Phalanx Law Enforcement

Death Inspires Me – Law Enforcement’s Legacy

Posted: May 16, 2013 in Family, Law Enforcement Training, Officer Survival
Tags: death, inspires, memorial, peace officer, police, training, week

It may sound a bit strange and morbid to think of death as a motivator, but for me it is. Back in 2007, before the Cleveland Clinic outfitted me with 4 spinal implants, a doctor told me that I wouldn’t live longer than 6 months – due to the severe nerve damage I suffered tackling a bad guy. With frequent visits to the Clinic, I came to the realization that I might not live to a ripe old age. As I pondered my death, I waited for my wild “bucket list” to start compiling in my head: go skydiving in Colorado, maybe hang glide in Mexico, visit Ireland and experience our family’s history… But it never came. I didn’t want to go bull riding or drive a race car a 150 miles per hour (already did that one in a black and white) before I died. What did come to mind was the welfare and happiness of my family after I was gone, and what I could do about it right then that I already hadn’t.

Like most Americans, I had prepared for death by getting life insurance, but I knew that I could have done so much more as a police officer and trainer, to make society a better place for my family to live in – but I hadn’t. I wouldn’t share the materials I created as a trainer unless I got something in return that I felt was equal. I didn’t see that what I would get in return was more valuable than anything they could give me.

I have a vested interest in the next generation of police officers who will become the guardians that protect my wife and kids (maybe grandkids) after I am gone. We do not hesitate to invest in life insurance to protect our families – should we not also invest in our law enforcers who will provide a lifetime of vital service for them?

Knowing that once I am gone, I can never again share the knowledge I have learned, or impart the wisdom that I have gained terrifies me. The lessons I experienced through many trials and long tribulations will be lost forever. What a wasted legacy that would be. I am not a person who likes to feel dumb, and to sit around and make excuses why I shouldn’t “do something” for law enforcement seems dumb. Descending into professional self-pity also seems dumb, and unproductive to boot.

With National Police Week approaching, I am reminded of the sacrifices of our noble brothers and sisters, and I am truly inspired to take action from their deaths. Like you, I don’t want any more of our officers to lose their lives in the line of duty and studying the sacrifices made can save lives – while honoring others. Every choice that you and I make, are critical, because we won’t get to make them indefinitely. They can have a lasting effect on our profession and improve the safety of our officers and society.

Take a moment and visit the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund website (NLEOMF.org) and read the stories of those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our way of life. The fabric of the American society that we all hold so dear and take for granted so often. Read about the families that were left behind and see the wonderful programs offered to them through groups like Concerns of Police Survivors (NationalCOPS.org). Never underestimate the power of such lessons that came at such a high price.

When I used to worry about giving away my stuff, and how it might affect my status as an instructor, I was focusing on me and only me. Instead of concerning myself with our cadets, our officers, and our society, I worried about my ego, my pride, and my vanity. I still catch myself from time to time, worrying about trivial matters that won’t be of concern to anyone a day later. We should choose to “Do Something” for Law Enforcement Rather than Just “Be Someone” in Law Enforcement.

I really want to live a life that is regret free, so I won’t wait until death is standing on my door step once again to give back to our profession. I would like to challenge you to start a new tradition this year on May 15^th, Peace Officer’s Memorial Day. Please continue paying tribute by participating in the candle light vigil, and make sure to pray for the families left behind. But I ask you to make a choice, to also be proactive with your tribute this year. Take the knowledge you gleaned from your research and combine it with your years of law enforcement experience, and then impart it on a new recruit or rookie officer. Stimulate discussions, ideas, stories, and positive action by those you mentor.

The Neil Family

These short daily lessons could one day save an officer’s life (maybe yours), and many more as the stories get passed on from one officer to another. I can assure you that every law enforcement family would rest a little easier knowing that these mentorships were routine. Don’t stop after sharing the lesson and your wisdom. Encourage other officers to do the same, and you will create a new tradition that inspires action and saves lives.

What would you like your obituary to say about you? What legacy do you want to leave behind, not only for your family, but also for the guardians of justice who will watch over them? My suggestion is that we all start working on them now. Society and law enforcement will benefit from the wisdom you share and the integrity you show.

Richard Neil is the author of “Police Instructor,” and the “Phalanx Law Enforcement” training blog at www.PhalanxLE.com. He is a retired city cop who instructs academy cadets and veteran instructors. He can be contacted through his website that is dedicated to law enforcement educators and trainers – http://www.leotrainer.com

Help Us Fight Childhood Cancer in 60 Seconds

Posted: April 28, 2013 in Family
Tags: amazon review, fight cancer, law enforcement, police instructor, Richard Neil, training

Many of you have asked me, how to help with our son’s battle against Ewings Sarcoma bone cancer. I found a way that some of you may well be able to assist us in our mission. We will be using the proceeds from “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning” to help children facing the long fight against childhood cancer. You can help Richard Jr., and other child cancer patients, by taking a few minutes to review the book.

If you have read the book, and it exceeded your expectations, or you thought “law enforcement training would get better if some of our educators and trainers read this,” please visit the book’s Amazon.com page (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1466476354/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=leo061-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1466476354&adid=0SHYP7HT75VW09E4K4X0&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fleotrainer.com%2Fbook.html), and post a review for other educators and trainers to see.

We don’t have a marketing machine behind us to ensure the book will make it to the people it can help the most, but I believe in our noble profession and that word-of-mouth is the best way to reach our people. They will trust your insights far more than some slick advertisement in a magazine that tries to sway them. As the author, my opinion carries little weight, but you dear friends have all the power in the world. We hope to reach over 30 Five Star reviews for the book on Amazon – maybe even 40 or 50 some day.

Other ways to help:

Consider posting info about the book (or the DVD/E-Book combo), and our fight against childhood cancer, on your Facebook or LinkedIn page, Twitter, or blog.
Recommend the book to other dedicated educators, instructors, and training managers.
If you know any of our colleagues who write for newsletters or magazines, see if they need a book to review and write about.
If you know someone who is training our officers, but shouldn’t be allowed, feel free to leave a copy of the book on their desk when they’re not looking. It’s a great way to drop someone a hint.
Please continue sharing the http://www.LEO-Trainer.com web site, and http://www.PhalanxLE.com blog, with anyone who prepares worthy protectors for society. These resources will always be a free resource to help us improve our craft.

Richard Jr. is currently in Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio – after suffering some severe side effects from chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant. We hope he will be out later this week so he can have a break before starting his radiation treatment in May.

We greatly appreciate your help, but most importantly, your prayers. These little things make a huge difference.

As always: Stay safe and train well,

Richard H. Neil Sr.
Richard@LEOtrainer.com

As a Cop, How Far are You Willing to Fly?

Posted: April 23, 2013 in Family, Law Enforcement Training
Tags: ileeta, nationwide childrens hospital, police, Richard Neil, training

It was not how I imagined the week of police training would end. We were safely on board a private jet and taxiing down a side access road to the runway. I was amazed they came so far to get us, and they made it all happen within hours of my call for help. As we lifted off from the ground, I said a quick prayer and realized we were blessed, and my son would soon be in safe hands. On the flight back to Ohio, I asked myself, how many times did I let another cop down, or a victim, because I wasn’t willing to go – or fly – the extra distance they needed me to? Had I always been generous with my time and resources when another police instructor called for help? The crew on the plane said, “We will come as far as is necessary to keep you safe and get you where you need to be.” I started to wonder if we should see our law enforcement duties in the same way.

A week before our unexpected flight we were an unassuming family driving from southwestern Ohio to Chicago for the ILEETA (International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Association) conference. I was eager to learn as much as I could, and eager to teach my workshop, Engaging & Innovative Slide Design, for the other educators and trainers. It was the first time I had been able to offer any of my training programs in 7 months.

It was back in September that my son, Richard Jr., was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma bone cancer. Richard’s world had been turned upside down and our family’s with it. He had made it through 6 rounds of aggressive chemo with good results and had just completed his stem-cell transplant which greatly weakened his immune system. After the month long hospital stay, he had several weeks before he had to start his radiation, and he wanted to get out and live a little.

Richard knew I held the ILEETA organization in high regard, and wanted us to honor our pledge to teach a workshop in Chicago. While there, he planned to celebrate his successful transplant by visiting the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), and travel up to the 103^rd floor Skydeck. It has several glass rooms that stick out from the side of the building, some 1,353 feet above the ground. The rooms have glass floors that you can stand on – if you dare – giving you a one-of-a-kind view of Chicago. It was the topic of discussion during our 6 hour drive to the conference.

The entire week was going well at the conference but Richard wasn’t getting his strength back like we had hoped, and by Thursday night, we were growing concerned that he was hiding how poorly he felt. He started to get sick any time he would eat or drink, a common occurrence from his cancer treatments, but we wanted to be overly cautious. We knew he was becoming dehydrated, so my wife and daughter took him to a local hospital the following morning to get some fluids.

The “Police Instructor 201” workshop I was teaching went great on Friday afternoon, even though I lost my concentration multiple times during the 4 hour training. I wondered how things went at the hospital. I figured they were back upstairs in the hotel room, deciding what time we would be going up in the tower tomorrow. The next day was supposed to be a sunny Saturday afternoon – perfect for viewing the city scape. Little did we know that he would be viewing it from a much higher altitude?

Just as the workshop was ending my daughter, Nadia, walked into the room and told me that her brother had developed pancreatitis (a side effect from the aggressive chemo), and was still at the hospital with my wife, Gloria. My heart sank. He had already been through so much misery, fighting the bone cancer, and missing out on his junior year as a cadet in the Army ROTC program at Ohio State. We hurried out of the hotel and I returned with Nadia to the hospital.

We arrived as Richard was being wheeled into a private room to be admitted. Gloria, the most wonderful wife and greatest mother a kid could hope for, looked concerned as she watched over her child. “This isn’t where he belongs. I wish we were at Children’s in Columbus,” she said. I wholeheartedly agreed with her but I reassured her, “they will look after him just the same until we can get him back home.” I was terribly wrong.

A nurse came into the room and said the doctor wanted her to access Richard’s port, a tube implanted in his chest, just under the skin, that allows easy access for chemo drugs, blood products, or fluids. I told her that was a good idea but I was a little surprised she came in without a mask or gloves on. I figured this hospital may wait until they are in the room and dismissed it, but then she opened the specialized kit for accessing the port and pulled out the large needle with her bare hands. I asked her, “What are you doing?” as I stood up from my seat. She was hovering over his chest, feeling around for the port when she cynically responded, “I’m accessing his port like I told you.” In that moment I realized they did not have the knowledge and experience to care for our son.

I explained the protocols for stem-cell patients to her, “Ma’am, I understand things may be different here, but back at Nationwide Children’s in Columbus, nurses come into his room with a mask and gloves on. If they are accessing his port, they put on sterile gloves, a mask, and a gown, that are individually packed. Then they require anyone sitting in the room to wear a mask during the process. Using your bare hands to shove that needle through my son’s skin, while breathing directly above it, is not an option.” She stood up and looked a little shocked by my explanation, and then responded with, “that would get annoying if we did that every time we came into a room.” It took everything I had not to let out my “Copitude” (you know the one that gets us into trouble), and tell her what I thought about her being inconvenienced by my son’s immune system.

I stayed the night with Richard and hoped the antibiotics would start to help relieve his symptoms so we could get him back to his medical team in Ohio. When Saturday afternoon rolled around the test results had come back from the day before showing more problems with his gallbladder and pancreas. The hospital gave us a list of options that were all forbidden by the stem-cell transplant. We knew we needed to get him back to a hospital that specialized in pediatric cancer.

We had been in contact with his doctors since we took him to the hospital the day before. With the new test results in hand, I called them again and told them about the hospital’s lack of safety protocols and inexperience with cancer patients. I asked if it was safe to head home with him in our van or if we should hire an ambulance?

The transportation manager from Nationwide Children’s Hospital said “Dr. Gross ordered our flight crew to come and get Richard and bring him back here, where he belongs.” I was relieved, “That is wonderful news,” but I was curious, “How many times will the helicopter have to stop and refuel to make it the 375 miles to Chicago.” He sounded puzzled, “We are sending a jet for your son. It will be in Columbus in a few hours to pick up our nurses, and then it will be there a few hours later. Your son will be in Columbus by midnight.” I had never even considered such a thing but I was glad they did.

The flight crew arriving in Chicago.

It was 4 hours later when two RN’s, wearing flight suits, walked into Richard’s hospital room. I had never felt so comforted to see someone I didn’t know. They had flight wings on their right chest and the butterfly logo from Nationwide Children’s on their left. One said “We’re here to pick up some Buckeyes and take them home.” I just smiled and I could tell Richard was as relieved as I was. The flight home on the medical jet was 50 minutes. It looked like a large Learjet that had been converted to transport a patient and medical team. I flew along in one of the extra chairs. It was a little cramped with the equipment hanging around and it was louder than most passenger jets, but it was the best plane ride I have ever been on.

As you might imagine, I am a little biased when I say Nationwide Children’s Hospital is the best there is. They chartered a private jet to come and rescue my son, and deliver him back to the specialists who knew how to care for him. How far would you go to help another, when it is in your power to act?

How Far are You Willing to Fly?

We should be willing to stand shoulder to shoulder in our common cause – to prepare the finest guardians possible. By aiding those law enforcers around us, we build a strong foundation of knowledge that develops into wisdom and courage for our profession. Not sharing it is a waste. Organizations like ILEETA, serve as a foundation of integrity and are role models for law enforcers around the world to follow.

I was surprised how far the hospital was willing to come to get Richard, and their response when I thanked them: “We will come as far as is necessary to keep you safe and get you where you need to be.”

How far would you fly out of your way to help, when it is in your power to act? When you hear a veteran officer giving bad advice to a rookie, do you correct it before the new officer gets into trouble or traumatizes a victim? When you see poorly construed training, do you step forward and correct it before someone is hurt? When you see a new instructor struggling with a presentation do you step in, show them the ropes, and share your training resources with them?

A poorly trained nurse or doctor, appear to be more detrimental than a poorly trained police officer – but they are both a danger to society. Like the hospital, the law enforcer may be around for decades impacting the lives of thousands of citizens, and endangering his fellow officers as well. The recipe for a good police officer includes generous portions of courage, patience, and stubbornness mixed with as much wisdom and humility as you can find. These traits, along with a determination to improve our profession, will provide skilled and worthy protectors for our society.

When you see a victim in need, or another officer who could use your wisdom, will you say, “I’m willing to go out of my way to keep you safe, and I will get you where you need to be?”

Richard Neil is the author of “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning.” He is a retired city cop, and instructs for several of Ohio’s criminal justice training academies. He can be contacted through his website that is dedicated to law enforcement educators and trainers – www.LEO-Trainer.com

Factoid 2 – Super Police Instructor Man

Image — Posted: April 17, 2013 in SPIM Jokes
Tags: joke, law enforcement, Richard Neil, super police instructor

Make Them Mad – Make Them Learn

Posted: April 14, 2013 in Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training
Tags: controversial topic, police instructor, Richard Neil, training

There are speakers who say you have less than 5 minutes to make a lasting impression with your audience, and others who only give you 60 seconds. They are both right depending on the audience. With police cadets, you have more time to impress them since they are eager to learn and excited to have the opportunity to be there. Veteran cops on the other hand may not even give you 60 seconds. They may not want to be there in the first place but you can quickly earn their interest, and eventually their trust, if you start out with something powerful. By showing them the benefit of your presentation, you will gain their attention and interest. You can start with a personal story, a unique fact, or a controversial quote. Just about any way to start out with a bang will work.

“An emotionally charged event is the best-processed kind of external stimulus EVER measured.” ~Dr. John Medina, Brain Rules

Using a controversial topic to engage the emotions of your audience is one option. Consider looking for a point of contention relevant to the topic, and exploit it to fuel a debate among your students. Dispute, even anger among them, shows interest in your topic. These emotions are a daily occurrence for law enforcers and they will benefit from this type of learning experience.

I will take debate and anger any day over boredom and sleeping, but some instructors cannot handle the thought, or feeling, of losing control. They would rather lecture without involving their students and maintain complete dominion over the class. There can be little gained by anyone in this type of learning environment.

“Emotionally charged events persist much longer in our memories and are recalled with greater accuracy than neutral memories.” ~Brain Rules

Consider any well-known book, article, news story, or quote as a unique way to start your next class. I purposely use controversial statements that I know will make a class of cops or cadets mad, sad, or happy. If they are mad, they are listening. They want to know why I used it and what comes next. Do not be afraid to challenge their core beliefs or yours – they will come out stronger and be more attentive knowing that nothing is off limits in your presentation.

