Here I am in Santa Claus, Indiana. It’s really in the middle of nowhere amongst
cornfields already harvested but waiting for the rigid, orderly stalks to be
removed. This is the 4th
annual meeting of the Emerson Society Summit.
Bill Westfall, an old friend and training colleague, has again gathered
35 police professionals and budding young up and comers in the public safety
field from all corners of the country to this idyllic neighborhood for a
weekend of sharing and growing professionally.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson, who used to have these meetings with his closest
colleagues, would say, “Tell me, what has become clear to you since we last
met?”
This is a rare meeting where everyone can share ideas, new
directions, network with other professionals, and maybe ask for help with some
new challenge or discuss a heartache of a problem left unsolved. It’s casual with absolutely no distractions!
Alan Brunacini, retired, longtime Fire Chief of Phoenix, was
the featured presenter. He talked about
his opportunity to change the culture of his 2,000-person agency. The turning point for him was when he
realized that “being nice” and consumer-oriented was as important, if not more
so, than efficiency and effectiveness in firefighting. On a sad note, he acknowledged that his
agency reverted to its past autocratic ways almost before the door hit him in
the ass on his retirement.
A young Connecticut State Trooper who was a lead
investigator in the Sandy Hook school shooting made a passionate
presentation. This tragedy forced every
law enforcement officer even indirectly involved in this investigation to face
personal conflicts. He strongly made the
point that everything anyone did during this investigation was prefaced with
the thought, “What impact will this have on the survivors.” What the police might have thought was
important for the investigation was really not that significant when considered
against the impact it might have on the surviving family members. Troopers and police officers were assigned to
each family who lost someone in this tragedy.
While this may now become the norm for agencies experiencing this type
of tragedy, he cautioned us to ensure that these uniformed men and women need
to be prepared for the psychological trauma they themselves will face.
Pat Gallagher, my old best friend for the past 36 years,
forcefully proposed that our police agencies must service two communities – the
external one and the community within our agency of our employees. He and several other presenters stressed the
point that we need to reexamine our basic beliefs in what we are in business
for. Are we just law enforcers, or are
we guardians of the peace and helpers for those who need our help. This is a significant cultural change. Can everyone in your agency define what the
culture of your agency is and what direction it’s going?
Pete Sarna, another old friend and longtime retired Captain
from the Oakland CA Police Department, harped on the need to seek purpose in
what we’re doing. Are we doing the right
thing at the right time? He lamented the
problems perplexing his old agency, but knows it was foreseen and not addressed
when it could have been.
A young trainer from Raleigh Police Department talked about
the need for situational training based on learned habits. He asked that at the conclusion of a field
incident how would you answer the question, “Was I good or just lucky?”
This two-day meeting of aged and new thinkers in law
enforcement and public service was reinvigorating for even an old-timer like
me. But it’s something that should be
replicated throughout our ranks. We can
never sit contented or rest on today’s successes or our past laurels. We need to learn from our histories and our
shared experiences. Tomorrow is here and
it’s time to build each person’s and each agency’s legacy. How about yours’?