Badge of Character 597.2
I’ve expressed before my admiration and appreciation for police officers, who undertake the responsibility of serving and protecting the rest of us. But when I was invited to give a commencement address for police academy graduates, instead of talking about physical risks, I addressed the importance of safeguarding their character.
While some graduates fulfill a lifelong dream and look at police work as a calling, others perceive it as just a way to make a decent living. Yet no matter how people enter this unique profession, their perspective of human nature can become distorted by dealing with a disproportionate number of violent, dishonest, irresponsible, and disrespectful citizens.
In this world, even basically good people are often shown at their worst – all in the context of an imperfect criminal justice system. I suspect the average peace officer has three or more frustrating experiences for every fulfilling one.
Officers driven by a sense of service and a commitment to significance are more likely to perform their duties in an exemplary manner and to withstand pressures and temptations than those who think in terms of personal advancement and financial success. A one-in-four success rate can energize a missionary with hope; a three-in-four failure rate can overwhelm a mercenary with cynicism.
While this may be just another way of highlighting the difference between those who see a glass as half empty or half full, hidden in the observation is a profound insight: People who believe they can make a difference are always right.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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Comments
As I approach the end of a 27-year police career in a well-known, mid-size California city, I can testify that everything in this piece is true and appropriate. I cannot express the complexity and temptations faced by the modern police officer. It takes an ever-increasing moral foundation to withstand the apparent trend toward mental depravity in our society. Personal values converge with department values and integrity is fading into situational ethics. The pressures within the department often dwarf the stress in the field. The most important trait for an officer in any generation has been previously addressed, with eloquence, and that is this: Treat others the way you would want to be treated. It always works. I will miss the daily opportunities to help others. I will miss the challenge to do what is right no matter the cost. Because of the way my parents raised me, the job hasn't changed me. For these, and so many other reasons, it has been an honor to serve.
Posted by: Curtis Potter | December 16, 2008 4:20 PM
Twenty-five years ago, while reviewing the results of a psychological/personality screening test, a police department psychologist asked me how I was going to maintain my "positive and upbeat" personality if I was hired. I told him I knew I had to constantly remind myself I was working with the worst side of people and to keep them away from my family, friends, and others. I realized then I would have to keep that focus or risk losing my perspective. As a newly elected director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, one of my objectives will be to get the tools, education, and opportunities for every single member of our department to complete their careers with the same positive and productive ideals as the day they joined the department. CHARACTER COUNTS! is an invaluable resource. Thank you.
Posted by: Tyler Izen | December 19, 2008 6:47 AM
As a recently retired police officer of 30-plus years from a Los Angeles area city, your commentary hit the mark. As a supervisor, I tried to encourage younger officers to never forget that they are working for the 95% of people who are decent, hardworking and honest and to remember that the only time we come in contact with them is in a negative situation (as a crime victim, involved in a traffic collision, being given a ticket, etc.) and that the criminal element we deal with day in and day out are not representative of the citizenry we serve. Law enforcement is a calling - and a noble profession.
Posted by: Robert Elkin | December 21, 2008 5:48 PM