I usually place short statements on the screen for students to ponder and then follow up with the remainder of the information. Here are a few examples of materials I have used before.

PTSD & Stress

True or False: As many as one third of law enforcers in this country are impaired by PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and cannot function well, if at all. ~from the book CopShock by Allen R. Kates

The statement is true and backed up by several different studies. Here are a few follow up statistics to drive the point home for your audience of veterans or cadets.

Rates of PTSD among American police officers are as high as 35% (Mann & Neece, 1990).
Law enforcement personnel have been reported to have three times the rate of suicide, increased alcohol use and cardiovascular diseases, and twice the rate of divorce compared to the general population (Marmar et al., 2007; McCaslin et al., 2007).
69% of law enforcement officers who retired early left for psychological reasons (Miller, 1996).

Rookie Stress

True or False: Over 50% of rookie officers will encounter a critical incident in their first year?

It’s false. It is much higher with 94.5% of police recruits reporting exposure to at least one critical incident during their first year of police service (Marmar et al., 2007).

We Need Warriors

Ask your cadets the following question. “Can we survive without doctors and hospitals?”

I always get a quick answer back from my class, “Of course not.” They answer without thinking about our ancestors who survived for the past 10,000 years without medical sciences (but with 4 spinal implants I’m happy we have them now). After allowing the class time to debate the topic, place the following statement from On Combat (Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman and Loren W. Christensen) on the screen, and ask the students if the statement is true.

We could go for a generation without the doctors… but civilization would continue. If, however, we went but a single generation without the warriors who are willing to confront human aggression every day, then within the span of that generation we would truly be “both damned and doomed.”

It will start a great discussion and help our future guardians see the importance of warriors in our culture.

Crapping Your Pants

Is it natural to wet your pants when you are in a life and death situation? Should we let officers know what physical and biological changes they may encounter in such circumstances?

Research shows that if you have a “load” in your lower intestines during a highly stressful survival situation, it’s going to go. Your body says, “Bladder Control? I don’t think so. Sphincter control? We don’t need no stinking sphincter control!” What do you do if that happens? You keep on fighting. ~On Combat, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

Tunnel Vision

Out of 10 officer involved shootings, how many police officers would suffer from tunnel vision?

Eight out of 10 suffered tunnel vision. ~ Alexis Artwohl, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized behavioral science consultant to law enforcement, and she is an advisory board member for the Force Science Research Institute.

Killing Ain’t Easy

In WWII only 15% to 20% of trained riflemen fired their weapons at exposed enemies when alone. If a leader ordered them to fire, nearly all did, but you won’t have anyone commanding you. ~Study by General S.L.A. Marshal

These figures have dramatically increased with realistic targets and training.
As a cop or a peacekeeper, your job is not to kill, it is to serve and protect. To do that, you may have to kill. ~On Combat, Lt. Col. Grossman
This is the great paradox of combat: If you are truly prepared to kill someone, you are less likely to have to do it. ~On Combat, Lt. Col. Grossman

These types of discussions will create a variety of emotions and also create understanding that will be retained by your audience. People learn best when there is an emotional connection. We are not swayed by logic as many instructors think.

If people were swayed by logic and not emotion…

No one would smoke.
No one would have unprotected sex with a stranger.
And no one would spit on a cop and expect him to say thank you.

We are emotional beings, and emotion rules our lives and our learning.

Some instructors shoot themselves in the foot from the very beginning (no pun intended for the agent who did). They start out weak with a monotone, boring, and irrelevant opening that highlights their personal exploits and lengthy bio. An audience will never be swayed or pulled in to our presentation by any attempts to show them how great we are. They have no emotional connection to us or our repertoire.

Start with something memorable, and choose a strong theme to draw your audience in right from the beginning. People will remember the beginning of your presentation if you make it emotional and powerful.

Factoid 1 – Super Police Instructor Man

Image — Posted: April 9, 2013 in SPIM Jokes
Tags: law enforcement, police instructor, Richard Neil, super

Super Police Instructor Man – SPIM

Posted: April 5, 2013 in Law Enforcement Training, SPIM Jokes, Trainer Resources
Tags: educator, law enforcement, police instructor man, Richard Neil, trainer, training

I created the ”Super Police Instructor Man” (also known as SPIM) to add some humor to the Police Instructor handbook. Too many of our training books are a bore to read, and I wanted to make sure that the educators and trainers who use Police Instructor will laugh while they learn. It makes reading more enjoyable, and it makes learning more enjoyable.

SPIM is based on the ego I once had (my wife has since taken it away), but anyone connected to law enforcement will know someone who acts like SPIM. I will add a new Super Police Instructor Man Factoid to the blog each week. He will keep you entertained and show you what it takes to be a Super Police Instructor.

Stay safe and train well,

Richard Neil Sr.

You can download the Super Police Instructor Man posters for free at www.LEO-Trainer.com/spim. I hope you enjoy them and share them with your fellow educators and trainers who prepare worthy protectors for society.

Cancer Update: Richard Jr. is currently at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He received his stem-cell transplant last week and will be hospitalized until his blood counts return to normal (around mid April). He will have a few weeks off before starting his radiation therapy. His Ewings Sarcoma bone tumors have all continued to shrink and we thank everyone for their continued prayers.

How to Create Spellbinding Lectures

Posted: March 21, 2013 in Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training
Tags: experiential, instructor, law enforcement, lectures, police, spellbinding, training

Lectures are the backbone of the education system in America, and the police academy is no exception. While I like to highlight the increased value of active learning, the lecture will always have a place in the learning process. Lecture can be an excellent method to convey information when it is done well; however, active learning – which requires students to discover, discuss, demonstrate, and explain the information – is more suited to our audience. The two methods should be combined by the police instructor to create Spellbinding Lectures.

“I hear and I forget. I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.” ~Confucius

Super Police Instructor Man

Confucius was onto something. Knowing the learning styles of most cops and cadets, we can add to his declaration for the police instructor.

When I only hear information, I may forget some. (Lecture)
When I hear and see information, I will remember. (Add videos, pictures, and images to the lecture)
When I hear, see, discuss, and question the information, I understand. (Add group exercises to the lecture)
When I demonstrate and teach others the information, I become proficient and skillful. (Add students teaching exercises and activities to the lecture)

Lecturing is still the most efficient way to impart knowledge and communicate large amounts of material in a short amount of time, but that does not mean that everyone is retaining that knowledge, or is even awake. For the younger generation of law enforcers, who have grown up in an active world filled with attention-grabbing commercials and video games, a lecture can be painful.

Learning is not guaranteed just because we pour out information on a particular topic. Active lectures emphasize the real world in a classroom, something our audience needs. The involvement of our audience is necessary before any real learning can occur. With active involvement, the student is seeking an answer to a question, or information to solve a group problem, or a technique necessary to perform a skill.

Any teaching method can be good or bad depending on how that method is applied, and lecturing is the best possible method in some instances. But if we forget to involve the different domains of learning, even a genius can miss out on the point of our lecture.

A Higher Level of Confusion

Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) was an Italian-American physicist known for the development of the first nuclear reactor. He also made contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear physics, and statistical mechanics. He was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on induced radioactivity. Fermi is widely regarded as one of the leading scientists of the 20th century, and along with Robert Oppenheimer, he is frequently referred to as the father of the atomic bomb. All-in-all, he sounds like a smart guy. After attending a Physics lecture at the University of Chicago, he stated: “Before coming here, I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture, I’m still confused, but on a higher level.”

The essence of training is creating an experience that will provoke thought and learning. Training should be about learning the realities of law enforcement – not just learning information to pass a test. Real training cannot take place when the audience is asked to do nothing. A lecture must be conducted with the audience in mind, or anyone can feel lost, even a genius who is capable of inventing a nuclear bomb. Here are some ways to keep your next lecture Spellbinding.

Spellbinding Visuals

Lectures only become a problem when they are one-sided with no interaction from the audience. One master trainer (Pike, 2003) found that adding visuals to lectures resulted in a significant improvement in retention. It makes sense when you understand that between 80% and 90% of all information we absorb is visual (Jensen, 2000). Research shows that using images and color is an effective way to get the brain’s attention; color even enhanced memory.

The Rule of Thirds

In the book, “Brain Rules,” John Medina points out that we are incredible at remembering pictures. If we hear a piece of information, we will only remember 10% of it three days later, but if you add a picture our retention rises to 65%. Just the simple addition of a picture can promote an increase in learning of 55%! That is the amazing power of Spellbinding Visuals, and why they should be part of you next lecture.

Spellbinding Questions

Build questions into your slide show to keep the audience attentive. Every few minutes, have a question appear on the screen for the class to answer; multiple choice questions serve the technique well.

Instead of asking questions throughout the lecture, you may choose to begin with a short quiz. Make sure you include a few quirky or controversial questions about the topic. Do not grade the quiz or give the correct answers, but challenge the students to listen for the answers during your lecture. Let them grade their own quiz as you teach the topic. At the end, use the quiz as a group discussion guide.

Students need to question, talk about, think through, argue, and recall your lecture to help the information fully sink in. Let them do the digging and research for important material. Whoever is working the hardest at learning will gain the most knowledge; that should be your students – not you.

“Lectures in which students are continuously asked to interact hold extra benefits for learning. Students get to test their understanding of the material as it is presented; they have repeated opportunities to use critical thinking and to be creative. Their motivation to study, research the topic, and keep up with assignments also improves (Bligh, 2000).”

Spellbinding Movement

Anytime we can get our students moving around, it increases their potential to learn and serves to keep their heads off the table – both are of interest to instructors. Dr. David A. Sousa is a consultant in educational neuroscience whose research has provided educators with strategies for improving student learning by simple physical interaction. “It seems that the more we study the [brain], the more we realize that movement is inescapably linked to learning” (Sousa, 2000). If you can find ways to get your cops and cadets moving around, it will help to kick their brains into gear – along with large quantities of caffeine.

“Today’s brain, mind and body research establishes significant links between movement and learning. Educators ought to be purposeful about integrating movement activities into daily learning (Jensen, 1998)”. This research should inspire us to keep our lecture active whether by having a cadet fill in the blanks on a worksheet or by having them demonstrate their newly acquired skills.

“By engaging active and emotional pathways (the ‘how’ and the ‘wow’), we supply an additional ‘hook’ for learning.” (Jensen and Dabney, 2000).” In other words, physical activity and emotional content activate more of the brain, and that enhances retention.

Spellbinding Layout

Whether you are using a curriculum developed by you or someone else, it will benefit the audience if you follow some basic principles of layout. When you are giving a lecture to cops, think about how law enforcers like to receive information. The principles used for business and management do not always go over well with our brothers and sisters in blue, so make sure you custom fit any material for the benefit of law enforcers. I have seen dozens of checklists and design formats for lecturing; some are simplistic and others are complicated – I prefer a simple approach. The following is an example of a lecture layout that works well with the law enforcer mindset. As with everything else from the Police Instructor handbook, you can use it, modify it, or forget it.

The Dispatch: When you first start, give law enforcers a brief summary of major points you will cover during the lecture. Like a dispatch call for service, give them a “heads up” of what is coming their way. Provide them with an idea of how you will conclude and what benefits they will take with them at the end.
BOLO: Create themes or headlines for your main points or student performance objectives. Let the audience know there will be valuable information provided during your lecture, and they should “Be On the Look Out” for wisdom.
Modus Operandi: You must provide students with the “mode of operating” by giving real-life illustrations through case examples and analogies. You should use examples as often as possible with each topic – raw information can be confusing if you do not show law enforcers how it can be applied. Using videos from reality shows or dash cams is a powerful resource for Modus Operandi.
Physical Evidence: Your class will benefit from seeing your lecture come to life through a PowerPoint presentation, handouts, flip charts, and props. We are visual beings; we learn best when we have something to look at other than a slide filled with text. As part of the physical evidence, you need to actively involve students in the lecture through individual or group activities. The majority of our audience enjoys kinesthetic learning, and they want to get their hands on the information. Demonstrations and skill-building go hand-in-hand with police work and should go hand-in-hand with your lecture.

You can combine a variety of methods to provide cadets with a compelling lesson. Variety is the spice of life and the spice of Spellbinding Lectures. You can trick out your lecture and captivate any law enforcement audience by using examples, techniques, exercises, and methods that encourage active learning.

The Law Enforcement Engineer

Posted: March 12, 2013 in Law Enforcement Training
Tags: law enforcement, police instructor, Richard Neil, training

The cars were lined up ready to travel across the new bridge. Their small town would finally be united with the city across the river. It would save the citizens 45 minutes of driving to get to the stores, the schools, and the only hospital. The people raised millions of dollars and donated hundreds of hours to make the project work. The mayor cut the ribbon, but before the first car could cross, the engineer made an announcement. He told the people, “I did not use design plans, follow construction requirements, or perform any safety tests on the structure. However, I assure you that it is safe to cross.”

The citizens were shocked and appalled. They refused to drive across the bridge with their families at risk. How could he be so reckless?

The engineer was insulted – he was an expert after all. He knew what he was doing. What more did they want?

Would you cross the bridge with your kids in the car? Would you be upset after investing time and money in the project? Walking into a presentation with nothing more than your expertise in law enforcement is the same as building a bridge without design plans, without meeting construction requirements, and without any safety testing. It is a disaster waiting to happen. Students invest hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to attend your academy, and they should see a presentation with design plans – not an instructor who decided to wing it.

A poorly constructed bridge appears to be more dangerous than a poorly trained police officer – but the bridge will only collapse once. The law enforcer may be around for decades impacting the lives of thousands of citizens and endangering his fellow officers.

It is a noble endeavor to serve as a police instructor, but you must develop essential qualities to succeed. You need determination over discouragement, enthusiasm to train law enforcers, and the self-confidence to believe you will succeed.

“Wisdom is knowing what to do next; skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it.” ~David Starr Jordan

As an instructor, you are the engineer of your presentation. Your expertise is the greatest value the cadets can receive, but without planning and preparation they will be confused much of the time. You may know what you mean during your talk but they will not. It is all new to them.

Do not use the old excuses: “I’m better off the cuff,” or “I don’t want to sound rehearsed,” or the most common “I don’t have time to prepare anything; I’m too busy.” This is what I refer to as crap, double crab, and lazy crap. It is all crap! If you want to wing it with a 3 minute speech, have at it, but when you are teaching cops and cadets, you owe it to society to invest some time and effort to make it significant. If you give any less, you are building a bridge without plans, without meeting construction requirements, and without any testing. Structurally, it will be doomed.

“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.” ~W. Somerset Maugham

A Cop’s Brain Trust

Posted: February 27, 2013 in Law Enforcement Training, Trainer Resources
Tags: brain trust, law enforcement, leadership, planning, police, training

Al Rusche was the best police chief I worked for during my career and I wished more than once that he was still around to give me his honest opinion. It was something I once witnessed him do in his office that let me know I could still count on him for advice. In the mid 90’s I was running (sometimes in seemed as if it ran me) the largest undercover drug operation the department had ever been involved in. Mike, our most proactive road officer, had arrested a perp on a traffic stop in possession of a small amount of cocaine. Not a big deal in the Cincinnati area, but Ricky (our new best friend) was on parole, and he was willing to give up his mother to stay out of prison. The intelligence he provided on a possible drug den in the middle of town, if true, was disturbing and a political nightmare waiting to happen.

Ricky told us that the bar he purchased the cocaine from, the Washington Grille, was filled with drug dealers – including the owners, who were a couple in their sixties. The bar was visited by several local politicians and one of our police officers on a regular basis. The owners were close friends with all of their patrons, and now, a drug addict who was scared and on parole said they were running a super secret drug den – under our very noses. This could be a powder keg that I was about to light off and the damage to the police department’s reputation could be catastrophic if we were wrong. I took the information and my plan to infiltrate the bar to Chief Rusche, but we had to act fast or not at all. They were used to seeing Ricky on a regular basis and would become suspicious if we changed his routine. I was happy to pass the buck and leave the decision up to someone much wiser than myself.

Chief Rusche was an honorable man that wasn’t afraid to admit to his mistakes and the poor judgments he had made in his career, because he learned from every single one of them. He instilled confidence in others through his caring and noble leadership. As I laid out the intelligence and my plan of action, the chief leaned back in his chair and chewed on a stir stick from his coffee cup. He asked me several questions about the risks of the investigation, and then he repeated them to a few other people in the room – sort of. He looked at a black and white picture of a man on his desk and asked “what would you do?” He then looked to several other pictures hanging on the wall next to his desk and asked “what is the worst thing that could happen?” and “if we don’t act, are we doing what is right or what is safe?” I don’t even know who any of the people were in the pictures but he valued their perspectives and combined wisdom. He created a Brain Trust that he could count on when no one else was around. I decided that I would do the same thing.

