Why(are You doing this)? THE PROGRAM IS PROBABLY SOMETHING YOU WILL BE DOING IN ADDITION TO YOUR REGULAR DUTIES. AN ABUNDANCE OF ENTHUSIASM WILL BE NEEDED.
21
Why are you doing this? For a moment, let’s go beyond the obvious reasons and get personal. Your answer will require a bit of soul searching, but it's important if not vital to maintaining your personal enthusiasm for the program. Enthusiasm is largely irrelevant to your professional duties as a police officer. How you feel on any given day need not impact your performance. This is one of the hallmarks of professionalism. Good day, bad day, you soldier on. This is not necessarily the case with the Junior Police Academy. The program is probably something you will be doing in addition to your regular
duties. An abundance of enthusiasm will be needed. Whether you view the program as extra work, profoundly rewarding or somewhere in between will depend on your level of personal investment. A WHY THAT INSPIRES YOU. As a police officer, a citizen of the United States, perhaps as a father or mother, you no doubt hold passionate views about the next generation of Americans. Indeed, I have yet to meet a police officer who has not thought deeply and meaningfully about life. To the extent you are able to channel the things you feel most passionate about into the
22
program, the easier it will be to find the time and energy required. There are many officers who have siblings or nephews or nieces whose lives have taken a wrong turn. For them the program is a means reaching out to young people and giving them the confidence and guidance to keep their life on track. For some officers it’s opportunity to cultivate accountability at a time critical to a young person’s maturity into adulthood.
Democracy For me, JPA is an opportunity to talk about democracy. Take this quote from Commissioner Ed Davis with the Boston Police Department: “The rights set forth in the United States Constitution are the rightful heritage of every citizen. The interaction between a citizen and the police, the respect one has for the other, has a major impact on a citizen’s own confidence in democracy.
Commissioner Ed Davis
“The way that officers talk to people; the way that they interact reflects on government at large and renew or erode a citizen’s confidence in democracy and the fairness of our system of government.”
23
I was so inspired by that statement that all the hours of overtime I have invested in the program immediately started paying a higher rate of interest. It has become the frame through which I approach this material – cultivate democracy by introducing young people to the finest citizens I know.
Construct a “why” that inspires you. Ask your yourself...
Your Turn Take the time right now to answer both WHY questions. Q: WHY DO YOU WANT TO HOST A JPA? (IMAGINE THE IDEAL OUTCOME – THE BEST POSSIBLE RESULT OF HOSTING A JPA.}
24
Incentivize the program’s overall vision.
Q: WHAT WILL MAKE THIS PERSONALLY GRATIFYING? {INCENTIVIZE THE PROGRAM’S OVERALL VISION. MAKE IT PERSONAL.}
Built to Last This exercise is more than just pie-in-the-sky or wishful thinking – it is critical to keeping the program planning consistent with your intentions and your energy equal to the demands that lie ahead; or in the words of the poet: "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” Henry David Thoreau In the next step, we will put a face to your program.
25