Stripes and Bars AMAURY MURGADO
PREPAREDNESS, NOT PARANOIA Promote rational readiness instead of exaggerated responses guided by fear. WHILE WORKING AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER in Cen- to get you, because it sure feels that way at times. Regardless tral Florida, one of the tourist meccas of the world, I had the of what you are calling it, supervisors need to focus on calmprivilege of meeting other officers from all over. No matter ing fears that thrust officers into artificially induced hyperwhere they came from, they shared stories that confirmed vigilance and clouded judgment. Being prepared means being ready to face the challenges we all have the same kinds of problems, face the same danthrown at you while you work. You must train to meet those gers, and always suffer when politics enter the picture. Recently, anti-police trends have made violence and challenges. What's important to stress is the application of lawlessness acceptable within certain dissident groups in core principles. Since no two situations are ever the same, our country. It feels like open season has been declared on understanding the principles gives you the widest possible police officers. This paradigm shift has both sides on edge. range of tactics. If you pay attention, the situation will alWhat used to be considered a normal traffic stop has ev- ways guide you as to what tactics to use. As a supervisor, you must find a healthy balance. Proper eryone thinking it might turn into a life-and-death struggle. It is therefore imperative that supervisors promote of- training and mentoring will help you cut down on exaggerated responses. To paraphrase a line from a Will Smith movficer safety without feeding into fear-based paranoia. ie, fear is an emotion created by your mind We are our own worst enemy when it POLICE OFFICERS but danger is real. We must be prepared to comes to being prepared. We all know ofCANNOT AFFORD deal with danger but not feed into our emoficers who are very tactical and many make fun of them, saying they're being paranoid. TO BE IRRATIONAL. tions. Fear makes us irrational. Police officers cannot afford to be irrational. I remember going to alarm calls and reI knew an officer who would shy away sponding as if someone were still inside. My backup officers would just walk up to the glass doors and from anything dangerous. Even if he was the first officer on tell me to calm down because it was probably just another the scene, he would find a way to let another officer handle false alarm. Why criticize officers for taking officer safety the call. He would often say he took long cover or went in another direction to check something out. He would only jump seriously on the job? Another example is the Columbine High School shoot- into the fray when it was almost over. When questioned about ing, which changed how law enforcement dealt with active why he wouldn't commit, he stated he was afraid of getting shooters. No one questions a go-bag anymore, carrying a in trouble. That answer meant he was more afraid of being rifle, or conducting training in small unit tactics. Prior to suspended than of getting injured. Thankfully, that officer Columbine, however, doing such things would have been is no longer in law enforcement. He recognized this type of deemed unnecessary, or considered overreacting by your work was not for him and got out before he or someone else got hurt. command staff, or pegged you as a SWAT wannabe. The example above brings to light another by-product of Being prepared means you are ready to face a zombie attack by staying in shape, maintaining proficiency in the today's anti-cop mentality; it's no longer just the possibility tools of your trade, participating in as much relevant train- of officers overreacting, but the possibility of their failing to ing as possible, and in committing to your agency's mission. act as well. Fear manifests itself in many ways, so helping On the flipside, being paranoid means you think zombies someone deal with uncertainty has long been an unspoken part of a supervisor's job. Staying prepared is the only way to exist and have already infiltrated all levels of government. If we feed into our fears, being paranoid is problematic keep fear at bay. at best and tragic at its worst. Though I am using paranoia loosely to make a point, real paranoia is a thought process Amaury Murgado retired a senior lieutenant from the Osceola believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often County (FL) Sheriff's Office with over 29 years of experience. to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking He also retired from the Army Reserve as a master sergeant. typically includes beliefs of conspiracy concerning a per- He holds a master's of political science degree from the Uniceived threat. It's not a stretch to think that everyone is out versity of Central Florida.
J
6
POLICE JUNE 2017
freeinfo.policemag.com/754406