A Brain Trust Available to Anyone

We all need advice and inspiration from time to time but we don’t always have the people around us that we would like. The term Brain trust is used to describe a group of close advisors who offer their expertise to solve problems or promote creative thinking. The term was used to describe a group of advisors to President Franklin Roosevelt during his administration. His speechwriter, Samuel Rosenman, suggested having an academic team to advise Roosevelt in March of 1932. The group became known as the president’s Brain Trust, and later played a key role in developing the policies of the New Deal. The model of openly accepting the experience and wisdom of others has proved to be a benefit to me, and hopefully it will do the same for you.

After retiring from law enforcement with 4 spinal implants holding me down, I decided (with constant urgings from my wife, Gloria) to train cadets in Ohio’s peace officer academies. During that time I was developing interactive techniques and experiential activities that would become part of the Police Instructor handbook, but I was stuck working in solitude while I recovered from 4 new spinal implants from the Cleveland Clinic. I didn’t have other police officers or trainers to bounce ideas off of, and I was biased – I thought all my ideas were great! Gloria, once again stepped in and assured me they were not.

I would need the perspective that others could bring at the initial stages, to ensure I wouldn’t continue working on a failed concept. I needed to assemble a team with integrity that would provide me with their experience and wisdom and stand their ground when in opposition of my ideas. And I wanted them to work with me at my home office (which also happens to be our family room). I’m sure I would’ve had many volunteers but another idea came to mind.

Choose Your Brain Trust Wisely

Back in 1989 the importance of choosing wisely was displayed at the end of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Some Nazi lover named Donovan, shot Henry Jones Sr. (played by Sean Connery), and Indiana Jones had to recover the lost cup of Christ to save him. Once he overcame several deadly obstacles, he made it to the cave where the Holy Grail was still guarded by a noble Knight – who had been kept alive for 700 years by the power of the cup. The cave was filled with cups, but only one could provide healing and life. Donovan was chosen to go first (mostly because he had a gun). A jewel encrusted chalice, fit for the King of Kings, was chosen by his evil female sidekick – Elsa. He drank from the ornate cup to gain ever lasting life, but his face began melting away as he decayed into dust – sucked to be him. The Knight declared “He chose poorly.”

Indiana Jones stopped to think before choosing the correct divine cup (motivated mostly by the face melting, but also by the moans of his wounded father). He realized that Jesus was a humble carpenter – not a wealthy king. Indiana picked up the plainest-looking mug that was carved from wood and drank from it. The Knight declared “You have chosen wisely,” and the lifesaving power is able to rescue Indiana’s father. You should also choose wisely when picking your Brain Trust. You don’t want to just throw together a few people who you think are cool. You need people with expertise in relevant areas that can offer you direction and wisdom.

I wanted people who had faced the toughest challenges possible, and continued to strive on, to fill my Brain Trust. People I believed in, not the same group that you or anyone else should count on, but a group of trusted advisors specifically for me and the guardians I serve as a police instructor. I found photos of each member I chose and added a few of their memorable quotes before printing them out and hanging them next to my desk. Whether I am writing an article like this one, designing a training activity, deciding what to teach in my next Police Instructor 201 workshop, or making a risky business decision, I can turn to each of these trusted advisors and count on their honest and reliable input. Here are the people that I chose, and their quotes or creeds that now hang on my wall.

Eddie Rickenbacker – World War I Flying Ace and Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence.
Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.

Helen Keller – American writer, political activist, and teacher who was deaf and blind.

Life is either a great adventure or nothing.
Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.

Teddy Roosevelt – President and Rough Rider.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Don’t hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting, but never hit soft.

Mother Teresa – The inspiring missionary who served the poor, the sick, the orphan, and the dying.

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

The Lone Ranger – A true role-model and the reason why I became a police officer in the first place. He followed a strong moral code that can still be applied by law enforcement officers today.

I believe that all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world.
I believe that God put the firewood there, but that every man must gather and light it himself.
I believe in being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right.
I believe that all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever.

Regardless of what I am doing, I know that I can look to my Brain Trust and at least one of them will have a perspective to help me make a decision. I still seek out the opinions of other trainers and police officers, but not until I have honed my work by gaining the wisdom of my Brain Trust. You undoubtedly have different challenges and decisions to make in your life than I do, and that is why your Brain Trust will need to be different than mine – although The Lone Ranger should be part of every Cop’s Brian Trust.

I hope you find the method helpful as you make critical decisions as a police officer, educator, or trainer. Remember that if you are reaching for the stars you may not always get one, but you won’t end up with a hand full of dirt either – so keep reaching.

Arm the Teachers, the Custodians, and the Cooks if it Will Save My Child from a School Shooter

Posted: February 22, 2013 in Family, Law Enforcement Training, Officer Survival
Tags: armed teachers, police, school shooter, training

In 1997, Luke Woodum entered Pearl High School in Mississippi and started shooting. Two students were killed and seven others injured before he was stopped. Who stopped him? A principal armed with a .45 caliber handgun that he retrieved from his truck. How many others were saved that day by the principal? Do you think any parents in Pearl, Mississippi said “I only want the police to have guns in the school,” after that day? Or do they wonder how many more students would have been saved if the gun was on his hip.

One cop can’t protect a school full of kids alone – like it or not, but they should be the main cog in several layers of protection. Much has been said in the past few months about how to protect children from active shooters, and I’ve read several articles that have condemned arming anyone but law enforcement officers in schools. However, I think these people would quickly change their minds if their children were in danger and the only person there to save them was a teacher.

Don’t get me wrong, I want enough armed police officers in every American school to ensure the safety of our children, but schools and police departments can’t afford that. Why not consider arming and training some of the people who are always there with your children?

Cops in Schools Are Great But Not Enough

A 16 year old boy, Daniel, was being horribly bullied at our high school. He was 6’2” tall and had a husky build that would intimidate most of the students in the halls. He was not the average victim of bullying and no one seemed to have any idea that a group from the football team was viciously bullying him on a daily basis. His mother had died suddenly and his father ran out on him, leaving him to be raised by his grandparents. They were light years apart from him in every way and communication was non-existent.

Daniel began abusing Coricidin tablets as well and said they helped make his misery go away. He decided he no longer wanted to live, and planned to kill the two main bullies and anyone else who allowed his abuse to continue. He spent several months planning out the horrific attack, which was to occur on his 17^th birthday. With 3,000 students and staff, I did not know Daniel, or have him on my radar as a bullied student or possible mass shooter, and believe me, if you serve as a cop in a school, you have several lists of students to watch – several.

Daniel decided just days before the attack that he would need an ally to help him access the roof of the school from where he would rain down his assault using several firearms and home-made bombs. That student came forward and likely saved the lives of countless students. When we searched Daniel’s bedroom, we found a strategic plan based on General Patton’s philosophies. It was chilling to look at how calculated his assault would have been and the level of devastation that would have occurred. He also had a list of people who “must be killed” in order for the plan to have worked. The first name on the list was “Officer Neil” – me. There was an uncomfortable silence as we all looked at the names. Another officer finally broke the silence by saying, “I guess those community policing classes aren’t working for you.” We all chuckled but I was still thanking God that this kid didn’t have the opportunity to carry out his master plan.

When I confronted Daniel about his plan, he explained how several students had brutally bullied him and deserved to die. He felt that the other students who had done nothing to stop it also deserved the same fate. I asked him how I ended up on the top of his list. Had he asked me for help and I failed to act? “No, Officer Neil. In fact, I studied you for a while and decided you are the type who would truly sacrifice your life to save a student. That is why you had to die first. It wasn’t personal. I hoped you would not be at the school on my birthday so I wouldn’t have to kill you at all. But you and I both know that I deserve to have vengeance and you would have interfered.”

It was quite an eye opening experience for me. Army infantry training, nor my police experience, had prepared me to hear such a candid threat against my life, and from a 16 (well almost 17) year old. He raises several important points that we must consider when it comes to active shooters. A layer of protection is much better than one armed officer who may or may not be on campus, or who may be the first casualty.

The Forgotten Limitations of a School Assigned Officer

School Resource Officers have to qualify on the range, attend departmental meetings, testify in court, conduct follow up investigations, and take students to juvenile detention. What happens when a shooter attacks during those times? Every time the SRO leaves the school for 20 minutes to interview a witness, will another police officer fill in?

If the shooter kills the SRO, how long will it take for more help to arrive? How long before those officers enter the building and stop the killing? Remember time equals lives. Every second may cost a child their life and that child may be yours or mine. How easy will it be for the responding officers to even find the shooter in your child’s school? Our high school has 6 separate buildings on one campus, making it a nightmare for us and a gold mine for them. Just locating a bathroom is hard for someone unfamiliar with the school.

If your child is sitting in class trying to learn and some nut starts shooting up the school, how many layers of protection are enough for you? If there are teachers and principals who are actually interested in being an armed deterrent and are willing to attend training with the law enforcement agency, great. It may require them to pass a 40 hour firearms course along with active shooter training orchestrated by the School Resource Officer. They know the school best, and should be the best educated police officer on the agency when it comes to active shooters. When they teach others in the required tactics, they develop a higher level of expertise than the average road cop.

Let’s add another group of people to the equation – retired cops. There are multiple positions that schools fill with volunteers and part-time employees. They have chaperones on school buses, teacher’s aides, cafeteria monitors, library volunteers, etc. Imagine filling those positions, when possible, with retired law enforcement professionals. They are easily updated by attending the same training as the teachers and can act as mentors for the school’s staff members who decide to participate in the program.

If the Worst Happens – Who Would You Arm to Protect Your Child?

A sadistic killer enters your child’s school bent on murdering unarmed students and teachers. Is one armed School Resource Officer enough to help you feel secure about the outcome? But what if in your child’s school, we have trained and armed other staff. If the SRO is at court they still have to get past the principal who is packing and supervising the hallways, and the cafeteria monitor who is a retired deputy, as well as the office secretary who was an MP in the Army. The lock down alert will have caused teachers to lock their classroom doors, but this shooter really wants to get into your child’s classroom. Can the door hold them out forever?

The dirt bag begins shooting through the door, but the teacher has followed the lock down procedures and has the children safely tucked into a corner of the room, away from the rounds. The shooter begins concentrating their fire on the door knob until it gives way. As they enter the classroom with a .357 Magnum in hand, do you want to wait 45 minutes for the SWAT team to assemble? As they cock the hammer back on their revolver, do you want to wait 5 minutes for teams of officers trained in active shooter response to form? As they line your child up in their sites and begin to pull the trigger, are you still wrestling around with the idea of arming and training teachers to protect kids? Do you still want to stand solidly behind “the only person who should be armed in a school is a police officer?” Or do you want the teacher to take her pocket sized .32 auto from its concealed holster, line the red dot up on the killer’s forehead, and commence emptying the magazine?

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

An armed teacher, principal, aide, or other qualified volunteer, may be in the best position to save the life of your child. Police agencies should be leading the way for school safety with innovative methods to protect students and staff through their SRO programs. You can choose to do nothing instead and wait for the politicians in Washington to save our kids, but you will be disappointed with the results.

In a perfect world, we would have enough police officers protecting our schools that teachers could concentrate on teaching. But we don’t live in The Land of Oz and I don’t have any ruby red slippers to click together. Until then, we should consider every possible way to protect our children. Just like arming pilots, there will have to be stringent background checks and training to start such programs in a school, but it can be done.

We want teachers to shield our kids with their bodies, or try and tackle the gunman who is actively shooting at them. But as officers, we wouldn’t go after a gunman without a vest, backup, and especially our gun. Why wouldn’t we be willing to consider arming and training teachers and staff members who are interested in protecting our kids? They are likely to be much more successful in protecting your child from a killer when they are armed with a gun instead of a ruler.

The Huddle Brings Clarity and Strength – Even in Policing

Posted: February 19, 2013 in Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training
Tags: clarity, huddle, law enforcement, learning, method, police, strength, technique, traffic stops, training

I asked the group, “All right, who is up next?” There were no takers – just whiners. “I’m tired, someone else go…” “Tim and I are talking about something important, we’ll go next time…” and “I have to finish this text message…” These were all common responses from the cadets at a police academy I had just begun training for. I was so aggravated that I was planning each of their demises in my head, and it wasn’t a pretty picture.

I was helping another instructor with the second day of Traffic Stops & Approaches, and I was shocked how unenthusiastic the cadets were. What was normally an interesting and interactive part of police training had now become a time of complacency that could result in later tragedy. The problem was in the way the training was being conducted by the instructor, who had decades of law enforcement experience, but was limited as an educator of cops. Ray knew how to perform a safe and effective traffic stop but not how to transfer his wisdom to cadets. A problem that every educator and trainer has faced at some point.

Jim lined two vehicles up in a common traffic stop scenario. He then played the part of the motorist, while one cadet acted
as the police officer conducting the stop, and the other 15 students sat around gossiping. And the longer they sat around, doing nothing, the harder it became to regain their attentiveness – or initiative. I knew there was a better way for us to teach and for them to learn. That desire began years of research to develop experiential learning methods for law enforcement training, and eventually lead to the creation of the Police Instructor handbook, as well as the activity below.

Cops & Robbers & Judges is a role-play method that requires your students to see a situation from several different perspectives, and gives them control of their own actions and decisions. The students take turns acting as police officers, perpetrators, and critics, while you merely act as a facilitator for the exercise. Like a football team, a huddle will follow each scenario, and that is where active learning and understanding will happen.

“Regardless of what happens, a team controls its attitude, approach, and response.” ~Tony Dungy – Let your students know that law enforcement is a profession filled with people that make decisions and solve problems for a living, and they will need those skills during this exercise – regardless of what happens.

Begin by providing the class with a basic understanding of your topic through a lecture or demonstration of the proper tactics for the situation. After your initial training, have the students practice the skills as a team and continually work to develop new skills. As the coach, you must sit back and let the team run the plays. Your teaching and training will wait until half-time and after the game.

For this example, you are conducting a class on Stops & Approaches. After explaining and demonstrating the basics of a traffic stop to your class, you will need to develop their abilities to actually conduct a stop. You can accomplish this by presenting them with different scenarios. At first, have two students play the Cops, one play the Robber, and three act as the Judges. The Cops will initiate and conduct a traffic stop using the information you provided prior to the activity. The Robber should be given a basic scenario to follow, and provide your Judges with a checklist to observe and evaluate the Cops’ performance.

The Judges will concentrate on evaluating the scenario and not interact with the Cops or Robbers until the exercise is completed. Once finished, they can discuss which skills were performed well and which need improvement. The students will rotate their responsibilities and the new Cops will conduct the next traffic stop. Repetition is a key component to learning any new skill effectively, and you need to make sure they can perform their new skills correctly before you finish the training activity.

“Never go to bed a loser.” ~George “Papa Bear” Halas – When pro football was just a fledgling enterprise Halas had the attitude and willpower to bring the team through the Great Depression and WWII. He demanded his players “get it right” before they left practice every day, and you can do the same when training cops and cadets.

Instead of only involving one student with the traffic stop (while the others sit around wasting training time), you will have everyone involved in the learning process. They will see the activity from several different points of view, and when they act as Judges, the students are constantly watching for mistakes; helping them to recognize their own and accelerate understanding. Next, comes the most valuable part of the activity – the huddle – where everyone speaks and everyone improves.

“If you burn your neighbor’s house down, it doesn’t make your house look any better.” ~Lou Holtz – Make sure the conversations inside the huddle focus on improving skills and understanding – not undue criticism.

Whether we are talking about football or Cops, Robbers, & Judges, the huddle is a key element. Clarity comes from the huddle – not during the play. It will be after the scenario that the students huddle up and talk about what worked and what needs improved upon. When they are able to see the mistakes made by others, discuss them as a group, and then do it all again from a different perspective, they are performing at a much higher level of learning. While it is advantageous for you to be in the huddle, it is best to be a silent member unless it becomes necessary for you to speak. The more problems the students are able to solve for themselves the better. They are far more likely to understand and remember the information, and that shows them the value of working as a team. It is through the huddle that the team provides clarity, solves problems, creates a new vision, and develops unity.

“Focus on your job—focus on what you do and do it right.” ~Bill Belichick – The New England Patriot’s unbelievable success has always come from their ability to keep players focused on individual responsibility to the team, instead of superstar moments that may lead to media fame. Develop the same focus and character in your students by using this technique, and others, that demand more from them than just listening.

