gives the ultimate sacrifice, there is quiet mourning among police officers. The sergeant’s read a synopsis of the incident during roll call and we all pay homage somberly in our own thoughts. Even in our silence, we try to learn the lesson from the fallen officer. Many times we gain meaning from suffering by systematically dissecting the scenario from a tactical perspective so we can learn from the tragedy. When tragedy strikes, we are reminded once again that going home every night is not an absolute guarantee.

The woman who shot that police officer was wounded as well. When back-up police officers arrived at the scene, they ordered the woman to drop the weapon and she threatened them. They fired at her, striking her several times. She survived the multiple gun shot wounds and is still recovering from her injuries. The media swarmed the friends and family of the hospitalized woman and there was one statement from a family member that caught my attention. With the microphone in his face, he stated, “I don’t know why those police officers couldn’t have just shot the gun out of her hand - - there was no reason to shoot her like they did.” I laughed out loud right there in my living room. Not at the circumstances but because I was astounded at the notion that the man didn’t feel as though her pointing a weapon at the officers and threatening to shoot them didn’t give them reason to fire upon her (especially given the fact that she had just shot a police officer moments before). More intriguing to me was his idea that the officers should have shot the gun out of her hand. And just as officers can learn from these circumstances, so can the public.

When confronted with a resisting subject, police officers apply the force continuum. It is a standard that provides law enforcement officers with guidelines as to how much force may be used against a subject in a given situation. The continuum model is depicted in an escalating visual and the concept is that a police officer may use the level of force matched by a subject’s resistance. The officer need not move through each level of force before applying deadly force – the final level - but instead they must choose the appropriate level of force in response to the subject’s actions.

If that conceptualization is too textbook, think of a ladder. At the bottom rung, there is police officer presence. When you see a uniformed police officer simply present, that is normally enough to keep the peace. The next step up on the ladder is verbalization. For the most part, a police officer’s verbal commands satisfy a reasonable, law abiding citizen to comply with the law. Verbalization also applies to arrest situations in that the directive to place your hands behind your back usually gains compliance by the subject being arrested. Contrary to popular belief, this is how most encounters go in the course of a police officer’s tour of duty.

Now consider that the subject does not comply with verbal commands. Suppose a police officer’s command to comply with a lawful arrest is ignored by the offender and when the officer attempts to handcuff them, they resist by attempting to get away or striking the officer. We now move up the ladder on the force continuum and can apply physical means necessary to subdue the individual. Usually this level requires physical contact to control the subject’s movement.

Escalated threats require that we move up the ladder to control the threat. A subject that is combative and violent against a police officer or other member of the public thereby placing them in danger of harm requires that we use an impact weapon, TASER or OC spray. The subject’s actions must be assessed by the police officer and considered a necessity for gaining compliance. Deadly force is the final rung as we move up the ladder and is justified only under conditions of extreme necessity as a last resort. Simply put, when the person is believed to be an immediate danger to others around them, officer’s need not begin at the bottom of the force continuum. Rather, officers must meet and exceed the threat level. Officers are not trained to shoot weapons out of people’s hands or shoot to injure. Television depicts a very unrealistic view of police work in that sense. If an officer discharges their weapon, there is an imminent threat of death and they must eliminate the threat in order to save their own life or someone else’s. This may give you an insight into the minds of those police officers who used deadly force against the Chicago woman.

Police officer’s receive much scrutiny after utilizing deadly force and rightly so. Because police officers are given the power to take away freedom and life if necessary, their actions should be assessed and justified. The average police officer spends much their career using the appropriate judgment and applying force reasonably and responsibly to de-escalate situations. We never want to resort to deadly force but we are mentally and physically ready to do so if it means protecting you or your loved one from harm.

*This column appeared in the Beacon News in August

Police Give Up the Right to be Unfit

2008-12-23T11:15:00.000-06:00

“When you choose law enforcement as a career, you give up the right to be unfit.” These words are boldly displayed in the gym of the Illinois State Police Academy. I thought of this quote at precisely the same moment the employee at McDonald’s asked me if I wanted fries with my grilled chicken sandwich (hold the mayo thank you very much). Of-course I politely declined and wondered why this familiar quote would find its way into my conscious thought.

An Aurora Fire Department paramedic recently took a poll of police officers for a college paper that asked us to provide our weight when we were hired and our current weight. For the rookies, the numbers were still in tact and most were still practicing their fitness regimen from the academy. For the rest of us who have a few scuffs on our belt from years of wear, the numbers were greatly increased. The survey generated quite a bit of conversation among the officers and many wondered how they had unconsciously expanded their belt-loop over the years. Some officers were forced to take an honest look at their current state of health a few joked that the main food group in their diet was grease.

