After The Gunfight

There is an important aspect of officer involved shootings that remains uncertain, and that is how we should we deal with an officer in the immediate aftermath of a gunfight. We know where to start with an injured or wounded officer. They get immediate attention (often against the rules of triage) because “ours come first!” But what about the officer who survives this life-changing experience?

A friend was the night shift sergeant when one of his best officers (and close friend) was gunned down during a foot pursuit. The paramedics, as is normal, spent several minutes trying to stabilize the officer before rolling toward the hospital. The sergeant complained about the delay to no avail, until he insisted and reached for his gun. Suddenly, the paramedics decided driving was the best option.

The sergeant rode along and told me he knew his friend was dead from shots to both his torso and head, yet he felt like he had to do something. So, he stuck his fingers in the torso wounds to keep his friend’s blood from dripping onto the floor of the ambulance. He washed his hands raw for several days, but couldn’t seem to get the blood off.

But, the sergeant’s stress load was to get even heavier. Another officer was sent to the stricken officer’s home to drive his wife to the hospital, but the driver didn’t have the courage to tell her that her husband arrived at the emergency room DOA. He merely said her husband had been shot and was at the hospital. The wife, an RN, was mentally prepared to see her husband in bad shape with many wires and IV lines attached. She was not prepared to walk in and see him covered with a sheet. The sergeant caught her when she fell.

That sergeant instructs in a critical incident program I manage, and tells this story in every class. As tough street cops wipe away tears, you can see in his eyes that the sergeant needs to tell this terrible story. He desperately wants other officers to be better prepared for such a hellish night.

The incidents we have the most trouble handling are those where the officer won, finishing the fight uninjured. Most agencies have learned of the need for post-incident defusing and tactical debriefing sessions, followed by professional counseling when necessary. Mandatory attendance at debriefings and employee assistance programs have become almost universal. But, what can a supervisor or fellow officer do in the first minutes after a life threatening incident to help an officer deal with their “life changing” experience.

First, remember that people react very differently to the huge adrenaline dump they face in a fight-or-flight episode. Adrenaline is one of our body’s most powerful chemicals, designed to keep us alive in spite of serious wounds. Wounded officers often do not realize they’ve been shot until someone points out their bleeding. Others may collapse after the fact and a severe case of the “shakes” is common.

In the course of teaching a couple hundred “stress” blocks in a critical incident program, I’ve heard horror stories of how supervisors and brother officers magnified the stress load of the affected officer. One cop was confronted by his supervisor with; “What the hell did you do this time?” The officer said that angry question made him feel like he had been kicked in the stomach by a horse. I can’t imagine a more destructive way for a supervisor to react to an officer that just shot it out for his very life.

A few years ago, a sniper on a SWAT team killed a barricaded subject that insisted on pushing the incident to suicide-by-cop. After the house was quickly cleared, the other team members were high five-ing the sniper. One even told him he’d “punched a perfect ten,” and invited him to go in and “score the target.” At that moment the sniper didn’t know what to feel. He had killed a man that pointed a rifle at his team, so he didn’t feel as though he had done anything wrong. But, the sniper told me, “I didn’t really want to feel good about it, either — I had just killed a man.” He certainly didn’t feel like dancing around and high-five-ing his buddies. The celebratory attitude of the other officers may seem cold to some, but glee and laughter can be one of the ways people release the tension of their own adrenaline dump.

So, what is the right way to approach a police officer that just survived an officer involved shooting? How can a supervisor turn this first contact into a “coaching forward” moment? Simply by showing calm and genuine concern for the officer.

The first statement should be, “Are you OK?” instead of an accusatory “What the hell did you do?” You don’t need to hug the officer or even join hands and sing Kumbaya. Just quietly and genuinely help them understand that your only concern at this moment is their well-being. Sit them in a car and keep away other officers and especially the media. Listen if they need to talk, but tell them there is no urgent need to describe the incident right now. Ease them through the shakes as they come down off the adrenaline high.