You may find it helpful to start with an initial scenario or activity that is easy to perform and add more extensive situations as you move along, allowing your students to build a strong foundation for their new skills. Step in as the coach when needed but let the team play the game – much learning will occur. Cops & Robbers & Judges will also work with other hands-on training topics: Prisoner Booking & Handling, Domestic Violence, Active Shooter, and Building Searches are a few examples. Use your imagination and feel free to adapt the method to benefit your next training class.

“You can learn a line from a win and a book from a defeat.” ~Paul Brown

Richard H. Neil Sr. is the author of “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning.” He is a retired city cop, and instructs for several of Ohio’s criminal justice training academies. He can be contacted through his website that is dedicated to free resources for law enforcement educators and trainers – www.LEO-Trainer.com.

Confessions of a Police Instructor

Posted: February 11, 2013 in Law Enforcement Training, Officer Survival, Trainer Resources
Tags: confessions, law enforcement, police instructor, policing, training

I Teach Cadets and Write Training Articles for Selfish Reasons

I have selfish reasons for wanting our police instructors to get better and improve the safety of our law enforcers and the society they serve. With frequent visits to the Cleveland Clinic, I have come to the realization that I will not live to a ripe old age. I have a vested interest in the next generation of police officers who will become the guardians that protect my wife and kids (maybe grandkids) after I am gone. We do not hesitate to invest in life insurance to protect our families – should we not also invest in our law enforcers who will provide a lifetime of vital service for them? The Police Instructor handbook and PhalanxLE.com are my investments in the development and training of worthy protectors to watch over my family and yours.

I want the best possible men and women wearing the badge when my loved ones need their help, and I want input on how they are trained. I want to make sure standards are kept high and that only the most qualified cadets with large quantities of integrity and humility are accepted. My family has been blessed by our profession, but they have also suffered through fear and pain because of it. Spending time writing the book, designing the website, and creating resources to help instructors could never repay their sacrifice, but I hope it will create a better world for them to live in when I am gone.

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

I Am a Jealous Instructor

I am jealous of every cop and cadet I teach. I loved being a police officer and was not ready to retire when my career ended; I still find myself wanting to take their place each time I talk about the unique profession we serve. Recently, while giving a speech during a graduation ceremony, I admitted my jealousy to the recruits and their families. I hope it served as a reminder of just how addictive this profession can be and what an honor it is to serve others as one of God’s guardians of justice.

If you are still serving as a law enforcer, you should know that there are people that long to fill your shoes. In my two decades of policing, I served on the road patrol, as a crime scene investigator, as a criminal investigator, and as a school resource officer. I was blessed with a multitude of experiences while serving with three great organizations, and I overlooked how fortunate I had been until it was gone. And it was gone without warning.

Like many of you, I did more to help others in one week than some people will do in a lifetime. That is the blessing of law enforcement, but it also comes with an addiction and its own form of withdrawals. By helping to develop the next generation of guardians, I find the symptoms are more bearable.

I Am Stingy as Well

Years ago, while attending my first train-the-trainer course, I met several new instructors from all over Ohio. A few of them had no idea where to start; the course simply provided them with a lesson plan but not much more. By this time in my career, I had accumulated a wealth of resources and information that could help them get started, but I found myself reluctant to share anything with them. I now try to encourage everyone – including those we might consider to be slouches - to become a better trainer, but I still find it hard at times.

When I used to worry about giving away my stuff and how it might affect my persona as an instructor, I was focusing on me and only me. Instead of concerning myself with our cadets, our officers, and our society, I worried about my ego, my pride, and my vanity. I encountered all of these obstacles again while writing the book Police Instructor and developing the web sites, but this time I overcame them – I have a new mission. It can only improve our profession if we are willing to share our wisdom and show others how to train worthy protectors for society.

“Nothing you have not given away will ever really be yours.” ~C.S. Lewis

I Gave Up in the Most Uninspiring Way

The doctor walked into my hospital room and said, “Mr. Neil, I cannot figure out how to stop your pain, and you cannot go on like this much longer. I am going to send you home on some strong narcotics that should sedate you and help with the pain.” I was completely speechless (a rare occasion), but my wife Gloria asked “Who should we see next?” The doctor looked offended as if an accusation was made against her intellect. She responded “Well I do not know what anyone else could do, but you can call whomever you like.” I went home and tried to hide my self-pity while I thought of ways to die with dignity. I simply gave up and was completely defeated in body and spirit. Fortunately for me, my family went along for the ride and they did not give up so easily.

I do not want anyone to think I am without my faults, or that I never give up. The fact is I did. I felt like a burden to my wife and kids, and I wondered what kind of father and husband I could be in a drug induced stupor. That is a glimpse of what my family has endured, and I had to apologize to them for the way I let them down.

Our friends and family would tell you that I am the noisy and overprotective city cop, and that Gloria is the devout Christian mother, wife, and friend. But fortunately for me, she also grew up Pentecostal and knew how to raise her voice when it mattered most. She was not about to let me get away with dying and leaving her alone to raise two teenagers.

I Feel Sorry for Myself

It’s embarrassing to admit, but I feel sorry for myself – daily sometimes. My nerve damage is catastrophic and the debilitating pain caused by my injury is constant. I have 4 Neurostimulator implants in my spinal cord powered by two battery packs in my lower back. I am dependent upon several narcotics and one of them causes me to suffer short-term memory loss. I must take an amphetamine to make my body function every morning, and I wear Lidoderm (a form of Novocain) patches on my legs and back to help with the pain when I stand to teach.

I only tell you this to share a very important lesson, and one that seemed to take me a while to accept as true. I can assure you of one thing – self-pity has never helped me accomplish anything. Never. It does me no good to feel sorry for myself or have others feeling sympathy for me – it is nothing but a waste of precious time.

It also does no good to feel sorry for ourselves when we have to teach a topic that we do not enjoy. Complaining and disdain will not help our law enforcers learn how to survive. Take it from a master of self-pity – when you find yourself in that state of mind, look for the nearest exit.

It really is true: You learn what is important in your life when you are about to lose it. I wish I would have had my current perspective on life twenty-five years ago. My priorities would have included hope, faith, and serving others much sooner, and I would have ensured that my God and my family would have never taken a back seat to anything.

“Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.” ~Helen Keller

Not the Last Word

Police Instructor and PhalanxLE.com are not my attempts to speak the last word on law enforcement education and training. One person can never offer more than a glimpse into what is needed to become a great instructor. The techniques, methods, suggestions, and tips are NOT absolutes for educators and trainers to follow. They are resources for you to use, change, or adapt however you see fit. I hope they stimulate ideas, stories, discussions, and positive action by law enforcement instructors, criminal justice educators, field training officers, supervisors, school resource officers, sheriffs, and chiefs. I hope they serve you and your students well throughout your career and theirs. We should be pleased with our advancements in law enforcement training, but we should never be content.

My confessions are plentiful. I’ve had more than my fair share of embarrassments over the past few decades, but I’ve also had many triumphs. I have learned to turn all of these experiences – good and bad – into a source of wisdom that will benefit my students throughout their careers. Your own unique experiences can become the wisdom that can save lives, especially if you are willing to share your confessions with the people who can learn the most from them.

We need trainers who will passionately serve to build the guardians of tomorrow and to help them understand the importance of their commitment. The recipe for a good police instructor includes generous portions of courage, patience, and stubbornness mixed with as much wisdom and humility as you can find. These traits, along with a determination to improve our craft, will provide skilled and worthy protectors for our society. Without sacrifice there can be no justice – without justice there can be no society.

“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.” ~W. Somerset Maugham

Richard Neil is the creator of http://www.LEO-Trainer.com, the web site dedicated to law enforcement educators and trainers. He is also the author of the book “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning.”

5 Cancers of Law Enforcement

Posted: February 9, 2013 in Family, Officer Survival
Tags: budget, cancer, cop killers, law enforcement, stress, survival, urinary olympics

During my career I was shot at, stabbed, and had the snot kicked out of me more times than I would like to recall. I have been scared out of my wits a time or two, and experienced the thrill of an adrenaline rush brought on by life threatening encounters. I also had the pleasure of experiencing the release of all that power – or throwing up – whichever you want to call it. But, none of those moments compared to the fear I experienced on the day that a doctor told me my son, Richard Jr., had a tumor in his pelvic bone.

It was the worst feeling of fear I have ever experienced. It’s as if someone had ripped out a piece of my heart, and I still haven’t gotten it back yet. A few weeks after the initial test we received more bad news. Richard was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer that is only discovered in 200 kids each year in the U.S.; and one adult. Richard happens to be that one young adult.

It all started when he was injured during his summer Army National Guard training. He returned to The Ohio State University for his junior year of college and treatment for his injury; where an MRI uncovered the first of 4 tumors. The specialists at the Ohio State James Cancer Center told him the disease has a 30% survival rate. He was completely blindsided by the prognosis and his world has been turned upside down with chemotherapy treatments, stem cell harvesting, surgeries, radiation, and the lingering question of whether it will all work or not.

Like the human body, there are many cancers that attack the law enforcement profession, but unlike Richard’s Ewings Sarcoma, they are not unseen. They are often ignored but they are no mystery. I have only included 5 of the cancers that eat away at law enforcement, but you will undoubtedly have others that you would add to the list.

1. Violent Sociopathic Killers

There are plenty of sociopaths who are a cancer on all of humanity, and many have become more brazen when it comes to killing children or cops. They have no compassion for life and no problem ambushing a police officer, shooting up a theatre, or massacring children in a school – for no other reason than to murder them. The problem has become more complicated for officers who are constantly second-guessed by politicians and the media every time they pull their weapon or use any type of force. If they encounter a violent predator and then hesitate to consider the public perception, they may not be alive to worry about it later.

On January 1, 2011 Deputy Suzanne Hopper (Clark County, Ohio) was investigating a report of a window that had been shot out of a trailer the previous night. It was a Saturday morning and most residents in the trailer park were sleeping in from New Years Eve celebrations. She was about to take photographs of a shoe impression when the suspect opened his door and shot and killed her without warning. I knew Deputy Hopper and her story can be hard to tell, but that is how we pay tribute to those who have sacrificed everything as a guardian of justice.

Should we develop and participate in innovative training to protect ourselves and society, or simply hope that we don’t cross paths with one of these demons? Unfortunately, the latter mindset has been employed by some of the agencies across our nation.

“Don’t hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

2. Police Budget Cuts

Budget cuts will always create a multitude of problems for agencies to overcome while placing officers at higher risk from reduced manpower and a lack of effective training. At the present time there are slightly over 7 million people in prison, county jail, or under correctional supervision. Those numbers are even more shocking when you consider that there are only 795,000 sworn officers serving state and local agencies. Only one quarter of one percent of Americans serve as law enforcement officers – reminding us that we are always unique, and always outnumbered. But the budget cuts are not the cancer to look out for – self-pity and inaction are.

“Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.” ~Helen Keller

3. Perception of Police Training

I feel ill every time I hear a cop tell a new rookie, “Forget everything you learned in the academy,” or “A month in the academy isn’t worth one hour on the street,” or the worst, “The academy is over – now you’ll learn how to be a real cop.”

The academy is crucial to the success of our cadets and this type of careless statement can cause confusion and devalue all past and future training for a new cop.

Another common problem with our training is that it is intensely boring, and for no other reason than “that is the way it’s always been.” Have you ever been eager to share a story that you heard during speech, or a video you saw during training? Most likely, yes. But now picture a class you sat through that consisted of an endless slides filled with bullet points. Were you equally excited to leave the class and share bullet points of information with anyone? Not a chance. You were lucky to remember anything from the class other than how long it was.

You have undoubtedly encountered boring presentations during your academy or in-service training. But why is that okay? Which type of encounter should we be giving our officers that hold the liberty of others in their hands?

4. Police Stress and Suicide

During my rookie year I had a reoccurring dream in which I was about to be killed, but my gun would not fire. I thought I was going nuts and I couldn’t imagine such a dream coming from our other macho cops. I finally mentioned the dreams to an old street cop. He explained that “Everybody gets those. I had them for a while myself. Don’t worry they will go away.” He was right. They did go away once I knew that performance anxiety dreams were common among law enforcers, but why wasn’t this mentioned a little earlier in my career?

As cops we don’t talk about PTSD, weird dreams, or other wimpy topics among ourselves and that continues to perpetuate the problem. Maybe that is why twice as many cops will commit suicide this year as will be murdered by felons.

Researchers found that the stress police offers endure on a daily basis puts them at a considerably higher risk for various long-term physical and mental health effects – compared to those in the general population. But our culture does not always look favorably on people who have problems – especially psychological problems. We are supposed to be John Wayne’s second coming and should never have to ask for help.

Some officers fear what will happen if they do let someone know they have a medical or emotional health need, and for good reason. If they are found to have health problems, they may not be allowed back on patrol or have their gun taken away. That is scarier to some officers than the actual disease that may kill them.

“In VALOR there is HOPE” ~Tacitus

5. Police Urinary Olympics

This may be the most common type of cancer afflicting the world of policing, and I believe it is the most damaging to the advancement of our profession. We suffer from police administrations that are out of touch with their officers and the realities of working the streets, and they will stay that way since they refuse to see it, hear it, or talk about it. We also have police officers who choose to create an alternate universe for cops, where the citizens they are suppose to serve are all the same – evil and stupid. They see themselves as a superior species of human being and create an “Us vs. Them” mentality that can spread like a computer virus. The only people they hold in lower regard are the chief and supervisors they serve under. Then there are the neighboring police agencies that refuse to work together and benefit their communities through a combined policing effort. Instead they hinder justice because of large egos and ridiculous rivalries.

Many of these problems continue to eat away at the body of law enforcement due to the Police Urinary Olympics, and it probably wouldn’t be so bad if they were only held once every four years but unfortunately they seem to be available year around. When we refuse to work on our collective problems because of false pride we are no better than those narcissistic people who inhabit our Capitol building in Washington.

“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who watch it and let it happen.” ~Albert Einstein

If it Walks Like a Duck

These issues are not new, but they just aren’t scary enough to inspire our people to take action against them. That is why I call them cancers, to remind us that they are eating away at the noble profession of policing while devastating many of our officers. You may think I am exaggerating a bit but that is the same thing cancer is trying to do to my son’s body.

Richard has just started his 6^th round of intensive chemotherapy today. He will spend the next 5 days in the hospital, and he still has another 4 months of radiation, chemo, and surgeries to fight through. I cannot describe the feeling of watching while poison is pumped into your child’s body, causing a host of deadly side effects. I have never felt more helpless in my life, but without this life threatening medicine he would surely die. The treatments require a fight, and like a soldier, he has chosen to fight.

Will You Fight?

Everyone who serves as a law enforcer or police instructor has a choice to make. We can choose to fight the cancers that are trying to deteriorate the law enforcement profession and claim the lives of our officers, or we can watch as they slowly kill the nobility of policing. Like it or not, there is a heavy burden that comes with being a guardian of justice, and it requires more than one type of fight. There is a reason why we only ask for the finest to serve our society as worthy protectors.

The difference between the officers who bring about change and innovation, and their uninspired comrades, is not what they know – it’s what they do. Like Richard, I hope you choose to fight.

“Choose to ‘Do Something’ for Law Enforcement Rather than Just ‘Be Someone’ in Law Enforcement.” ~Richard Neil Sr.

Richard Neil is the creator of www.LEO-Trainer.com, the web site dedicated to law enforcement educators and trainers. He is also the author of “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning” and the “Phalanx Law Enforcement” blog at www.PhalanxLE.com.

Help the fight against cancer by purchasing “Police Instructor.” The proceeds will help the “Special Wish Foundation” make dreams come true for children fighting cancer.

A Beer and a Rifle: Developing a Survival Mind-Set

Posted: January 20, 2013 in Law Enforcement Training, Officer Survival
Tags: attitude, mind-set, police, positive, survival, training

Why is it, that the same disastrous event can have a different impact on two officers? One falls apart while the other grows stronger from the experience. One has perseverance and faith that their best days are ahead, believing that each day of life is a gift, while the other officer sees life as a constant struggle with hurdle after hurdle. Their individual mind-set determines how they will deal with the crisis. Like all of you who are serving as a guardian of justice, I have not only seen the affects of having a positive or negative mind-set as a warrior – I have lived it.