Police officers are frequently running calls with little time for a dinner break (especially on the afternoon shift). As a result, we have to resort to those foods that are delivered quickly and can be eaten while simultaneously completing a report in the squad car. Unfortunately, most of the food that fits this criterion is prepared in a deep fryer. The poor diet coupled with the sedentary act of sitting in a squad car is what causes the expansion of many belt loops. It may sound as though I’m making excuses for the police and in a way I am. It takes monumental effort and extreme dedication to fight the donut phenomenon and there are many officers who do so successfully. I see the same handful of officers in the gym on a daily basis and know of those who religiously stop for a protein shake rather than a gut bomb and a cup of coffee. Others painstakingly prepare their meals before leaving home and keep a cooler of healthy foods in their squad car so they don’t succumb to the temptation of fast food.

Unlike other professions, our physical prowess is a direct correlation to our job competency. If my dentist has a few extra pounds it would hardly be a concern to me unless it somehow affected the way he cleaned my teeth. However, if I called the police to report a hoodlum breaking into my car, I would expect that the police officer responding would be able to engage in a foot pursuit if the situation called for such action. Our valor in combat is a necessity and it should be expected of us. We do give up the right to be unfit in this profession.

The term “unfit” has a deeper meaning as well. To be unfit means to be incapable or unsuitable. It applies to state of mind along with the physical state. A police officer gives up the right to be immoral and unjust and the responsibility that befalls an officer wearing that badge is one that requires mental aptitude and superior skill in problem solving. Being “fit” means acting within the scope of our authority and with fundamental fairness in mind. It means putting our personal views aside and acting within the parameters of the law without prejudice and bias.

There are few occupations that bring with it the power to take freedoms away from another human being. With that, there is a great responsibility to do so within the parameters of the law and with justice being the ultimate goal. When we enter the profession of law enforcement, we give up the right to be unfit in both body and mind.

Finding Purpose

2008-12-23T11:13:00.000-06:00

During a recent visit to a police department for training, the training officer who was responsible for acclimating me to the facility met me at the entrance. As I walked through the lobby door, I was abruptly given the command to “Stop”. The Lieutenant directed my attention to the floor where I saw a beautiful inlaid tile replica of their police badge that took up a majority of the otherwise empty room. He said, “We walk around it.” I was absolutely intrigued at the notion that each police officer finds the 10% of free floor space to walk around the badge so as to not step on it.

I haven’t stopped thinking about the profound level of symbolic awareness since my visit to that police department. The police officers that serve the City of Aurora have the same pride but there are few reminders that force us to pay daily homage to our chosen profession. Our training is elite and concentrates on the tactical skills necessary to perform our duties but, admittedly, we don’t stop to think about our purpose as often as we should. Most of us entered this profession because we were drawn to public service but somewhere along the way, a few have lost their vision. Many enter this profession with wide eyes and possibility only to find that the observance of human suffering day after day takes a toll on their outlook. Many didn’t mind the idea of working nights, weekends and holidays until they began to learn how it would negatively affect their families. Many have become jaded after watching criminals set free by our court system because of a savvy defense attorney or a technicality in the case. Over time, some police officers stop believing that they can make a difference.

Even with such strife, we all believe that law enforcement is one of the noblest professions. We don’t take lightly that one action by a police officer has the ability to affect a life either positively or negatively. Our hope is that the influence is positive but there are times when a citizen is left with a negative perception of the police. To borrow a line from the movie Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” It is our responsibility as police officers to use the powers afforded us by the United States Constitution for good. With this in mind, each action by a police officer should be committed with the intent to uphold the law and keep the peace. Every arrest should be made with the intent to uphold the constitution and promote justice. Each interaction with a victim of a crime should remind us to use empathy rather than the “just the facts” method of gaining information. Those who do their jobs well leave a victim feeling understood and confident that their police are doing the best they can to help. Because we are often inundated with information (whether accurate or not) coming at us from several directions when we respond to a call, an officer may forget what it feels like to be a victim because we are so focused on learning the truth— and then moving on to the next person experiencing a crisis in their lives. Unfortunately, when this happens, what once was a noble profession is reduced to a job.

People in other professions are not immune to the phenomenon of losing the purpose and drive they once had. A recent Harris poll revealed that over half of all Americans are unsatisfied with their jobs. Could this be because they lost their sense of professional purpose? The same polls suggest that many people want to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves and would sacrifice salary for such satisfaction— in other words— a sense of purpose.