To the extent you can, consistent with your agency’s policies, resist the efforts of public integrity officers to get an immediate statement from your officer. It can take as long as 72 hours for the “fog” of adrenaline to fully wear off, so first statements are commonly confused and inaccurate. Forcing a statement too soon will increase the chance for conflicting statements, made after the officer’s head clears.

Many officers have told me the most stressful moment of the whole event was when their weapon was taken as evidence. They were disarmed. These officers said they were crushed with the feeling of having done something wrong when they looked down at an empty holster. Yes, we need their weapon as evidence. But, there is no reason they have to be disarmed. In many agencies they have a that when an officer is involved in a shooting, someone will retrieve a spare weapon from the arms room and take it to the scene for the affected officer.

Several years ago a police captain friend called me as he drove back to headquarters from an officer-involved shooting. One of his sergeants had shot and wounded a knife-wielding man who didn’t understand the “21 foot” rule. In his haste to get to the scene, the captain had forgotten to draw a spare pistol, but was well aware of the “empty holster” syndrome. As the captain took the sergeant aside and said, “You know, I need to secure your weapon,” he solved his dilemma by handing the sergeant his own pistol with a simple, “Here’s mine ... put it in your holster.” I’ve never heard a better description of leadership.

It is also a good idea to keep your officer away from the person he shot. Rifle and shotgun wounds can be especially ghastly, and your officer doesn’t need that image burned forever into his memory. He’s likely to see enough bad images in his sleep without adding another.

Your initial response to an officer-involved shooting can make the situation better or worse for the affected officer, the choice is yours. You can minimize the officer’s stress and start him down the road to recovery with two simple acts. Start the conversation by asking, “How are you?” Then fill their empty holster as soon as possible. Demonstrate your concern for them, not the felon they just shot. Show them you still trust them to walk in public with a weapon. That’s how true leaders takes care of their people. 

Critical Incidents - Myths & Realities

Q: What is a "critical incident," anyway? Do all critical incidents require some sort of debriefing or mental health counseling? Can't a person just have a bad experience and get over it? How do I know if I'm experiencing critical incident stress? Does a bad response to a critical incident mean I'm not the right stuff for police work?

A: Within law enforcement and emergency services, the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) movement has now been around for the better part of two decades. While this approach has been invaluable in helping personnel deal with traumatic stress events and return to work, we've learned a lot in the last 20 years about how different people react to critical incident stress and how they deal with it.  The following will hopefully clear up some of the common myths about critical incident stress.

Myth 1: All critical incidents are traumatically stressful.

Certain situations are almost universally stressful to personnel that encounter them. These include the death or serious injury of a partner or close coworker; dealing with dismembered or degraded human remains at a crime scene or disaster site; or the death or serious injury of children. However, much depends on the training, past experience, and personality of the officer. Even service-related shootings, long regarded as the ultimate critical incident stressor for police officers, don't always affect everyone the same way. A particular critical incident, such as a teen suicide, may have a different meaning for an officer with adolescent children than for another officer, who may be more unnerved by a grisly auto crash. The important thing is to recognize when a critical incident is affecting you, so you can do something about it.

Myth 2: Everyone has the same reaction to a critical incident.

Again, background, training, and personality are the key factors in how different people react.  Some of us are primarily physiological reactors - we respond with our bodies, in the form of heart palpitations, stomach churnings, aches and pains, chills and sweats, and so on. One common response after a critical incident is a feeling of pervasive fatigue. Other people are cognitive and emotional reactors, showing anxiety or depression, impaired concentration, obsessive ruminating, insomnia, or social withdrawal.  Another factor is the time dimension. Some people experience stress symptoms immediately; others are hit with delayed reactions, hours, days, or even weeks later. It's also not uncommon for the reaction to one critical incident to lie dormant until triggered by a subsequent one, even years later - the "mental shrapnel" effect. The important point is this: Most responses to critical incidents are temporary and resolve after a short time.