I asked, “Would you please repeat that again.” The dispatcher came across speaking slower and louder, “Danny Williams wants you to meet him at the intersection of Greenlee and Jefferson. He said he is going to kill you.” Yep, that is exactly what I heard the first time; apparently it wasn’t a joke like I was hoping. How lucky was I, to be on duty when someone called in wanting to kill me? I was worried since I knew this guy was capable of murder – he had done it before.

Our previous meeting was for a parole violation arrest stemming from a murder he committed when I was a kid in middle school. He had shot a man in the back after a bar fight and received 7 years in prison. Shortly after his release he had already managed to make his parole officer mad who issued the warrant. I spotted Danny walking down the sidewalk and called for backup. He noticed me and took off running. I chased him into his apartment and tackled him in his bedroom where I found a sawed-off shotgun under his pillow. Not a nice guy! I took him to jail and assumed that was the first and last time I would ever see him. He made bail a few days later. Go figure.

It was 3 a.m. when he called the dispatcher and let them know he planned on killing me. I took plenty of backup with me to meet him and even considered asking the firefighters on duty if they wanted to go instead. We parked a block away so he couldn’t see our cars, and brought along our patrol rifles for good measure.

Frank, Dan, Doug, and I coordinated our approach on the radio – two officers would approach from the north, the other two from the south. As we entered the area of the intersection I expected Danny to be hiding from us, but he was right out in the open – naked! He was standing directly below a street light where everything was in plain sight. Danny was holding a beer in his left hand and a rifle in his right. I thought, “I’m not gonna get killed by a drunk naked dude. That would not look good on my tombstone.”

Frank, the cantankerous old veteran who was taking cover with me behind a car, leaned over and asked, “Exactly how do you get a nude person to want to kill you?” I told him, “I don’t know. I’m just wandering how to explain meeting a naked guy to my wife?” We both chuckled and then got the call that Dan and Doug were ready. I called out commands to Danny “Drop the gun and take 10 steps toward my voice.” He in turn called out some commands of his own – filled with colorful metaphors. He suggested I do things with my head and rectum that just aren’t physically possible. Frank then yelled back, “We’ll turn you into Swiss cheese you derelict piece of shit.”

Along with commands from the other officer, Danny realized he was surrounded and outgunned and decided to throw the rifle down the street towards us. Knowing where he was headed next he kept on drinking the beer as we approached him. He dropped into a fighting stance, still holding onto the beer, and Frank pepper sprayed him. He of course resisted arrest; giving us the unforgettable experience that only comes from fighting a drunk, sweaty, and nude felon. What a messed-up shift.

The ordeal was a surprising one to say the least, but I was ready for the next call as we joked about it. Our shift ended a few hours later and a new recruit seemed to be in shock. The idea of a suspect so boldly stating they wanted to kill an officer was traumatic for him. It truly bothered him and he was having second thoughts about his career choice. He wasn’t even present during the encounter but it affected him more negatively than it did me. Our attitudes and mindset were quite different, but that did not take place overnight, it had been a lengthy process for both of us.

The young officer explained how his academy commander and several instructors warned his class on a daily basis of how awful our profession was, and how no decent person should want this job. I may be wrong, but I don’t believe that is the best method to prepare the guardians of tomorrow. It’s not what is best for them or the society they are sworn to serve. The rookie climbed out of his harmful mindset but it wasn’t an easy or quick fix. Just like it takes time to develop a bad habit it also takes time to develop a good one.

These are people I refer to as crabs. Not because of their grumpy attitude but because of their harmful actions. You see, when a fisherman places one crab in a basket they must place a lid on top, or it will escape. Once they have at least two crabs in the basket they no longer need to worry about the lid. The interesting thing about crabs; they will pull down any other crab that tries to climb up and out of basket. They don’t team up and try to help each other out – they simply make sure everyone is just as miserable as they are. Individually, the crabs could easily escape, but instead, they drag each other down ensuring the demise of all. We are also surrounded by people who try to diminish the importance of others ambitions by pulling them down at the first sign of success. Sadly, they are not inspired by them – they’re threatened.

Research from Askin in 1993, and Scanff & Taugis in 2002, developed a list of the skills that can aid an officer who wants to perform at a high level in critical situations. They are part of an overall mindset that makes a good cop great.

Commitment: The officer’s dedication to their law enforcement duties through positive involvement. Great satisfaction comes from serving as police officer but without allowing the role to consume their personal life.
Confidence: Based on training, experience, and evaluations the officer believes they have what it takes to handle anything the streets throw at them.
Arousal Control: Adrenaline rush can lead to panicky decision-making and poor performance. The officer learns to temper the emotional energy when calm is necessary and tap into it when helpful.
Attention Control: The officer scans the environment around them and trusts their intuition when it nags at them. They look for specific indicators of criminality and danger through training and experience.
Positive Imagery: The officer visualizes themselves winning the fight and performing their duties well. They develop a mastery of policing skills through repeated rehearsals of varied situations.
Positive Self-Talk: The officer uses their “inner-voice” to guide and motivate themselves during critical and difficult situations.
Cognitive Restructuring: The officer learns to take negative events and reframe them into positive opportunities for personal growth.

We can work to improve these skills in ourselves while helping young officers develop them early on in their career. Your personal knowledge and experience is the most valuable teaching and mentoring resource you have as a police officer or trainer, and those nuggets of wisdom are what young officers need the most, and what they look forward to. Cadets should leave the academy excited to be part of a noble profession, and every officer should see serving as a guardian of justice as a thrill, not an affliction. Help them develop a positive mindset – there will be those who model the negative. When it is time for them to watch over your family, and mine, you will rest well knowing that you did everything possible to help them become a worthy protector for society.

“The bottom line on attitude is that a good one helps to increase your possibilities. Pessimists usually get what they expect. So do optimists… I can’t think of one legitimate criticism of positive thinking.” ~John C. Maxwell, Today Matters

Richard H. Neil Sr. is the author of “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning.” He is a retired city cop, and instructs for several of Ohio’s criminal justice training academies. He can be contacted through his website that is dedicated to free resources for law enforcement educators and trainers – www.LEO-Trainer.com.

Do People Really “Fear Speaking More Than Death?” – Video Quick Tip

Posted: January 8, 2013 in Law Enforcement Training, Video Quick Tips
Tags: confidence, fear speaking, instructor, law enforcement, phalanx law enforcement, police, training, video quick tip

More innovative tips, tricks, and techniques are available through our “Presentation Skills & Learning Activities” DVD at www.LEO-Trainer.com/301. The DVD is also available through Amazon.com.

The Lone Ranger – Policing’s Gold Standard

Posted: January 7, 2013 in Family, Officer Survival
Tags: creed, ethics, law enforcement, lone ranger, morals, policing, training

I yelled “Hi-yo Silver Away!” dozens of times on Saturday mornings when I was a kid. I was glued to the TV watching the black and white reruns of The Lone Ranger. He was the masked Texas Ranger who, along with Tonto (his Native American partner), fought injustice in the American Old West. The character became an icon of American culture starting with the radio show in 1933. The television series ran from 1949 to 1957, and there were also novels, comic books, and movies. The Lone Ranger was such a great influence on me as a child that I grew up to become a police officer, hoping to live up to his code of ethics. Yes, that’s right. I became a cop to be like The Lone Ranger. And if they would have let me wear a mask on duty and use silver bullets – I would have!

He was always portrayed as the law officer who was willing to make whatever sacrifice that was necessary to protect the frontier that he loved. He refused to compromise on the moral code that he lived by, teaching me and millions of others indelible values – character and integrity. The ends never justified the means, if it meant that he had to violate his code of honor. Tonto referred to The Lone Ranger as “Ke-mo sah-bee”, meaning “trusty scout” or “trusted friend.”

The Lone Ranger’s silver bullets acted as a symbol of justice as well as his credentials to others, and they served as a reminder, that life is precious and like his silver bullets, not to be wasted or thrown away. The mask used to conceal his identity was made by Tonto, from the vest of Captain Daniel Reid, the Ranger’s brother who was killed in the ambush that he barely survived. He sacrificed his very identity as a person to protect the weak and needy of the frontier.

Everything about him served as a symbol of justice, honor, integrity, and sacrifice. He no longer needed to wear his badge, and like the Ranger, everything about you serves as a symbol of justice and a reminder of faithful protection to your community. The badge will always be a symbol of trusted authority, but only you can symbolize the rest.

Role Model and Mentor

Actors Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger) and Jay Silverheels (Tonto), both took their positions as role models to children very seriously and tried their best to live up to the high standards of the legend. Criminals were never shown in enviable positions of wealth or power, and they never appeared as successful or glamorous. The Lone Ranger never drank alcohol or smoked, and he always used perfect grammar completely devoid of slang and profanity, at all times. He didn’t try to talk like a gang banger (not that there were that many Bloods and Crypts in the old west), but instead represented the noble profession of law enforcement well – a model we should all try our best to follow.

I failed my masked mentor during my rookie year. I found myself following the cop culture of believing “Profanity is the only language some of these people understand.” Looking back, it should have made as much sense as a helicopter with ejector seats, but I bought into it because I wanted to. Profanity can serve as an effective attention getter, in a dangerous encounter, but it isn’t necessary to actually communicate with anyone. It was simply a way for me to justify being belligerent to idiots I didn’t like, and there were plenty of them in the Cincinnati area.

I was blessed to serve in several different environments as a cop: from the inner city to the suburbs, investigating street gangs, sexual predators, and murderers. Profanity was not necessary to communicate with any of them, and I should not have used it as a professional police officer without a purpose – and I rarely had one.

I would likely have carried on using profanity had it not been for the day my daughter, Nadia, repeated something I had said. I would like to say my Christian faith did it for me, but it was a three-year-old. It was an embarrassing way to be reminded that I served as an example for her as well as the community, and it was not the example I wanted coming to mind when others thought of me or the profession I loved. That decision has never hindered me as a cop or as a police instructor.

The Creed of “The Lone Ranger”

The Lone Ranger conducted himself by a strict moral code that was put in place at the inception of his character by author, Fran Striker. It still rings true today for those who are serving as the guardians of justice.

I believe that to have a friend, a man must be one.
I believe that all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world.
I believe that God put the firewood there, but that every man must gather and light it himself.
I believe in being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right.
I believe that a man should make the most of what equipment he has.
I believe that ‘this government of the people, by the people, and for the people’ shall live always.
I believe that men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number.
I believe that sooner or later…somewhere…somehow…we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken.
I believe that all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever.
I believe in my Creator, my country, my fellow man.

“Give us clear vision, that we may know where to stand and what to stand for – because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.” ~ Peter Marshall, US Senate Chaplain 1947

Like The Lone Ranger, Peter Marshall understood the need for a clear vision, or a creed to live by. We should look to ourselves and ensure that we still know where to stand. We should strive to be the noble role models and wise mentors that the children in our society not only deserve, but need. You don’t have to give each one a silver bullet (as The Lone Ranger did), to make a meaningful impact on their life – your courageous example and friendship will last far longer.

The Lone Ranger was able to mold me from afar, decades after his show was off the air. In a similar fashion, you have a unique opportunity to mentor young people each day you serve society as a noble law officer – but you can do it up close and in color.

Active Learning Principles from the Police Instructor Handbook

Posted: January 2, 2013 in Active Learning, Trainer Resources
Tags: active learning, law enforcement, police, poster, training

Police Instructor handbook on sale through www.LEO-Trainer.com/book and at Amazon.com

Opening Exercise for Audience Participation: Pick a Square

Posted: December 27, 2012 in Active Learning, Instructor Skills & Methods
Tags: active learning, educator, opening exercise, police instructor, trainer

Opening activities serve to get students acquainted with each other and actively involved with your topic. They can take time away from your original lesson plan, but their impact is well worth the investment. Years ago, I came across a really cool team building activity while attending a crime prevention conference in Washington D.C. Each participant had to wear a Post-It Note on their forehead. They interacted with each other and seemed to truly enjoy the group activity. I couldn’t wait to use it when I got back to Ohio. I was always looking for new ways to engage my students and increase their understanding of my topic, and this was an engaging method. When I tried it out with my next class they hated it! And I mean hated it!

When I started to explain the activity, the cops in my class were rolling their eyes while looking at each other, obviously considering what method they would use to hide my corpse. They wanted nothing to do with the exercise, but they had enough respect for me as an instructor that most of them were willing to try it (after I offered to buy lunch). Once they had the Post-Its on their heads and started getting into the heart of the exercise… they still hated it! Was it something that could only work in Washington D.C., and not with my law enforcers in the Midwest? Or, was it the way I explained it to the group that was flawed? These are good questions to ask when things go wrong with any type of opening exercise or team building activity. The problem wasn’t the geography or the explanation – it was the audience. It had no relevance to my topic and it wasn’t designed or intended for my audience of cops.

The conference where I learned of the activity was the International Youth Drug Prevention Conference, and the group of students that we had taken on the trip as part of our agencies youth program really did enjoy the activity. It was created with them in mind – not cops. That is why it failed when I used it with them. There is always the possibility that you can adapt an exercise designed for one group to work well with another, but this wasn’t one of those, and I didn’t try to adapt anything anyway. I just used it “as is,” and that didn’t go over well with my brothers and sisters in law enforcement. There is nothing wrong with using an opening activity with a law enforcement audience, but it has to be relevant to your topic and beneficial for your audience. If not – don’t use it!

A good opening exercise is something like an appetizer – it gives students a taste of what is to come and sets an engaging atmosphere early on. Most opening exercise could be used with multiple topics and I will leave it to you to decide how or when you might use this one.

Pick a Square – Save a Child

This exercise serves as a quick opener to get cadets thinking through a problem instead of rushing to an answer. I don’t know where the activity originates from (it was not from my limited intellect), but it works well with several topics in law enforcement.

Draw a grid containing 64 squares on the white board (or chalk board if you’re old school or have no budget). Select one square and write down the corresponding letter and number on an index card and lay it face down so no one can see it. Tell the students their job is to guess which square you chose. Do not allow them to talk with each other, and call on them one at a time allowing only yes or no questions to be asked. They will usually just guess a square and not put any thought into their questions. You can add some pressure by also informing the class that this represents the map of their assigned patrol district, and they need to find their way to a call for service. I commonly use this when I teach the Missing Children Investigation topic to academy cadets.

I like to start by saying, “A child has just been reported missing and the longer you take to find the call location the less likely we are to recover her. What is the location on my card?” A few students will throw out wild guesses while the others sit safely in their seats. I like to increase their anxiety a little bit more so they’re not so comfortable. “This little girl has been abducted by a sexual predator. If this was your child would you want the officers to sit on their butts and do nothing like all of you are? A little girl is counting on you to fulfill your oath and save her.” The questions usually start pouring in with their newly found guilt, but they aren’t likely to pick the correct square without thinking about their questions. Keep the pressure on them so they don’t speak to each other or take the time to think. That will come soon enough.

Once the class passes up 10 guesses stop them, unless you are truly enjoying yourself by watching the Type A’s become frustrated. Tell them that you are going to choose a new number and start over again, but this time they will have a few minutes to discuss a group strategy to effectively search for the child. Advise the class, that with the right plan of action they won’t even need to ask you 10 questions to find the call location on the map.

Most groups will guess the right square with only six questions - once they think about it logically. They can ask you one question and reduce the squares by 50% each time. Their question should be something like, “Is your square in rows A through D?” Whether you answer yes or no, they just cut the possibilities in half. Their next question should be, “Is your square in rows 1 through 4?” If they continue cutting the possibilities by 50% with each question, they will have your square pinpointed with only six questions.

The Value Gained through Problem Solving

The object of the activity is to get the class working as a group and thinking problems through before jumping to an answer. The same qualities are important for law enforcers to have on the street. When there is time, we want them to think problems through and not be afraid to ask for the advice of others to find the most effective plan of action. I can assure them that driving around aimlessly in a patrol car is not the best way to find a missing child. When they respond to a real missing child call they will understand the need to have a plan of action that has been well thought out – instead of just guessing where the child might be found. Listening to a lecture about a topic without any interaction by the audience will never build these skills in our students, but a simple Opening Exercise can be a good place to start.

The activity can also work well with several other policing topics. Community Policing: Use problem solving instead of just throwing a bunch of cops at the issue. Crime Scene Search: Plan your approach before rushing in and messing up the scene. Interview & Interrogation: Your questions need to be thought out and concise. Asking a suspect the wrong question can bring an interrogation to an abrupt halt.

