Post-Traumatic Growth

The nature of police work is one of great adventure, great crisis, great horror. You will see more and experience more, both good and bad, in five years on the job than the average person will in 70, so don't fear it; embrace it, accept it. It is your path.

Reading Body Language: Leaky People

Experts say when we interact with others we are always "leaking" with our face or body what we are thinking or feeling. My wife, the Sarge, has a way of refusing to acknowledge what I am saying and demanding to know what I am actually "thinking," since I'm apparently a pretty bad "leaker."

Stay Refreshed

When I took over firearms instruction in the academy the first thing I did was try to imbue everyone with the ideas that shooting was fun, anyone can do it, and if there is a problem it is only the technique, and not the person.

Dave Spaulding

Lessons Learned

First and foremost, the recordings reveal that force is ugly. It is not the "one punch, hero wins, bad guy goes down," movie action the public has been conditioned to expect.

Thank You for Freedom

People who live in fear are not really free, or cannot stay free long with such anxiety, and you are the ones they call in a crisis.

You Did What?

Officers who make a mistake should report it immediately. Lying to cover up a mistake is a much greater offense.

Cognitive Dissonance

I focused on several likely hiding places: a container of Comet cleanser, filled with just cleanser; a PVC piece of pipe—only a bomb; a box of "SOS" pads....wait a minute!

The Hole

Over the years I have had so many "if only" moments; most of them have been about debt and its related stresses. When I was developing officer safety programs at the academy, I was stunned to find the number one cause of divorce among law enforcement officers was not dispatchers, but financial stress.