In his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Steven Covey offers an example of a postal worker who views her job in a very unique way. Rather than taking the perception that sorting the mail and placing it in the appropriate mailboxes is mundane, she believes herself to be a catalyst for bringing people together. She believes that she is bridge that connects one person to another. For every piece of mail she places in each mailbox, she is serving a purpose. Imagine if we all applied the same thinking to our respective professions. The key is to find meaning in all that we do.

Once we attach meaning, we begin to feel as though we are making a contribution. When we, the police, lose sight of our purpose and our flame goes out, we must look within ourselves to rekindle our fire. Sometimes all it takes is the realization that we’ve just given a domestic violence victim a night of safety or we’ve taken another gun off of our streets.

While a massive inlaid tile patch in the lobby of the police department is a unique reminder of a police officer’s calling, the symbolic gesture of pinning the badge over our hearts each day should be enough to conger up the feeling of the first time we affixed the badge to our uniform and set out to change the world. The key is reminding ourselves everyday of our own contribution.

Blaming the Victim (As printed in the Beacon News)

2008-09-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

I took a class in graduate school entitled “Victimization”. The main focus of the curriculum was based on the premise that crime victims play a large part in their own victimization. There are criminologists who have dedicated their careers solely to this field of study and I was intrigued by the notion that partial responsibility was placed on the crime victim rather than the offender.

My intrigue turned to defiance as I found myself arguing vehemently on behalf of the many innocent and unsuspecting victims with whom I have come in contact throughout my career as a police officer. I thought it absurd to suggest that the robbery victim was somehow responsible for getting her purse snatched while walking through the parking lot after exiting the grocery store. I became angry that an elderly man who trusted a stranger to seal-coat his driveway would be responsible for that person entering his home and taking his life savings. The very thought that a date rape victim was questioned about why she didn’t yell “no” louder or dress less provocative is beyond my comprehension.

When my fog of anger cleared and rationale returned, I had to be honest with myself and admit that I have been on many calls where I secretly wondered of the victim, “What were you thinking?!” Those thoughts normally creep in when a car is reported stolen and the owner admits that he did leave the car running with the doors unlocked. The same question arises when I learn that the stolen ipod and cell phone were taken from the cup-holder in a vehicle with the windows down. In these situations, I’ve learned to use both empathy along with education of these individuals whose behavior I can only describe as “naive”.

The lines of victimization become cloudy when investigating crimes of opportunity. Is there such thing as a criminal who does not seek out criminal behavior but takes advantage of an opportunity to steal an ipod out of an unlocked car? Does this make them a criminal or opportunists in self-interest? In the recent senior prank at East High we can apply the same thought process. Several student leaders were allowed to enter the school and were given clear instructions on what was acceptable for “decorating”. Those students took advantage of their access and called upon other students to enter - many of whom ultimately caused thousands of dollars of damage to the school. Are they criminals or opportunists? In this situation, the police officer was found to be responsible for allowing them in the school. If you allow someone into your home and they destroy your belongings without your permission, should you be held responsible? Those on both sides of this argument have their passionate viewpoints and it is difficult to determine which is more correct. Now you may be starting to understand how criminologists can dedicate their professional lives to one field of study.

From the perspective of a police officer and the law, the issue is not as cloudy. We may find ourselves questioning the actions of some victims and decide that they have made themselves vulnerable to criminal activity. Despite this, the elements of the crimes committed are very clear and rarely open for interpretation. We don’t base arrests on how the victim could have prevented the crime. And for most of us, an unlocked, running car does not conjure up a thought of stealing it, nor does an ipod and cell phone in plain view tempt us. For others, however, values and morals may not be in tact. We can attempt to examine the many theories on what leads a person’s values to be skewed but the fact remains that we are ultimately responsible for our own actions - even when confronted with temptation or opportunity.

Creating a Tapestry (Appeared in the Beacon News on May 11, 2008)

2008-04-28T10:44:00.000-05:00

The police and the community have often fought the adversarial perception of one another and it is my hope that this forum will be a method to bridge that gap. As a police officer and a resident of the City of Aurora, it is very clear to me that the police and the citizens have more in common than we have in conflict. We all want peaceful neighborhoods and a high quality of life. We want the violence to cease and we want our children to be safe. The struggle for both of us is to learn how to do this more effectively. Our goals are the same and so is our passion against injustice. For that reason, it is only fitting that we open the dialogue and create an atmosphere where thoughts can be expressed and questions can be asked.

I have spent 34 years of my life in the city of Aurora. Growing up the daughter of a police officer, I learned at a very young age that law enforcement was more than a profession - - it is a way of life. It is comprised of small acts of heroism along with feelings of helplessness and sheer terror all in a days work. The dinner table was a place to listen in wonderment to the adventures in my father’s day and it became clear to me that it was so much more than a job. As a young adult open to the world’s possibilities, I opted to pursue that way of life rather than the lives of my college-bound childhood friends and I have never looked back.