When you instruct, you are responsible for passing along wisdom – not just information. Engaged cops and cadets are enthusiastic to learn and become active participants in their own training. To create productive, memorable, and vibrant classes, an instructor must continually work on increasing audience participation. A good format will include group discussions, lectures, guest speakers, case studies, opening exercises, and other activities. Active learning and audience participation may require more from you as an instructor, but the payoff for the audience is worth it. Your efforts will benefit them with a deep understanding of the topic and prepare them for the vital tasks that lay ahead.

More Opening Exercises and other learning activities can be found in the Active Learning Index of the Police Instructor handbook.

Cops Need Trainers NOT Public Speakers

Posted: December 24, 2012 in Active Learning, Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training, Trainer Resources
Tags: instructor, law enforcement, police, public speaking, trainer, training

Mark Twain was the most renowned speaker of his time and delivered hundreds, if not thousands, of speeches throughout his life. Back in his time people came out in large numbers to be entertained by the great traveling orators, but that is not what people are looking for today when they attend a training class or presentation. They want good relevant content, new knowledge to work with, and brevity. They want Trainers who are great communicators, and not a public speaker.

The problem I found was that most of the presentation resources available to an educator or trainer are books and workshops on public speaking. They focus on becoming a polished orator that can entertain a group of people for a relatively short period of time. They are all about impressing people, and it can be easy for anyone wanting to deliver a successful presentation to follow them. We need our educators and trainers to become communicators instead. A Trainer has a different focus than a public speaker. They want to teach, impact, and change their audience in a meaningful way that will help them fulfill their daily duties.

I read dozens of books on public speaking while researching materials for my book “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning,” and I was surprised how much they copied each other. It was like someone photo copied the same book and placed a variety of different covers on them, and then found a sucker (turns out that includes me), to buy each one. Very few new ideas came out of that block of research – very few. The books usually start by focusing on the message. The speaker’s message, that is. Public speaking focuses on what the speaker has to offer, but the Trainer puts the people they want to impact before the message. They find out what the people need before offering them something that they don’t. Only then can a Trainer know what message should be presented.

Public speaking programs focus on changing the way you gesture with your hands, walk across the stage, and instruct you on facial expressions you have never used or needed. They offer unique (but mostly irrelevant) catch-phrases that grab the attention of your audience – temporarily – allowing you to complete the message you have chosen for them. The process can be as conceited as the cast of Jersey Shore.

“Whoever I have babies with has to be Italian. I want my kids last name to have a vowel on it… and be tanned, obviously… I’m a f**king good person!” ~Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jersey Shore Reality TV Show

Trainer vs. Public Speaker

I attended an academy graduation last year where I heard two prepared speeches, and another impromptu talk. The results may surprise you. One of the prepared speeches was delivered by a school administrator and the other by a federal law enforcement officer – both had me looking for items to stick in my ears. They were doing their best impersonation of a public speaker instead of being a Trainer.

They surely meant well as they thanked everyone in the room, and I mean everyone. They each read their speech word for word which forced them into a monotone state that would put anyone to sleep. The educator looked up from his speech several times but always stared at the same point on the wall. He never scanned the crowd or made eye contact with anyone. He repeated the same motion with his right hand, as if conducting a symphony orchestra. There was no emotion in his voice that might connect him to the graduating cadets or audience, and every line in his speech was an old cliché.

My fellow law enforcer was even worse. He looked up once during his speech and lost his place momentarily. I could see the frantic look on his face as he searched for the correct spot. That was the last time I saw his face until he was done with his eight minute recitation. He grabbed the lectern with both hands as if it was going to fall down without his help. I am positive he put great effort into his speech, but the sentiment was completely lost as he rambled through without ever pausing between sentences, paragraphs, or points. There was no indication when one point ended and the next began. His big mistake was leaving his experiences and beliefs out of his speech. He never talked about anything he had intimate experience with – and it showed.

After the first minute the audience started leaning their heads back and rolling their eyes. The cadets managed to keep their composure with the educator, but even they started to grimace with their law enforcement counterpart. Why do people chain themselves to a speech by reading it word for word or attempting to memorize it? I asked the officer. He said he used a system for his speech that he ordered on a public speaking web site. I hope he got a good bargain. It was an ineffective method of delivery and boring to boot.

The best speech of the graduation came from one of the academy commanders. He was there to introduce the speakers and hand out certificates, but something popped into his head that he wanted to share. He walked away from the lectern and approached the cadets in the front row. You could see in their faces that they were completely engaged as he talked to them. He walked back and forth across the stage, and looked at each cadet as he gave them heartfelt advice from decades of police experience.

Within one minute, the commander brought laughter to the entire audience and nearly made the graduates cry. He did not wing it, he knew his material well. How? He spoke about his experiences as a law enforcer and gave advice that had been etched into his conscience. The commander was having a conversation. He focused on an idea and let the words come naturally – he did not need a speech. He was passionate about his message and wanted to share his lesson with the audience. He was a Trainer – not a public speaker.

While he did not have formal training or credentials qualifying him as a great speaker, he had confidence in his experience. His knowledge came from real life encounters, and reality is what interests people most.

“Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.” ~C.S. Lewis

Guiding Principles of a Trainer

Trainers don’t picture people naked, or stare at a spot on the wall, or follow any other dumb advice from a public speaking book that fails to focus on the audience. They make natural eye contact and the audience connects with them. The Trainer won’t concentrate their energy on techniques that make them appear polished and better than their audience; they will instead concentrate on impacting their listeners by creating an atmosphere of change through learning. They are more concerned with providing wisdom and value to their students and less worried about how awesome they are as an orator. They find and follow the guiding principles that will make them a great law enforcement Trainer:

Cops, Cadets, & Students learn better when they are given the opportunity to talk and not forced to only listen.
Cops, Cadets, & Students learn better when you present information as if you were having a conversation with a friend instead of lecturing a class.
Cops, Cadets, & Students learn better when you use pictures and images on your slides and not just text and bullet points.
Cops, Cadets, & Students learn better when they write down information instead of just hearing it.
Cops, Cadets, & Students learn better when they are given small chunks of wisdom instead of an iceberg of information.
Cops, Cadets, & Students learn better when they are moving around and not constantly sitting.
Cops, Cadets, & Students learn better when they are shown how the knowledge being taught will be of value to them.
Cops, Cadets, & Students learn better when they are challenged to think critically, be creative, and communicate with others.
Cops, Cadets, & Students learn better when you incorporate a variety of techniques and create an atmosphere of active learning.

As a police instructor, you must be eager to share your wisdom with the audience you serve. To be effective there is no getting around this principle. Training is not simply transferring your knowledge—it’s about your students being able to apply their new knowledge and skills to get better results as a cop. You must look deep into the topic and make it your personal desire to help each student see the value in your presentation. You must share the gold nuggets of wisdom that you have accumulated throughout your career that can save the life of another.

You don’t need to look polished and perfect to be a great Trainer, but you do need to be passionate about improving your craft. Passion is far more important, in my opinion, than perfection. The focus of our law enforcement educators and trainers should not be on becoming great public speakers. Take the tidbits of good information offered by public speaking books and programs – add them to your trainer’s toolkit – and then never stop looking for new and innovative methods to prepare worthy guardians to watch over our society.

“Just as police officers are the barbed-wire that protects the sheep from the wolves, police instructors are the posts that provide them with a foundation of strength.” ~Richard Neil

Richard H. Neil Sr. is the author of “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning.” He is a retired city cop, and instructs for several of Ohio’s criminal justice training academies. He can be contacted through his website that is dedicated to resources for law enforcement educators and trainers – www.LEO-Trainer.com.

Police Instructor’s Creed Poster

Download Full Size Image at http://www.LEO-Trainer.com/spim

Image — Posted: December 19, 2012 in Law Enforcement Training, Trainer Resources
Tags: creed, ethics, instructor, integrity, law enforcement, police, training

Video: Police Instructor Quick Tip – The 20 Second Inquiry

Posted: December 13, 2012 in Active Learning, Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training, Video Quick Tips
Tags: law enforcement, learning, method, police, police instructor, technique, training

Help your students develop better questioning skills with this easy technique that requires them to think before they speak. It also stops the stage hogs from taking over a class or conversation with trivial gossip or unrelated stories.

The 20 Second Inquiry is just one of the innovative techniques found in the book “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, and Increase Active Learning.”

Policing is NOT a Customer Service Profession

Posted: December 3, 2012 in Law Enforcement Training, Trainer Resources
Tags: customer service, law enforcement, police, training

We have taken the philosophy of customer service (a square peg), and repeatedly tried to force it into the law enforcement profession (a round hole). This was a well intended idea that someone took from the world of business and tried to make it work for their law enforcement agency, and it has continued to spread. The problem: we don’t have customers as police officers. We swear an oath before God to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States. That is our solemn contract with society, not a customer service policy similar to the one at your local gas station.

The following example is from a company that provides their “Law Enforcement Customer Service” course to hundreds of agencies across the country.

Customer Service goals for Law Enforcement Officers

“Play: Creating a law enforcement environment where employees and the public can thoroughly enjoy themselves.” (I failed this goal on a daily basis when I was on patrol, and probably as an investigator, and, well…, let’s just say every day.)

“Make Their Day: Is about doing something special for customers and co‐workers. The idea is to give another person a gift they don’t forget and feel good by giving it.” (Was the gift that first came to your mind a good example of customer service? No? Me either.)

We are all well acquainted with the most well known and common saying in the Customer Service Industry: “The customer is always right,” and that means you are doing whatever it takes to make people happy with your company, so they will purchase your product or use your service, and hopefully come back again and again. That is the square peg of the Customer Service philosophy that will never fit into the round hole of Policing. As the guardians of justice, we enforce the law on drunk drivers, wife beaters, burglars, child molesters, and murderers – on a daily basis. What part of that list sounds like someone you are trying to draw to your company for repeat business? Are they always right? Heck, are they ever right?

Should our officers approach the wife beater focusing on the goals above? “Hello sir, I can see that you found the need to brutally assault your wife today. I hope I can create an environment that allows you to thoroughly enjoy yourself during your attempt to resist me, as well as the uncomfortable arrest process.” Drunk drivers would also be treated quite differently. “I see you have shared a 12 pack with some of your buddies. No wonder you had trouble staying on the road. Please keep this mouthpiece from your breathalyzer test as a gift, and I will drive us from here – so you don’t spill anymore beer. I hope you call on our agency again, the next time you decide to create a risk to society.”

If we pose the same questions to organizations that have incorporated the training above – and the company who sold them the goods – both will likely say, “Of course not, those examples are ludicrous and officers wouldn’t worry about meeting the goals in these situations.” I would agree with them, but that means we are not a profession that should be focused on the business philosophy of customer service, it doesn’t fit the needs of the communities we serve or our officers. You can change the definition of Customer Service for your agency, but it will always have “the customer is always right” perception attached – regardless of what is said or written.

I know I already have some who are disagreeing with me while shaking their heads, and you are welcome to chuck my opinion out with the morning trash. The reality is, I am married with two kids in their twenties, so I am reminded that my opinion sucks all the time – I will be okay.

One California police department has a Customer Service Mission that states, “We create a quality customer service environment by providing safety, service, and support for everyone.” Why even add “customer service” to their mission statement?

If we surveyed the people given speeding tickets, or arrested by California’s finest in this city, how many of them would say, “I was provided quality customer service when the officer issued me a ticket,” or “I was given great support as the cop hauled my butt off to jail.” Probably not many, I know that would not be my first response, and I like cops. The fact is that when we stop a “customer” for speeding they are never “right.” They were wrong or they would not have been stopped in the first place. It just doesn’t fit the philosophy we are using.

Another common tag line I found within these policies: “Customer Service is an overall approach to the way we conduct business…”

In my humble opinion, this is another mistake we have made, calling police work a business. People who apply to Costco, GM, or United Airlines are interested in working for a business. These are organizations with a fundamental goal of making a profit, by providing satisfaction to every customer through some product or service. The people of character, that are drawn to serve as law enforcement officers, are not interested in joining a business team. They want to serve society as a worthy protector. Our profession is not filled with business minded individuals, but with those who are people protectors and law enforcers by the very oath they take.

Some people will misinterpret my viewpoint on how police officers should interact with citizens. I firmly believe our officers should treat everyone with the utmost respect, whenever possible, and serve their communities with a focus on integrity and equality. I don’t even like it when a cop uses profanity without a specific purpose behind it. I’m a bit of a Boy Scout, but I don’t think adding unneeded goals, guidelines, or philosophies benefits anyone.

Wikipedia defines customer service for us: The provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation. The perception of success of such interactions will be dependent on employees “who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest.” customer service plays an important role in an organization’s ability to generate income and revenue.
As you can see by the definitions above, there are areas that we definitely need to focus upon in law enforcement, and areas that should have no bearing on our profession at all. We have all been to domestic violence calls where the husband was arrested for assaulting his wife, but both of them ended up hating us for life. Even though we were passionate and protected the woman, she wouldn’t cooperate, threatened us, and even attacked us when we refused to release her loved one. We can never meet the expectations of customer service in such a circumstance.

Times when Violence is the Only Answer

I was assigned as a School Resource Officer, and giving a prevention presentation on bullying at a local middle school. It was the perfect environment for customer service philosophies to flourish in the world of law enforcement. A worried 12 year old girl and several of her friends approached me after the talk. They had seen a recent news report in which we arrested a student at the high school who was planning an attack, and the same report covered several of our nation’s school shooting tragedies. Unlike an adult, she got straight to the point with her question. “Officer Neil, if someone comes into our school and tries to kill all of us, will you try to kill them first?” I thought she deserved an honest answer in return so I replied, “Yes, I will kill them.” Not the type of questions you will hear at the customer service desk at WalMart or The Home Depot.

She seemed somewhat relieved by my answer but she questioned my abilities next. “What if they are like…, really prepared? How do we know you can win?” I gave her a short repertoire’ as if I were applying for a crack commando unit, “I was an infantry soldier in the Army before serving the last 15 years as a police officer. I can hold my own in a fight.” It was obvious that there was still something bothering her as she huddled with her friends. I was about to give her some references to call when she turned and posed her final question. “What if it’s another student that is shooting at all of us? Can you really kill a kid?” No parent ever had the guts to ask me such a question, but leave it to a sixth grader to push the limit. I replied without much thought – my responsibilities to protect other people’s children were clear, and I had already decided what to do long before that day. “Please understand, I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I am a father of two children, and I swore an oath to God Almighty that I would protect you with my life. Yes, I will kill them. I am like…, really, really prepared.” The girl smiled and her friends perked up. She replied, “very good, thank you officer,” and they headed off to the cafeteria for lunch.

The principal had overheard the conversation and had his own worries about the subject. “I thought that was about to go really bad and you were going to have a cry-fest on your hands. I couldn’t believe they left happy, but I have to admit, I felt relieved when you said you would kill anyone who would try to shoot up my school. I guess it was the same for them. We just needed to know that you are willing to do what the rest of us cannot.” The sixth grade girl didn’t think I should worry about treating an active shooter as a customer. She wanted him dead, even if he were a fellow student.

That 12 year old didn’t want my focus on customer service, but on protecting my community with my last breath. She understood that there were times when awful things are done to people in the name of justice, and strangely enough, that made her feel safe. Our philosophies and policies should include courage, integrity, and large helpings of respect, but the awful things that we are required to do will never fit neatly into a customer service philosophy. We should see people as citizens we have sworn to protect and serve – not customers. Those citizens will be better served if we are not trying to fix policing by hammering a square peg into a round hole.

Richard Neil is the creator of http://www.leotrainer.com, a web site dedicated to law enforcement training resources, and the author of “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Create Active Learning.”

Video Quick Tip: Innovative Training Games for Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers

Posted: November 25, 2012 in Active Learning, Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training, Trainer Resources, Video Quick Tips
Tags: active learning, educator, law enforcement, police, review, rookie, smarter, technique, training game

Increase your audience’s participation and understanding with this innovative technique.

More active learning methods can be found in “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, and Increase Active Learning“

Never Turn Your Back on the Audience. Really?

Posted: November 23, 2012 in Active Learning, Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training, Trainer Resources
Tags: audience, police, presentation, skills, training, your back to the audience

I was waiting for the firing squad to pull the trigger as I covered the ruling from Arizona v. Gantjust released by the U.S. Supreme Court. You would have thought I kicked a puppy in front of a class of first graders. The impact of the ruling was blown out of proportion, but it did not matter on that day – the audience was mad.

My instincts were to plead, “Guys I’m one of you – don’t get mad at me. It’s not my fault!” I fought the urge. Instead, I walked into the center of the class squeezing between the tables. I paused for a moment as everyone looked my way and said, “Yeah, that’s better.”