Myth 3: If I have a "bad" reaction to a critical incident, it means I'm not cut out for police work.

For every officer who's voiced this fear, I guarantee there are a dozen more who've thought it, but were afraid to say it out loud. In rare cases, a severe critical incident serves as the "test case" that convinces the officer that he or she would rather be doing something else. But in most instances, officers recover from the critical incident experience, and most try to learn something useful from it. Interestingly, officers almost never say they did something wrong during the incident - indeed, they often recall "going on automatic" and letting their training, judgment, and instincts kick in and carry them through the emergency. It's only later that they experience the rush of emotion that leads them to suspect they're not reacting "like a real cop." So if you take away nothing else from this column, remember this: NEVER JUDGE YOURSELF BY YOUR WORST EXPERIENCE. Of course, we should always strive for excellence in our work, but all of us at some point in our careers, either have or someday will hit a wall we can't climb or punch through. At these times that it's too easy to forget all the challenges we do surmount without ever giving them a second thought.

Myth 4: Everyone exposed to a critical incident needs professional help.

As noted above, most people recover from most critical incidents uneventfully or with informal types of help, like coworker and family support, talking it out with people you trust, or just a little R & R time. Also, different people have different coping styles. Some of us are talkers; others prefer to clam up. Some feel better venting their feelings and getting it all out; others dive into their work and mentally compartmentalize the experience. The key here is to use the coping style that works for you, but without having it become an excuse for not really facing what's bothering you. If you've had a particularly intense or disturbing reaction and are having trouble getting back to normal, then more structured interventions, such as critical incident stress debriefing, or consultation with a mental health professional will probably be helpful. As I state repeatedly, the goal of psychotherapy for critical incidents should always be to build you up, not break you down; not to prick at your vulnerabilities and make you weaker, but to help you discover and develop your inner resources and make you stronger.

The Heavy Badge

10 REASONS COPS ARE DIFFERENT

And how these differences impact on their stress!

PERHAPS IT WEIGHS only 2 ounces overall. Large ones may run to 4 ounces. But when that badge is pinned on, there is a weight unknown to most law enforcement officers. The true weight of the badge is not overcome by muscle, not found in the gym, not measured on a scale. This weight requires a strength and conditioning for which few officers are trained. The badge is not just pinned on a chest, it is pinned on a lifestyle. The heaviness of the badge makes the law enforcement officer different from other professionals. Over the course of the last ten years, working as psychologists with police officers, we have identified ten areas which make the badge heavy.

1) Law enforcement officers are seen as authority figures. People deal with them differently and treat them differently, even when they are not working. When a problem occurs, everyone looks to the officer to "take charge," to "solve the problem." Some say the cop is never off duty. Even when the officer is not working there is a tendency to attack problems and take charge. Sometimes taking charge is not preferable, and can cause particular strains in our world where many people like to linger with problems, never really solving anything. Recognizing the difference between a "problem solving" situation, where action is desirable, and a more passive situation, where action may alienate others, is difficult for the cop.

2) They are isolated. The wearing of a badge, uniform and gun makes a law officer separate from society. This segregation leads to many psychological effects which research shows can create negative personality traits. For example, psychological research shows the wearing of a uniform will tend to make any person de-humanize people who are without a uniform. Just wearing a badge or a gun can cause people to act more aggressively. These are changes that could happen to anyone wearing a uniform, badge and gun, thus these factors are expected to operate in some way on the police officer. Many officers suggest there is a "role," or "mask" which they put on along with their uniform. Sometimes this role leaks into their personal lives and changes the course of their relationships and leisure time.

