Thursday, June 25, 2015

First impressions

The Lincoln Police Department is preparing to start a new recruit class in July. I happened to be at police headquarters yesterday, as the soon-to-be-trainees were getting some preparatory administrative work out of the way. I was pleased to see a young woman in the class that I met earlier this year over a cup of coffee at Bruegger's. I did not intervene on her behalf in any way, but I could tell from our conversation she'd be an excellent candidate.

During my entire career, the LPD recruit academy has been based on an academic model, rather than a military one. Sgt. Lancaster, who ran the short academy when I was a newbie, was a friendly, avuncular fellow that set a nice tone. When I was running the academy in the early 1980's, I tried to avoid the drill instructor style you see in the movies and on TV. My current role is only a couple of days, but along with other instructors, I try to follow the principles of adult learning.

It's not this way everywhere. David Couper, who served as the Madison, Wisconson chief for twenty years, reminisced in his 2011 book, Arrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off About Protest, Racism, Corruption and the Seven Steps Necessary to Improve Our Nation’s Police, about the paradigm that was common in police academies, and still persists in some places:
"When I was introduced to the academy class that was already in training before I was appointed, the class stood at attention when I entered the room. In fact, I found that not only did they stand at attention when I entered, but that they did so for every supervisor who came into their class. A coercive, top-down leadership model had no place within a police department that was seeking highly educated people to come and join it. Some of the people we were trying to attract into a police career were currently in business, law, social work, or teaching. And most of them wouldn’t choose to remain in a police department that ran like an 18th century British warship."
Jack Lancaster set a good tone for me in 1974. I hope I'm doing likewise for trainees today. Its great to see these folks beginning their career, and the impression we make at the outset is an important one throughout their careers.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Director,
In my opinion respect for authority is very important. It starts off with respect for your parents and progresses throughout the years but self respect is even more important. Respect has to be earned and when it isn't everything falls apart. I think recent examples of a lack of (self)respect are Ferguson and Baltimore.
Gun Nut

Anonymous said...

Director, I see William Mickle next to you in the recruit photo... I was classmates with his daughter in elementary school (and I believe high school). Very bright, young lady who was proud of her policeman father (who I remember her telling me was a motorcycle cop at one time) and her grandfather, who was the principal of Lincoln Northeast... and the person Mickle Jr. High/Middle School was named after. Not sure what she ended up doing in life, but a great family (from what I can remember~).....

Mark said...

When I went through the academy in 1977 (ouch) we lost 6 of 19 recruits before it was over and only 11 made it off probation

Anonymous said...

Wow Duden, graduated in same class as my pedo cousin Pius X 70's go figure.

Anonymous said...

Please consider removing the photo from this posting. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, it's appreciated.

8:16 AM