A veteran officer gruffly asked “What in the hell are you doing?” I replied back, “It feels much safer out here with you guys than it does up there. I was waiting for one of you to blindfold me and give me a cigarette.” They all started laughing and the rule of never turning your back on the audience was thrown out of my repertoire for good.

Violating the grand-daddy of all the don’ts in public speaking can be scary. I agree that it is best not to be up in front of the class with your back to everyone, but do not let any rule define how you present your topic. When I want a class to know “we are in this thing together,” I walk into the middle of the room among the students, and turn to look at the screen. Now as part of the audience, and with my back visible to a few, I point to the screen and assure them they are not alone in dealing with the topic at hand. I try not to stand right in front of anyone, but I do not want to be in the back of the room where no one can see me. Part of the secret is gaining physical and emotional distance from the information displayed on the screen and becoming part of the group again.

When the audience is mad at you (usually over the material you are covering), walking into the crowd and turning your back on them can work great. Teaching the legal requirements on Use of Force can turn heated when you cover controversial rulings. They want a lawyer or judge to be mad at but you are the one in front of the class. Get your classes fired up and allow them to argue their point and show frustration with a decision, but you will need to move on at some point, and that is where this technique comes in.

Slowly walk out into the center of the group and turn. Remind them “I have the same frustrations guys. The people who hand down such decisions have no idea what it is like for us to carry them out. I know we don’t like this particular ruling but is everyone ready to move on?” There is a connection that comes from the technique that I cannot explain, and they always nod in appreciation for letting them vent. It is up to us to be engaging when the information we are presenting is not.

Just remember to be yourself and never let any rule define how you present your topic.

Richard H. Neil Sr., author of “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning.”

Video Quick Tip – PowerPoint: What NOT to Do

Posted: November 18, 2012 in Active Learning, Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training, Slide Show Design, Trainer Resources, Video Quick Tips
Tags: active learning, donts, method, police, powerpoint, presentation, technique, tip, training

A Police Instructor Quick Tip of “What Not to Do” with your PowerPoint presentation. Click on the video image below to start viewing the 3 minute Quick Tip.

More tips and techniques for slide design can be found in “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, and Increase Active Learning“

The Reasons Why Women Should Never be Cops?

Posted: October 31, 2012 in Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training, Trainer Resources
Tags: female law enforcement, female sheriff, maude collins, police instructor, women police

Recently, I was teaching a basic academy class in my home state of Ohio. We were deep into the 24 hour block on Community Diversity as I was covering different religious beliefs and how they affect an officer’s safety, a victim’s statement, and a suspect’s reactions to questioning. There was one student who really had trouble understanding how it would benefit him to understand the different people (along with their cultures), that he would soon be serving.

As I began to explain the beliefs of the Sikh religion – specifically, that they believe that women are equal to men in every way – the cadet blurted out, “Women shouldn’t be cops and we all know it. They are window dressing and don’t have what it really takes to do police work.” As everyone turned to stare at him, he continued with his rant, “They just aren’t tough enough or brave enough.”

He seemed shocked when he did not receive the support he obviously expected from the rest of the class, especially that from the three female cadets who appeared to be planning his demise. Of course, all of his beliefs and vast amounts of wisdom were based on cop shows and movies, because that was the limit of his experience with policing. Fortunately for us in law enforcement training, everything they show about cops on TV is true – at least in this cadet’s mind.

I saw a great opportunity for the class to learn some important history about our profession that might help to change – or at least enlighten – a few attitudes. I started by asking the students to individually list the common myths and beliefs that some people hold about women in law enforcement. I had them list the reasons that make it harder for women to be cops, along with comments they have heard from others. The lists were fairly short and the same sentiments were repeated. I let the cadet who first spoke write them on the board. He titled the list “The Reasons Why Women Should Never be Cops.”

Women are not strong enough to beat people up (Yes, most of them listed “beat people up,” so I also went to great lengths covering proper Use of Force and the 4^th Amendment with the group).
Women are not brave enough to face danger without fear (They apparently thought we sprinkled pixie dust on each male cadet at the end of the academy to make them fearless – I never got my dose).
Women are not good at investigating crimes and can’t intimidate bad guys into confessing (Too much TV had many of the cadets convinced that we still beat confessions out of everyone. Hopefully they don’t see any reruns of Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue).

After a vibrant (and nearly violent) class discussion, I began to tell the students a little known story of Ohio’s first female sheriff – Maude Collins. It was reported for years, that the first female to ever be elected as sheriff in the U.S. was Katherine Crumbly in 1976, but that history was inaccurate. Maude Collins held the office in 1925! She faced trials and tribulations as sheriff that few of us in law enforcement today could even imagine, and on top of that, it appears she dealt with them quite well.

On the evening of October 8^th, 1925 Sheriff Fletcher Collins of Vinton County, Ohio headed into neighboring Jackson County to serve a warrant on George Steele. The man was wanted for a speeding violation and was located in a field by Sheriff Collins. A woman accompanied Steele that night and told the story as it unfolded. The Sheriff announced his intention to arrest Steele for the outstanding warrant, but the fugitive told the lawman he would not go peacefully. Collins started over a fence toward the couple when Steele leveled an unseen shotgun at the Sheriff, firing it once, and killing him. This tragic event would result in one of the most amazing stories of law enforcement tenacity I have ever heard.

Most of us can only imagine the horror that rips through the family of a fallen law enforcement officer. In 1925 there were no police chaplains, victim’s services, or survivor resources to help the family of Sheriff Collins. Fletcher had been married to his wife Maude for 11 years and the couple had 5 children -the oldest of which was 10 years old. The new widow soon started to pack, preparing to take her children to family members in West Virginia. She knew that the Appalachian country of Ohio was not an easy place to find work and raise a family for a single mother of 5, but that would quickly change.

Before Maude was able to leave she was visited by three county commissioners. One was reported to ask her “Where are you headed Maude, we just made you sheriff.” One can only imagine how the news was first received by the newly widowed woman, but history tells us of her answer. Maude became the first female sheriff in the State of Ohio in 1925, and in one of the most unlikely regions to hold such a position. There would not be another female to hold the office in any county of the state for another 50 years.

It takes enough courage to marry a law enforcement officer, but just imagine taking over their duties when they had been murdered, and with 5 children. We should not take it for granted that there were no day care centers, after school programs, or social services to help Maude raise her children. She not only took on the title of Sheriff – she fulfilled the duties of her office with true courage and professionalism. In one photo Sheriff Maude can be seen standing behind a moonshine stile that she and her deputies had just raided. She is standing with an axe in her hands indicating the method she preferred for preventing further production, but more interestingly is that one of her children can be seen holding onto her leg. We can have no idea what it must have been like for her to fulfill the duties of Sheriff and the duties of motherhood as a single parent in 1925. She is an inspiration of true grit.

Maude was a capable sheriff and not just a figurehead. She would go on to prove her worth as an investigator as well, when she was called upon to solve a double murder – what would still be considered a rare occurrence today in Vinton County. The cases would shock the community and draw the nation’s attention on the first female Sheriff of Ohio. She cleverly determined that the murderer had worn the victim’s shoes to leave misleading footprints at a crime scene. She explained her theory to her chief deputy and the county coroner. She noted that the impressions were not deep enough to be left by the heavy victim but could have been made by a lighter person wearing his shoes. Sheriff Maude subsequently persuaded the female she had suspected all along to confess to wearing the shoes of another, who had previously been the primary male suspect, thereby solving a double homicide and gaining national fame when the case was reported in Master Detective magazine.

Many of the best officers I have served with were women, but there is often a double standard applied to them. If a male police officer is a total screw up, and an embarrassment to law enforcement, other officer will commonly say, “He just isn’t cut out for the job.” But, all too often, when a female officer screws up in the same way, some will say, “That proves that women are not law enforcement material.” Every woman seems to be thrown under the bus by some, while men are judged individually. We should judge every officer on his or her individual abilities to protect and serve our society – with integrity. Using a broad stereotype to judge either gender is a mistake.

It has been shown that men generally have more physical strength than women, but study after study has shown that women are better communicators than men. In his book, Arresting Communications, Lt. Jim Glennon states, “The most important skills for criminal justice professionals to master are those skills associated with the art and science of communication.” He goes on to point out some communication differences among men and women. “Females tend to have a significant edge in verbal skills. They also seem to be better equipped to receive a wider range of sensory information, tend to be more observant, … and generally communicate more efficiently than men.”

Lt. Glennon is not trying to say that physical strength, a survival mindset, and firearms training are not vital ingredients of a successful law enforcer. He is simply pointing out that fact that we use our communication skills far more than any other, and in general, men will need to work harder to become better communicators. In the same way, some women may have to work harder to improve their physical capabilities. Each gender has strengths and weaknesses, but it is the individual officer that must prove their worth.

Maude Collins faced the multitude of doubts and limitations placed upon her. As a woman she was view by many as lacking courage and strength, but she instead shined as an everlasting example for all of us in law enforcement. In 1926, many of the same doubters formally elected Maude Collins in a landslide victory – a two to one margin over her rival – making her the first elected female sheriff in the State of Ohio. She now lies next to her husband, Sheriff Fletcher Collins, whose name is engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. By making the ultimate sacrifice, Fletcher Collins inspired an unlikely and valiant guardian of justice.

Courage in law enforcement does not require some magic ability in which you somehow become fearless. That doesn’t exist outside of a Hollywood production, but Maude modeled what real courage looks like. She showed the ability to overcome fear through her tenacity, and the realization that the safety of our society is more important than anyone’s individual fear. Maude Collins knew very well what she was protecting as Sheriff of Vinton County – her children and the world they called home. She did it for all the right reasons and with a noble spirit.

After the story, the cadet silently walked to the board and erased the list. He turned to the class and said, “I probably need to have a little more experience, well, any experience, before I comment on what it takes to be a good cop.” I provided the knowledge – he delivered the wisdom.

“The A-Team” Taught Me the Value of Preparing as an Instructor – Really!

Posted: July 15, 2012 in Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training, Trainer Resources
Tags: a team, instructor, law enforcement, police, trainer, training

In the early 80’s a new series had taken over the top spot on television. I, along with every other 12 year old in America, was glued to the set waiting for the introduction of “The A-Team.” The cool musical score of drums tapping and trumpets playing made you feel like you were enlisting in the military. The narrator explained how this crack commando unit was framed for a crime they did not commit and sentenced to a maximum security stockade from which they escaped. The heroic U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers served the oppressed as vigilantes for hire – if you could find them.

The team was commanded by Colonel “Hannibal” Smith who always seemed to have a plan and a disguise. “Faceman” Peck was the handsome con-man that possessed mystical powers over women. “B.A.” (Bad Attitude) Baracus supplied the team with muscle, intimidation, and mechanical skills. “Howling Mad” Murdock served as a pilot who could fly anything but was completely insane. I was convinced that it was all based in reality. Just like professional wrestling. Don’t you think?

Every episode followed the same story line. Someone needed the help of The A-Team and went to a lot of trouble to find them. Hannibal infiltrated the enemy with a corny disguise and came up with a simple plan. The plan always seemed to fall apart, resulting in the team being captured or cut off in a desperate situation. They developed a more complex plan than before. It usually involved homemade explosives and weapons the team fashioned out of whatever was laying around. Fortunately for them, there always seemed to be some welding equipment and an acetylene torch to cut through steel wherever they were at. They designed crazy vehicles and weapons, crashed hundreds of jeeps, and fired thousands of rounds without ever killing anyone. These were pretty amazing feats – unless you were The A-Team.

You may be thinking that watching the Colonel come up with at least two plans every week is how I learned the importance of planning and preparation. You would be wrong. I was only 12 years old! I only paid attention to the explosions and pretty girls hitting on Faceman. I completely missed the value of his intense planning and preparation process, but I still wanted to serve society like he did. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone in my quest and joined forces with my older brother, Bobby, and his friend Ryan.

We decided to start training, but we did not want our activities spotted by ordinary civilians, so we rode our bikes into the small town of Donnelsville and set our headquarters up under a bridge. It was also our favorite fishing spot and close to the corner candy shop, so it served our team well. We decided to start off with The A-Team’s favorite explosive of choice.

The Molotov Cocktail seemed easy enough to create and deploy after seeing it done every week. We knew there would be a giant explosion from watching the TV show, so we set ourselves up on one side of Donnelsville creek and planned to launch the devices across to the other side. What could go wrong with such a well thought out plan?

Bobby and Ryan each filled a glass Pepsi bottle with gasoline we borrowed from Ryan’s father. They each rolled a paper towel into a long wick, and then slid them down into their perspective bottles. We were set to become our own crack commando unit. After a few minutes of discussion, mostly about how cool we were, Bobby and Ryan each stood with a petrol bomb in their hand. Bobby took up a throwing stance with his right arm extended back toward me, ready to launch our stardom. He said “Light me up Murdock.” I was slightly upset to find out I was playing the part of the insane guy and not Face or B.A. as I had pictured myself. I argued for a moment, “Why don’t I get to make a bomb and throw it?” Bobby reminded me that I was too young and stupid to handle an explosive like this. Lighting the wick was my only chance to be part of the team so I accepted it under protest. I pulled out the lighter we had borrowed from my mother’s cigarette pack and lit it. I asked Bobby if he was ready, but he just motioned for me to hurry up.

I slowly moved the flame towards the wick but only managed to get within an inch or two when it ignited the fumes. There was a giant puff of flames that engulfed Bobby’s right arm and my face. I leaped backward as he launched the bottle straight up into the concrete overpass above. More flames accompanied by pieces of glass showered all three of us as we dove into the creek – another bad decision since it was only a foot deep under the bridge.

As I climbed out of the creek, I thought to myself “That could have gone better.” The odor of burning hair filled the air as I realized it was mine. My head was singed and my eyebrows were nearly extinct. Bobby and Ryan did not look much better. Ryan decided to retire from crack commando work and decided not to ignite or throw his bottle.

It was years later, while in the Army, that I realized the error of my ways. During one of my infantry classes, an explosives sergeant showed us how to make an improvised petrol bomb – the Molotov Cocktail. I told the private sitting next to me how dangerous the device was as the instructor explained the proper method. “Never fill a bottle with gasoline and stick a cloth directly into the liquid and light it. Only an idiot that knows nothing about explosives would do that.” I felt like he was talking directly to me as he continued on. “Fill the container with gasoline or another explosive. Insert a wick and then cap the bottle with a stopper. Never allow gasoline to soak up the wick. Instead soak it in alcohol or kerosene so you don’t ignite the fumes from the gasoline.” Wow, I wish someone had told me that a few years earlier. I was tempted to raise my hand and attest to the danger of gasoline vapors, but I figured I had already lived through the embarrassment once. That was enough.

Planning and Preparation for Instructors

A poorly constructed Molotov Cocktail appears to be more dangerous than a poorly trained police officer – but the petrol bomb will only ignite one time. The law enforcer you train may be around for decades, negatively impacting the lives of thousands of citizens and endangering their fellow officers. If you fail to plan and prepare for your next class, you are handing the same Molotov Cocktail to your students that my brother held that day under the bridge. Is that what you want them to leave your training with to protect our society?

Even if you have a curriculum provided for you, it is always best to do some research. Once a curriculum is written it quickly becomes dated, but you can make it fresh by adding new information. It is easy to find relevant and current stories on police related websites – no profession is covered quite like ours. When you add a recent story to the topic, it shows the class that you prepared the presentation personally. They will recognize you as an instructor who takes the time and makes the effort to personalize your material. By adding your own handouts, group activities, and stories, you make it your own.

Sticky Notes Layout

One method of preparation I like to use involves Post-It notes. Write each idea, item of information, or SPO (Student Performance Objective) on a separate note. Lay them out on the table or stick them to a wall. Picture them like slides in a PowerPoint presentation, and then move them around to see what order makes the most sense to you. You do not need every little detail on the notes. Instead, write just enough information to remind yourself of what will go on the actual slide.

This method makes it easy to visualize your presentation without involving PowerPoint. Some of us are easily distracted by using a computer with an Internet connection. We start our slide design, then log into our e-mail, check what movies are playing, and see what the weather will be tomorrow – one interruption after another. Sometimes, it can be more productive to get away from the online interruptions and go back to paper and pencil. Sticky notes are a great method for getting away from distractions, and you can take them wherever you feel like working.

Planning & Preparation “The A-Team” Style

Many of us don’t look forward to the preparation of a presentation and even fewer want to practice before the actual delivery, but it is a necessary step to make citizens into cadets and cadets into guardians. As an instructor, you are the designer of your presentation. Your expertise is the greatest value the students can receive, but without planning and preparation they will be confused much of the time. You may know what you mean during your talk but they will not. It is all new to them. Through diligent research and unique ideas you will prove that you consider their time valuable.