3) Law enforcement officers work in a quasi-military, structured institution. There are mental health concerns associated with working within a "quasi-military structure" and other mental health concerns of working in an "institution." Military organizations require the sacrifice of the individual for the good of society. The "individual" is not a consideration; the "goal" of the group is paramount. In a military organization, the focus is on punishing the individual if he is not up to standards. It is a de-humanizing process to recognize that you are only valued as a part of a machine.  The profession often creates poor and insensitive supervisors who constantly single out individual officers for unwarranted mistreatment and ridicule of front of their peers.  This proves destructive to the team concept that law enforcement officers need to draw from.  The institution' tends to take the same attitude, only a step further. In an institution, you are locked in a set process and the process is more important many times than, not only the individual, but also the goal. When an officer does a remarkable job of police work, perhaps even saves a life, he can still be reprimanded if he doesn't file the proper paperwork. The paperwork describing an action in many cases is more important to the institution than the action itself. Both the quasi-military nature of police work and the functioning within an institution combine for a mental health situation that is quite undesirable and very stressful.

4) Shift work is not normal. The "rotating shift" schedule is very taxing on an officer's life. Our bodies are adjusted on what is called "circadian schedules" which is a repetitive daily cycle. Our bodies like to have a regular eating time, sleeping time, waking time, etc. An officer doing shift work never gets a chance to stay on a schedule. This upsets his physical and mental balance in life. The changing work schedule also upsets the routine patterns that are needed in healthy marriage and family development. Strong marital and family development is based on rituals, like dinners together, "inside jokes," repeated activities, etc. The rotating shift worker has less chance to develop these rituals and his relationships suffer. This predisposes the officer's family to potential problems ranging from divorces, to children acting-out.

5) Camaraderie can be a two edged sword. The law enforcement job nurtures a sense of teamwork and unity with co-workers, what was once called "esprit de corps." The fraternity helps the officer on the job feel secure about getting the needed support in dangerous situations. It also stimulates a sense of belonging that can create an "us and them" view of the world. This makes the law enforcement "clique" harder to leave when retiring and makes officers more protective of each other. It also makes it more difficult to accept someone within the fraternal organization leaving or being killed. This adds to the stress of an officer.

6) Even the stress is different. Officers have a different kind of stress in their jobs, called "burst stress." Burst stress means there is not always a steady stressor, but at times, there is an immediate "burst" from low stress to a high stress state. In other words, officers go from complete calm, to high activity and pressure in one "burst." The normal stress situation for most of the rest of the work force consists of a stress building process that can be either reduced or adapted to before it gets "out of control." This is not the case for the officer, because "out of control" can happen in seconds (see "A Cop's Story" for a good example of burst stress). The law enforcement job is reactive, not proactive. Officers cannot usually control entrance into most situations they face, unlike most people who get warnings. They have to react, not prevent problems. It is difficult to defend against burst stress.

7) The need to be in constant emotional control. Law enforcement officers have a job that requires extreme restraint under highly emotional circumstances. They are told when they are extremely excited, they have to act calm. They are told when they are nervous, they have to be in charge. They are taught to be stoic when emotional. They are to interact with the world in a role. The emotional constraint of the role takes tremendous mental energy, much more energy than expressing true emotions. When the energy drain is very strong, it may make the officer more prone to exhaustion outside of work, such as not wanting to participate in social or family life. This energy drain can also create a sense of job and social burnout.

8) No gray areas. The law enforcement officer works in a fact-based world with everything compared to written law. Right and wrong is determined by a standard. They have a set way of going about gathering the proper evidence for the law and can justify their actions because they represent the "good and right side." In the real world, clear rights and wrongs are not as likely to occur. The newspapers are an opinion-based system, the court system is an opinion-based system and, needless to say, relationship decisions and proper parenting techniques are opinion-based systems. Adjusting from right and wrong, black-and-white systems, to opinion-based systems is very difficult and requires a complete change in mental attitude.