When I donned the light blue cadet uniform in 1991, I remember the energy and excitement that filled me at the notion of changing the world. Nearly 17 years have gone by and I’ve yet to change the world but I still feel the same excitement each time I put on the unflattering polyester pants. I have pinned the star over my heart more times than I can count and with each clasp, I am reminded of my higher calling as a public servant.

Many police officers have answered the same calling with service and justice being the fundamental force. Policing defies the notion that we must look out for ourselves. Instead we believe that our moral obligation is to protect those who cannot protect themselves. The police run towards screams for help or the sound of gunfire while the natural instinct is to run away. This is not because we are unafraid but because our obligation is to uphold the constitution and impose faith in those we serve.

There are 300 other brave men and women on the Aurora Police Department who share my passion and commitment. There is a dedicated support staff that ensures efficiency and holds the same vision. We are warriors in the quest for peace but even warriors understand that the battle to be won is only possible with the contribution of each soldier. We can easily say that the police are the front line but it is the citizens of Aurora who empower the police.

In order to grow together, we must learn to see the world in a different way – with new eyes. Ask a question. Make a statement. Speak your mind. This column is to create a tapestry out of the invisible threads that connect the police and community. In my young, idealistic quest to change the world, I’ve learned that we must first start with the space we occupy.

Leaders Think Different

2008-02-15T16:07:00.000-06:00

Here’s to the crazy ones. 

The misfits. 

The rebels. 

The troublemakers. 

The round pegs in the square holes. 

The ones who see things differently. 

They’re not fond of rules.

 And they have no respect for the status quo. 

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. 

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. 

Because they change things. 

They push the human race forward. 

And while some may see them as the crazy ones,  We see genius. 

Because the people who are crazy enough to think  they can change the world,  Are the ones who do.

We can thank Apple, Inc. for the snippet of wisdom they used in their 1997 advertising campaign for Apple products. Apple tapped into the intrinsic nature of human beings to question authority, to defy logic and to color outside the lines.

The profession of law enforcement is seemingly contradictory to such rebellion and relies heavily on Standard Operating Procedures, policies and a militaristic chain of command to lead with involuntary compliance. The frolic of a computer company’s catchy advertisement campaign has little relevance to traditional law enforcement nor can a comparison be drawn to bring the subject matter to a common ground. Or can it?

The days of following on blind faith and answering “how high?” on the command to jump from a superior are becoming a way of the past. The new generation entering the field of law enforcement is different than those of your father’s generation. The baby boomers and traditionalist’s respected authority and did not question it. The Y (“Why”) generation earns their namesake from the relentless thirst for questioning their purpose. The hardware on one’s collar holds little significance to the young generation who respects original thought and innovation over rank and file. While many may suggest that the changing times are for the worst, I would argue the merit that this transition brings.

Questioning the status quo, if done respectfully and appropriately, forces us to seek new solutions to the common problems we face in our profession. Eliciting input from all levels of the organization is the newest trend cited in law enforcement management books. Community oriented policing emphasizes partnerships and the concept is being shifted to the organization as well as the community. The bureaucratic police department is a thing of the past and the power once associated with the top level command is being relinquished to line level personnel. The shift in power creates a dichotomy of sorts because those who hold command positions ultimately find that giving away power leaves them with more of it. The result is increased morale and a higher level of job satisfaction from all members of the organization.

The concept may seem oversimplified and I would agree that it is. Despite the contrived ease in shifting to an agile organization, control is by far the most difficult thing to relinquish. Many leaders in an organization would find it difficult to accept being questioned and would hardly tolerate the notion of giving up their power and control to the line level. In tangible terms, shifting the power means implementing new ideas from all levels of the organization (including civilian). It means that the silver accessories on an officer’s uniform are not a direct correlation to their intelligence and creativity when compared to those with gold garnishes. Shifting power means taking a risk and leaping from “that’s not how we normally do it” to “let’s try a new way and see what happens.” It means that the organization’s leaders must have the courage to fail. The true leader accepts the risks associated with making mistakes and recognizes that failing to try is a failure in itself. It also means that the leader must be able to say “we” as opposed to “I”. When there is a success, it is our success. When we fail, the leader assumes that burden.

I proffer that the organization whose leaders practice empowerment will find that they ignite the hearts and minds of their employees. When employees feel valued and a part of something bigger than themselves, production is a natural consequence.

And so we find that an advertising campaign for a computer company has something to teach a profession that has succeeded it by nearly 150 years. We learn that those leaders who are crazy enough to think they can change the morale of an organization by changing the traditional way of thinking are the ones who often do.