The most important thing we don’t teach, but should, is a coherent philosophy that can unite the need for physical force and the need to project and infuse those we contact with peace. The Peace Warrior title itself sounds like a contradiction, a paradox, and it is. The renowned former California Highway Patrol officer turned risk expert consultant and lawyer, Gordon Graham, once narrated the story of his police mentor defining the peace officer as akin to the American eagle in national seal on the back of the one-dollar bill. The eagle holds olive branches in one talon and arrows in the other. Accordingly, and the mentor’s advice to the young officer was, “Always extend the olive branches of peace to all, but hold the arrows of war ready. Always treat people with respect, but have a plan to kill them.”
My point in Part I was that we already do a good job of training our officers to use the "arrows of war." War stories have a significant place in readying the mind of the officer for "when/then" thinking. I'm all for illustrative war stories, and as one who has wrestled with scum on the streets, I know that these stories inform our response to violence. But my point was also that we often neglect to teach a balance — we do not teach officers tactics to "extend the olive branch" to those with whom we interact.
The peace stories that I mentioned should be equally stressed and taught to ready the mind of the officer to respond peaceably when possible. Remember: 98 percent to 99 percent of an officer’s interactions with others do not end in violence because we use our skills to defuse them. People should be treated with respect and restraint until they prove they are "wolves." As Lt. Col David Grossman, U.S. Army (Ret.), author of On Killing, so well puts it in his article On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs:
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.
The tactics I defined in Part I show ways officers can increase their “Peace Power” without jeopardizing their safety. They are tactical ways of "extending the olive branch of peace" to those we encounter who might initially want war. Officers who know the tactical course Verbal Judo well know that we stress safety everywhere and offer the acronym SAFER, which defines the five times officers must stop talking and take action.
"My point in Part I was that we already do a good job of training our officers to use the "arrows of war." ...
...we do not teach officers tactics to "extend the olive branch" to those with whom we interact."
This is an understatement! To many officers are drunk with the authority they hold.
Posted by: Irish Wampanoag
What a beautiful bird
I thank god we didn't adopt the turkey as our national simple like some founding fathers wanted to.....yikes
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops