Blog Post 13: Is anybody listening? An open letter to command staff and supervisors nationwide

Is anybody listening? Do you hear the car doors shutting? Do you hear the Velcro? Do you hear the sound of plastic against steal? Do you hear the sigh of relief as the literal weight is lifted off their shoulders? I’m not talking about their vest; I’m talking about the job. I’m talking about the cop who just finished their last day on the job- and not for retirement, but for leaving this career field entirely. The sad part is this cop wasn’t one of the ones who couldn’t hack it, no short stroke boot who couldn’t make the cut, no punk kid who thought he needed show society who was boss, no lackadaisical officer-safety nightmare trainee, no, this was a cop with many years on who finally realized that enough was enough, and who finally realized his agency was the issue. The sad part is, even on his departure, nobody listened, and nobody cared. Despite this cop making up his mind a long time ago, it would’ve been nice to hear some type of concern as his departure became a known reality among the agency. Short of quitting on the spot, there’s no real way to Houdini or otherwise sneak out the door to another job without your department knowing something is in the works.
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Some may ask if I am speaking directly about a certain individual or employee, and my answer is no, I am speaking about many individuals and employees, some of which I have known firsthand and worked with for many years, and some of which I have had the pleasure of meeting in person over the years from agencies across the nation. The issue of cops leaving abruptly isn’t some anomaly that is occurring out of nowhere, and for no reason. It’s been an ongoing issue building up for several years, and cops are finally making the choice to address the issues we are facing in this career field. If said issues are not addressed, or more importantly those issues are not heard by those who need to hear them, then the employee is forced to live in a toxic environment or break the cycle. Cycle breakers are rare in the arena of law enforcement, but they have been becoming increasingly more active over the last two years. I consider myself to be a cycle breaker, but a cycle breaker who is trying to break the cycle within my agency. Hence all of the things I am doing here and now. There are also cycle breakers who fully acknowledge that they can no longer remain in a toxic working environment, and they ultimately choose to leave.

A word of warning to those of you who are thinking “while this may all be true, the people who are leaving are doing so on good terms and expressed no ill will towards the agency.” I agree, however, consider the leap of faith the employee is taking by leaving their agency as 10, 15, or even 20-year cop on the job, and the unknown abyss that comes with stepping out that door for the last time. That feeling is quite scary, and after talking to the people who have done it, that was without question the scariest part of leaving. Yes, they have done their homework and they have acquired new employment, but their concerns for the immediate future are absolutely valid. What if that employment doesn’t work out? What if the grass was greener on the other side and now, they are deep in the weeds looking at green pastures where they once were?

At the end of the day this is not a social dynamic or relationship, it’s a means for us to make money and eventually retire. My point is, all cops have contingency plans in every pocket and for every situation, so why on earth would they ever bad mouth the agency or even be somewhat candid and honest on their departure knowing that same administration may watch them come crawling back someday? Believe me, I’ve seen it happen more than a few times with my own eyes. I’ve seen people leave my agency and venture elsewhere only to realize it wasn’t as great as they thought it would be. Ultimately, they chose to come back and kiss the proverbial ring asking for their job back. In a strange way, it was almost as if the administration enjoyed that power and enjoyed seeing people leave only to return within the year. There were also some, however, who left and never returned. Those people, however, are the ones that we as an agency talk about the least, and if they are discussed, it’s almost with the attitude of “we are better off without you.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

The incidents I am referencing above were of course before the year 2020, which I truly believe will be the biggest paradigm shift for law enforcement for the next few decades if not much longer. The year 2020 was the ultimate test for a variety of agencies nationwide. Cops were finally able to pull back the curtain to meet the wizard, and to their disappointment, it was not what they were hoping for. They saw the harsh and ugly truth. They saw they were not valued at all. They saw politics clouding over a variety of issues and ultimately many cops were left with a very bitter taste in their mouths.
Even with regime changes and management being moved or replaced, the boots on the ground still remembered how they were treated for the better part of 6 months and even further, how they were treated in the years following. Tactics and use of force updates were constant, and nothing remotely good. New policies were implemented that endangered cops and emboldened the criminals. New senate and assembly bills would be passed that only appeased the masses who were screaming for justice and ultimately made it harder for cops to avoid another horrible situation like what we saw in 2020. Law enforcement agencies would cut their most proactive crime fighting units and quite literally in some cities reduce their police force by forty percent. All this progressive action and cops were still expected to do their job the same way, if not better, than they were before…and people wonder why nobody wants to do this job anymore. Fun fact, the City of Minneapolis recently posted a position for a “Community Commission on Police Oversight” also referred to as CCPO. In that same job posting, they also posted the position of Police Officer. There were over two hundred applicants for the position of CCPO. There were two applicants for the position of Police Officer. Yes, two.

My question that I pose to the leadership of law enforcement is, what have you done, or what are you doing, to ensure that your employees feel as if they are appreciated within your agency? Sometimes we confuse the word “valued” with “appreciated.” Both are complimentary in nature and should absolutely be viewed as such. Being valued, however, would imply that the employer considers you to be beneficial to the agency. While we can all agree that being valued is important, being appreciated recognizes the employee’s full worth to the agency as opposed to just the benefits they will provide. Looking at those characteristics side by side, would you rather your employer recognize your benefits to the agency, or your full worth to the agency? One certainly sounds more long term, career building, stable, and overall genuine than the other.

At the end of the day, despite any words I may share or experiences that we can all agree are quite linear, if you have tried, and tried, and tried, and nothing is changing, maybe it is time to go somewhere else. There’s an enormous difference between complaining about something and identifying problems and providing solutions. In a time where morale is very low, the biggest mistake any administrator can make is listening to the advice from co-workers or peers who are currently on the same pay scale, with the same benefits, and the same retirement. The likelihood of both of you agreeing that nothing is wrong, and morale is fine, is highly probable. There will be no concern for the boots on the ground, the same boots that provide the public presence for your agency in every way, shape or form, every day, and every night. Quite literally, there will be no cause for concern for anything at all as it is very hard to see these issues from the highest point of the castle with company that eats and sleeps the same as you do. And the boots on the ground see this, or even worse, they see nothing at all. They see no change, no effort, no concern, just business as usual.

The bottom line, if there are problems within your agency, and you have good employees who are being proactive in the hunt for remedies to improve morale, and willing to help implement those remedies, you should probably listen to them. I assure you, when the time comes and nothing has moved and nothing has changed, they will be the first to leave and go somewhere where they are truly appreciated. The leftovers you’ll be stuck with as an agency will consist of those who were willing to bitch, but never willing to help. Those who were salty from birth and who never cared about public perception or personal responsibility. Those who picked this job for the wrong reasons. Those who will hold out as long as they can, jaded and angry. Those who will be human question marks after they barely pass field training and wander into the parking lot with enough liability strapped to their belt to mimic that of an atom bomb. In a sentence…the cops who should have never been cops to begin with will be the cream of your crop.

In that regard, good luck with your future endeavors as an agency.