9) The "at work" world of the officer is very negative. He sees the bad part of society - the criminal, the abuser of the rules. This may skew the officer's opinions on the character of the average human being. It creates a cynicism, a critical view of the world. It is hard to adjust to trusting a fellow human being when so much of the day is spent with people who are not trustworthy. It is hard to believe in positive intentions of people, when the day is spent with people who are intending to hurt each other. This lack of trust can show up in the way the officer deals with people on a personal level, with neighbors, with a spouse. It can even show up in the way children are raised, as police parents may tend to be stricter in discipline and more careful with privilege.

10) Even the children are effected. The children of law enforcement officers have a more difficult adjustment. As a young child, the police officer parent is seen as holding a prestigious, desirable position. The young child and his friends look up to the police officer as a minor celebrity, a person of great respect. As a teenager, their parent is part of the authority of society. Since teens rebel against authority anyway, this can cause a double rebellion against the parent both in their role as caretaker and as a symbol of the authority of society. Frequently, the officer's child is either overly compliant because of the rules imposed, thus causing depressive problems or personality restriction, or the teen becomes overly rebellious of the rule-oriented parent - the best child or the worst.

Lessons Learned In A Dangerous Job

Learning from those who sacrificed

Early each year several federal agencies as well as several private websites publish the law enforcement officers killed statistics for the previous year. As law enforcement officers, supervisors and trainers, we need to study this information closely to see how we can improve our own operations and ultimately, our own safety and the safety of our personnel. I would even recommend we start including our critical support staff, the call takers and dispatchers in reviewing the data to improve their ability to anticipate risks and determine the information needed by their line personnel.

In 2006 the US lost 142 police officers in the line of duty (this includes Puerto Rico), down from 156 in 2005. How did these officers die? As you might expect, 51 were killed by gunfire, but surprisingly 3 of those 51 were shot accidentally (one was a plainclothes officer shot by uniformed officers who thought he was a burglar, one was shot by fellow officers who were trying to rescue him while he grappled with a suspect armed with two knives and one was shot during a “live fire” training exercise). One corrections officer was stabbed to death by an inmate, two police officers were killed by physical assaults not involving weapons, and one officer (an Air Force Office of Special Investigations agent) was killed by a roadside IED while on a mission in Iraq.

Seventy-two of the officer deaths involved motor vehicles or motorcycles. Forty two were killed in vehicle or motorcycle crashes, 3 were killed while pursuing fleeing criminals, 11 were struck by vehicles while out of their cars, and 16 were killed in vehicular assaults.

Three officers died in helicopter crashes, 10 died from heart attacks, and two died from a duty-related illness (one from a brain aneurysm while responding to a “man with a gun” call, and one from a respiratory disease he contracted during rescue & recovery operations at the World Trade Center’s “Ground Zero”).

The average age of these officers was 37, the average tour of duty was just short of 11 years, five of them were female.

At Calibre Press the whole philosophy behind our Street Survival Seminar is that the best way to honor these heroes is to LEARN from their sacrifice. These men and women must never be forgotten and in honor to them here are just a few of the lessons we can take away from these tragedies:

Vehicular-related incidents are killing us more often than felonious assaults!

Let’s face a few facts: we are the most distracted drivers on the planet, between the MDB flashing, beeping and ringing, the various police radios, your chirping Nextel, and general vehicle operation combined with good, observant police patrol, we are distracted. Add a hot call and a code response and you’re asking for trouble.

Remember, you can’t help anybody if you don’t get there. Slow down just a little, ask for updates over the air, ignore your cell phone, and keep radio traffic to a minimum. When you’re out of your car on a traffic stop, directing traffic, or on foot for any other reason, be extremely aware of the traffic around you. Assume that most drivers do not see you, and then make sure they do before stepping into traffic. Don’t forget to leave yourself a wide safety lane when stopping or vehicle or helping a disable motorist.

Learn about and pay attention to “Pre-Attack Postures!”