“I love it when a plan comes together.” ~Colonel ‘Hannibal’ Smith

Another lesson I learned from watching the The A-Team, is always having a back-up plan ready if something goes wrong. What happens if the power goes out, a projector bulb blows, or you realize your files are not on the jump drive where they belong? “Plan for the worst and hope for the best,” is the old saying that goes well with law enforcement training. If you fail to plan ahead, you may be condemning your presentation before it starts. You may be lighting the gasoline soaked wick of a Molotov Cocktail that will blow up in your face and end up in a disastrous class for your students.

The best instructors are constantly fiddling with their format, slides, handouts, and materials to make the entire presentation better. Learn to enjoy the fiddling, and the feeling that comes from knowing your next audience is in for an encounter – not just an education.

“Just as police officers are the barbed wire that protects the sheep from the wolves, police instructors are the posts that provide them with a foundation of strength.” ~Richard H. Neil Sr.

Police Training through Active Learning Methods: Neil Island Exercise

Posted: May 3, 2012 in Active Learning, Instructor Skills & Methods, Law Enforcement Training
Tags: active learning, activity, exercise, experiential learning, games, instructor skills, neil island, police training

Our audience of law enforcers and cadets learns best by doing, and any activity that provides them with a direct experience will help them understand more effectively. You can design your own experiential activities or adapt those created by others to gain the participation of your audience. These activities can add relevance and understanding where a lecture and bullet points cannot. I created Neil Island with the help of my daughter, Nadia – a twisted cop’s kid with a degree in Psychology from Ohio State.

I originally created the exercise to force my students to take a deep look at the components of our criminal justice system, but it works well with other topics including Community Policing, Community Diversity, Crime Prevention, Crisis Intervention, and others. You can decide how it best fits your students or topic, and feel free to change the activity to make it work best for your audience.

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” ~Aristotle

Neil Island

Break your class up into small groups, and provide them with copies of the following story (or display it on the screen or white board).

You have joined others in starting a new society on Neil Island, but even with a careful selection process, crime has become an issue. There is a prison, but it only has room for five people. They will each have their own cell, but they must share the common areas like bathrooms and the recreation facilities. There is no separation available, and no system of parole or probation exists due to financial cuts.

Queen Nadia (my daughter wanted to be queen of Ohio, but she had to settle for an island instead) has issued a proclamation to deal with this scourge on society by setting an example. Your citizens will decide the fate of the following people who have been convicted. The prisoners include:

A 50-year-old man who hired a hit-man to kill his son-in-law. The victim was physically abusing the suspect’s daughter for years.
A 27-year-old single mother of two convicted of a DUI accident that killed a 38-year-old man. He was a devoted husband and the father of three kids.
A 16-year-old burglar who was caught stealing an XBox from a neighbor’s house. He cooperated and confessed to three other burglaries in the area.
A 37-year-old man who abducted and repeatedly raped a 5-year-old girl. She was rescued after 10 days of captivity.
An 18-year-old gang member who was a passenger in a car that was involved in an armed robbery. A pursuit of the vehicle resulted in a crash that killed a police officer. She left a husband and her 6-month-old infant behind.
A 41-year-old man arrested while driving a stolen car. The car belongs to a missing woman who has never been found. The man has a previous conviction for rape.
A 26-year-old male teacher who had a consensual relationship with a 15-year-old student. The student said he loved his teacher and admitted that they were sexually involved.
A 13-year-old male who was caught molesting his two female cousins, ages 3 and 6. He has no criminal record but the victims’ parents want him locked away forever.

The citizens must follow the sentencing options based on the Queen Nadia’s proclamation, the available space, and the budget set for confinement.

One person must be executed. Try to make this a unanimous decision among your group.
One person must receive life in prison without parole.
One person must receive 20 years in prison.
One person must receive five years in prison.
One person must receive three years in prison.
One person must receive six months in prison.
Two people must go free with no punishment or court controls of any type.

Give the teams 20 to 45 minutes to work on their list (depending on the size of your groups). Some groups will want the option to give up. Force them to choose a sentence for each person. As officers, they will not have the option to give up. They need to experience the reality that some decisions in their career will be difficult to make. No one will want the responsibility of making them – they must make them just the same.

Each group must indicate who they executed and why. They must explain what influenced their decisions on who received the harshest sentence compared to the lightest. Have each group present their choices to the class and then compare the differences.

Did they lock up the 13-year-old? Will he simply become a better predator from the experience with other sex offenders all around him? Was he a victim himself? Most groups choose to execute the 37-year-old child abductor instead of the man who committed a premeditated murder even though capital punishment is not an option for such a crime in the real world. Ask them how they can rationalize such a decision? There are dozens of questions you can ask based on their discussions.

Ask how many members in a group had a difference of opinion. Go through the list one by one discussing the good and bad reasons for execution, imprisonment, or giving that particular person another chance. Some groups choose to release the 26 year old teacher who molests a student back into society because they see the word “consensual.” Students do not yet have the wisdom of a veteran officer, who understands a sexual predator uses the position of a teacher to find victims and the authority of the position to control them, but through exercises like Neil Island you can provide them with a valuable lesson. Talk about the ethics of our legal system as well as its inherent flaws.

Begin a class discussion by asking, “Do we really need services like probation, parole, child protective services, psychiatric hospitals, and rehabilitation centers?” Encourage an in-depth discussion on the importance of social services and incarceration, including the improvements that are needed in our current system. Ask them “What was the most frustrating part of the activity for you?”

This is one of the most compelling experiential activities that I have created. Deep discussions and strong arguments will occur. Be a facilitator and let the students control their group discussions. Stay out of their way unless they are getting completely off-track. Walk around and listen to their discussions, and take your own notes to use for the end of the exercise. The students will look at the different services in a new light when they are burdened with the responsibility to make decisions that will affect the community, the victim, the suspect, and both of their families.

Neil Island is thought-provoking and involves emotional situations that create a challenging activity for students, so make sure you have enough time before using this experiential activity. This activity can last 45 to 90 minutes depending on your class size and the depth of their discussions.

Neil Island is just one of the many activities illustrated in the book “Police Instructor: Deliver Dynamic Presentations, Create Engaging Slides, & Increase Active Learning.” I have placed a PowerPoint presentation of the activity at www.LEO-Trainer.com/games for you to download and use to create an active learning environment for your students.

Police Instructor is a student-centered handbook filled with active learning techniques, and even more experiential activities like Neil Island, for you to use as you develop worthy guardians for society. Consider developing your own activities and exercises from the cases that have challenged you, and then share them with other instructors so your experiences will benefit others throughout the law enforcement community.

Hippos are Cop Killers

Posted: January 20, 2012 in Officer Survival
Tags: police instructor, police stress, police suicide, police training, trainer

That is right; a hippo may be your greatest threat as a law enforcement officer. I know what you are thinking – well maybe not – but stay with me for just a few minutes and I’ll explain why the big adorable animal is a danger to you.

As trainers, it is our duty to provide our cops and cadets with the best information possible to keep them healthy and alive. We do a good job of pointing out the obvious threats to their survival that have always been in the forefront, but some of us do not want to talk about the elephant (or the hippo) in the room. Some instructors, and officers, may not even realize what some of the leading killers of officers are, but I can assure you that a new recruit has no idea unless someone tells them.

My daughter, Nadia, served as a missionary in 2009 right out of high school. I asked her why she wanted to be a missionary and she replied, “I’m not brave enough to be a police officer, Dad.” She spent two months in Mexico and another six months in Kenya and Uganda. I don’t know too many officers willing to drop everything andhead into the unknown of Mexico or Africa without a gun, a vest, or arrest powers. I told her she was more courageous than anyone I knew.

Once Nadia arrived in Mbita, Kenya she had limited contact with us through a satellite phone. She made it to an Internet Café one day and emailed some photos home. Being a paranoid and overprotective police officer dad, I immediately noticed the poorly stretched barbed wire in some of the photos. During our next phone call, I asked her if people in the area had been attacked by lions recently. She just chuckled and replied “No dad, I haven’t even seen a lion yet.” I then asked her about hyenas, cheetahs, and tigers, but I received the same reply. She finally asked, “What are you worried about?”

As a farm kid, I stretched plenty of barbed wire around our fields, and it was always to keep something in, or something out. I asked her, “With layer after layer of barbed wire in your photos, the people are trying to keep something out; what is it?” Her reply came as a complete shock to me.

“Dad, the barbed wire is for the hippos. They kill way more people around here than lions, tigers, and crocodiles combined.” What was she talking about? I knew hippos quite well. I had played the game, Hungry Hungry Hippos as a kid and had seen their image thousands of times in toy stores as cute stuffed animals. I watched them gracefully swim at the zoo and heard the keeper call them a water horse. I had never heard such an outrageous accusation against a more peaceful animal.That was because I was poorly informed about the real threat that hippos carry if you live around them on a daily basis.

Nadia was living on the shore of Lake Victoria in Kenya with 11 other missionaries and their hosts. The lake is about the size of my home state of Ohio and teaming with hippos and crocodiles. Shockingly, hippos are far more dangerous than the crocodiles to humans. But I argued with her, “Hippos aren’t carnivores. That makes no sense.” Nadia confirmed that they were not carnivores, and in fact did not eat people. They just killed them.

As soon as they arrived on the shore line, the missionaries were cautioned about the 3-ton threat that gallops at 30 mph on land and is equally quick in the water. Hippos are far more territorial than other animals. Getting between them and their young is a big mistake. Getting between them and the deep water is a big mistake. Getting in a boat and wandering into their area is a big mistake. It seems that being near a hippo in the wild is a big mistake. The creature that has been made into a cute mascot in America has killed more Africans than lions, crocodiles, and elephants combined.

Nadia’s closest encounter with hippos came with a boat ride across Lake Victoria to visit a rural village. Their hosts explained that most hippo deaths happened on the water while in small boats. The animal feels the boat is violating their territory and attacks from below, usually cutting the boat in half and crushing the victims as well. The missionaries were then told to yell out if they saw any shadows in the water – that will ease tensions. With civil wars and war lords killing people in these African nations, it can be easy to miss the hidden threats like hippos.

With 71 firearms related deaths last year, I would never tell anyone to lower their street survival training for cops and cadets. But, I am also reminded that there were 64 traffic-related fatalities and 42 deaths by other means last year. That is over 100 officers killed by something other than gunfire. There are great resources to help trainers lower these statistics as well, and we should do all we can for our brothers and sisters in blue.

Here are just a few ways to increase the safety and longevity of your officers:

Legal Understanding

The more an officer understands their legal rights when dealing with suspects the safer they become. One example: Too many officers have the right to conduct a frisk for weapons under Terry v. Ohio and fail to handcuff the person during the limited search. Some feel that handcuffs equal an arrest, but that is not what the U.S. Supreme Court has said. If you can articulate and justify the right to frisk a suspect for weapons, you can easily justify the use of handcuffs as a safety measure until you are done. Too many police officers have been killed conducting a pat down of a person they believed was armed and dangerous because they allowed the person to keep their hands free. This is an issue that involves legal understanding as much as it does physical control techniques.

Wear Your Vest

This one seems simple enough to fix, but officers fail to wear their vests for different reasons. The only acceptable reason for you not to wear a protective vest should be the failure of your agency to provide one and your inability to afford the cost yourself. Consider taking out a loan if necessary to invest in your safety; it’s worth it. Fortunately there are organizations like http://www.VestForLife.com that provide used effective ballistic vests for free. So, I am sure your family would agree with me, there is no reason for you not to wear a shield around your body that protects the organs that are vital to you, and them.

Drive Safely

This also seems as simple as telling someone to drive safely, but I have been in pursuits where my adrenaline was driving the car instead of my brain. I would be a hypocrite to say I always thought about the safety of myself and the innocent citizens around me when driving a police car. I did not, until I processed a fatal and unnecessary crash involving an officer and a minivan carrying a family. Drive your cruiser with your family in mind. They want you to make it home healthy and alive. For that to happen, you need to wear your seat belt and make sure you control your speed instead of allowing it to control you. For more information, check out the Below 100 campaign by visiting www.Below100.com.

Emotional Survival

In the book “CopShock” by Allen R. Kates we find out as many as one third of law enforcers become impaired by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. When I mention the statistic to a class of veteran cops or academy cadets, I always have some doubters staring back at me. Back in 1990, research by Mann & Neece found the rates of PTSD among American police offers were as high as 35%. A few years later, a study (Miller, 1996) found that 69% of law enforcement officers who retired early left for psychological reasons.

If that is not convincing enough: Law enforcement personnel have been reported to have three times the rate of suicide, increased alcohol use and cardiovascular diseases, and twice the rate of divorce compared to the general population (Marmar et al., 2007; McCaslin et al., 2007). And 94.5% of police recruits reported exposure to at least one critical incident during their first year of police service (Marmar et al., 2007). Research from “The Badge of Life” organization has shown that there are 140 to 150 police suicides each year, nearly three times more than that of officers killed by felonious means. While there have been great strides made, there is still much more to do in this area. But how much time in your academy and in-service training is dedicated to the emotional survival of your officers? There are some great resources for agencies and trainers at www.LEOtrainer.com/suicide.

Are You Watching for Hippos or Just Lions?

People understand lions are dangerous because they have big teeth and they look dangerous. Many of the suspects we run into on the street are equally as scary looking and come across as an obvious danger to our safety. I believe we are doing better and better as instructors when it comes to preparing our cops and cadets to face dangerous people, but there are other dangers that need to be covered by us as well. If it is our intention for law enforcers to live happy and healthy lives we must do better.

Don’t take your eye off of the lions you run into, but always be aware of the hippos that unexpectedly attack from below. Point them out to other officers and add them to your in-service and academy training programs. Your officers, their families, and society will all benefit from your efforts.

Supreme Court disapproves detention of suspect after leaving search warrant location

Posted: March 2, 2013 in Legal Lessons
Tags: arrest, detention, search warrant, traffic stop

Officers were watching a house prior to the execution of a search warrant. The object of the warrant was a handgun. The officers had a

description of the occupant of the house. As they watched, two men came out of the house, got into a car and drove away. Both men matched the description of the occupant. The officers did not want to stop the car near the house and potentially alert others to their presence, so they followed the two men and stopped them approximately a mile away. The driver, Bailey, gave his address as the target house, even though his driver license showed a different address. The other man confirmed that Bailey lived at the target house.

The officers handcuffed the two men, explained that they were not under arrest, but merely being detained during the search warrant execution. When told about the search warrant, Bailey denied living at the target address. Searching officers found the gun and drugs in plain view in the house. Bailey was arrested and his keys were seized incident to the arrest. One of the keys opened the door at the target house.

Bailey claimed that the detention was improper because it happened away from the scene of the search warrant execution. In Michigan v. Summers, 452 U.S. 692 (1981), the Supreme Court authorized officers to detain the occupants on the premises of a search warrant target in order to maximize safety, facilitate orderly execution of the warrant and to prevent flight from the premises. “A warrant to search for contraband founded on probable cause implicitly carries with it the limited authority to detain the occupants of the premises while a proper search is conducted.” Following the Summers decision, courts have ruled inconsistently on the geographic and temporal proximity of the search of occupants. Some courts interpret Summers to allow a search of persons entering the zone around the target location. Others have allowed searches of persons who drive away from the target location, as happened in this case. The United States Supreme Court clarified the rule and held that officers may not stop and detain persons who have just left the search warrant target premises and are some distance away. The Court held that the Summers rule is spatially limited to the immediate vicinity of the premises to be searched. “Once an individual has left the immediate vicinity of a premises to be searched, however, detentions must be justified by some other rationale.” “Limiting the rule in Summers to the area in which an occupant poses a real threat to the safe and efficient execution of a search warrant ensures that the scope of the detention incident to a search is confined to its underlying justification.” The Court reaffirmed support for the practice of temporarily seizing persons on the premises to prevent them from interfering with the search and possibly to obtain keys so that doors need not be broken open.

The Court did not clearly define what it meant by “immediate vicinity” of the search warrant target. Lower courts will be left to wrestle with whether that means line-of-sight, a particular distance and whether barriers impacting ease of return/re-entry should be considered in the analysis. The Court also did not decide whether the stop could be justified under Terry v. Ohio. The case will now go back to the Court of Appeals for an answer to that question. Bailey v. United States, 2013 WL 598438 (U.S. 2013).

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