Understanding body language can be one of our best tools. Read Signals by Alan Peace or Gavin DeBecker’s The Gift of Fear. Many of the officers killed missed pre-attack posturing by their assailants that might have saved their lives. We often get “de-trained” by routine that these pre-attack indicators are only the actions of a nervous individual!

Train to retain your tools!

Many of the officers killed were attacked with their own handguns, rifles, and other tools. Learn about and PRACTICE realistic gun retention techniques (and don’t just rely on your retention holster, they are NOT foolproof) and make sure you maintain control of all your tools.

Maintain or begin your fitness program!

Ten of the officers who died on duty in 2006 suffered fatal heart attacks. And before you young officers skip to the next paragraph, read this: The average age of these officers was 39, the youngest was 28, the oldest was 57, but most were in their 30’s and very early 40’s and all of them were men.

Keep fighting no matter what!

Fifty eight thousand police officers were assaulted last year, 16,000 were injured, but only 51 died as a result of their injuries, that means over 97% of the officers assaulted and injured SURVIVED! And despite being mortally wounded by gunfire, Detective Dennis Stepnowski of DeKalb County, GA and Special Agent Buddy Sentner of the US Department of Justice were both able to return fire, killing their assailants. Remember this fact, the vast majority of people shot and stabbed live, so never give up!

These are just a few of the valuable lessons we can learn from our fallen brothers and sisters. Please take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice these officers made in 2006, and then pledge to make 2007 the safest year ever! This can be done only as a conspiracy of excellence throughout our profession and at every level from call taker to Chief!  

CPOC Joins Fight Against Teamster Raid In Larimer County !!!

The Colorado Peace Officers’ Coalition is a collective group of law enforcement officers, their unions and their organizations across Colorado who has a common goal: the betterment of working conditions for all of Colorado's peace officers.  CPOC organizations represent nearly 8,000 law enforcement officers in Colorado, and that number is growing.  Until recently, our sole focus was directed to gaining meaningful labor legislation for our profession at the state level through combined lobbying efforts of our various organizations.  An event occurred in Larimer County that we cannot ignore.  Because of its impact on our fellow officers statewide, we determined that this issue must be addressed.  That event is the Teamsters’ intrusion into Colorado Law Enforcement Labor.

The ground in Larimer County was fertile.  Justifiably angry and frustrated employees who have seen their wages and benefits stripped in recent years looking for a solution.  Over the last two years there has been growing dissension within the Larimer County affiliation of Northern Colorado FOP Lodge Three.  A feeling that nothing was being done to help the sheriff’s employees gain ground in wages or benefits. As a result some deputies quit the FOP and joined CPPA primarily for legal defense.  This was before CPPA dropped PORAC legal defense, and enlisted PLEA as its LDF provider.   Apparently after learning what CPPA had done with their legal defense, these same employees opened the door to the Teamsters. 

Ironically the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Law Enforcement Branch is contracted with PLEA as its legal defense plan.  Yes, the very same 2nd rate legal defense plan that concerned those CPPA members.  The Teamsters then contacted the law firm of Bruno, Colin, Jewell & Lowe, P.C attempting to court them to contract as their premiere law firm in Colorado.  This was on the heels of numerous unsuccessful attempts by PLEA officials to do the same.  In the meantime the Teamster recruiters had been misleading LCSO employees into believing that the Bruno law firm was under contract with Team Legal (PLEA).  In fact the Bruno law firm declined the Teamsters’ offer and remains outside of the plan attorney group.  With no chance they will ever join.

When this deceptive Teamster recruitment practice was exposed they had to admit the truth.  In typical Teamster fashion they attacked and ridiculed the Bruno firm for turning them down and doing the right thing for law enforcement as a whole in Colorado.  Now with well tried tactics, they are dangling the LCSO employees out on a string with hopes of keeping those they recruited and attracting others to join, by telling them negotiations with the Bruno law firm are still ongoing.   Again deceit and deception rule the day.  Typical and something to be expected.

Regardless of what organization is representing you, you must demand that you are given the best legal plan available. We can assure you that is not what is being done by the Teamsters. How can they represent you, protect you and look you in the eye while giving you legal coverage that is laughable? The choice is yours and yours alone. We urge you to look at the coverage given to you and if you believe, as we do, it is unacceptable then it is time to send the Teamsters home and take the steps necessary to make things right in Colorado for Colorado Law Enforcement statewide.

The deception and hollow promises of collective bargaining in addition to the legal defense plan carrot are the biggest recruitment spin they use.  They know that the plight of those employees makes them desperate for any perceived solution.  They prey on that with promises things will somehow get better overnight as a result.  The “join us and things will be better” pitch is an easy sell.   However, the Teamsters have a lengthy track record of being long on promises when recruiting; but short on delivery once established.  The Teamsters up front preach solidarity, but in reality do little if anything to promote it.  Check the facts and you will find it apparent the Teamsters have done more to hurt labor in this country than help it.  It is obvious most of organized labor in America has little respect for that union or how it conducts its business.

Right now some employees of the Larimer County Sheriffs' Office who have joined with the Teamsters are wondering if they made the right decision.  Others believe they have.  All made their decisions based on promises.  Most of which will eventually prove unrealistic and unobtainable; but a work force whose benefits and pay are inadequate will grasp at the Teamster straw believing there will be immediate and lasting change.   Unfortunately, reality will set in and they will eventually realize the Teamsters did not come to Larimer County to help correct the issues that concern the employees.  They are not the champions of law enforcement labor they pretend to be.  They came to claim another scalp on their belt and their dues.  Our sympathy goes to the employees that really believe the Sheriff, the commissioners, the county government, or the citizens of Larimer County will bow to the Teamsters; or for that matter even work with them.  Unfortunately this is Larimer County Colorado not Detroit, Michigan.

When the Teamsters encounter opposition they use an old lyric from the days of the Harlan County coal miners strike, “Which side are you on?”  Well, we know whose side they are on, and it is not the employees of the Larimer County Sheriffs' Office, or law enforcement labor in Colorado.  Some people just haven’t figured that out yet.  If the Larimer County Sherriff’s employees continue to allow a Teamster presence in their workplace, it will only serve to divide their workforce, lower morale, create dissension, and ultimately both the employees and the citizens they so proudly serve will suffer in the end.  For good reason CPOC will fight any attempt by an organization such as the Teamsters to gain a foothold in Colorado Law Enforcement.  Reputation alone should be enough to cause caution to any law enforcement officer or organization when considering an affiliation with the Teamsters. 

While no organization is perfect we can assure you the Teamsters do not hold your best interests at heart. CPOC believes that local control and influence is the right way to handle local issues.  You will not have local control of your problems with an international union such as the Teamsters whose presence nationally in law enforcement is amongst the smallest and most often rejected.  In your heart of hearts do you really believe they believe in you?  We urge each of you to rethink your position.  Do the necessary research to get a better understanding of what the future holds and what hollow promises have been made by the Teamsters.  Larimer County Law Enforcement officers know what’s best for them.  Find the leaders amongst yourselves and do what most of your brothers and sisters across this country do; band together as law enforcement officers representing law enforcement officers.  Become peace officers representing peace officers, and not a very few being represented by an organization that does not know or understand your profession.

We learn from our mistakes and certainly one can make the argument that history tends to repeat itself.  If that is the case then bad choices will continue to be made by all.  Your brother and sister law enforcement officers across this state urge each of you to reconsider any thought of joining an organization that does not speak solely for law enforcement.  One that certainly does not work in your interest.  Remember Colorado Law Enforcement Labor Organizations are police officers helping police officers.  We urge our brothers and sisters in Larimer County to do what’s right for themselves and their profession.

Sincerely,

CPOC Chairman                          CPOC Chairman                 CPOC Chairman                              

Michael Mosco                             Michael J Violette                W. David Hoover

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