It’s becoming difficult to ignore the fact that the “P word” — politics, that is — and law enforcement are becoming increasingly intertwined. We in law enforcement, for example, find ourselves in this repeating cycle of controversial police incidents drawing intense media scrutiny followed by demands, often from activist groups, for some action against law enforcement. And to whom are these demands usually made? You guessed it, politicians. Eesh, the “P word” again.

Look, cops need to be cops — prepared to face the realities of a chaotic world, which can require a focused mentality that has no time for politics. But law enforcement leaders, and specifically law enforcement labor leaders, should have a similarly intense focus as we grapple with the impact politics has on our membership. And while there is no “how-to” manual for this, I’ll share some of my successes as a developing labor organization leader and an approach I employ that is so simple I now embrace the political realities of my position.

Politics?

In 2021, I was approached by the executive board of our local law enforcement labor organization and asked if I might be interested in fulfilling the remainder of the term of our president who, at that time, was retiring. I jumped in, recognizing that this was an opportunity to have an outlet for my passionate belief, developed over 22 years of line-level police work, that the vast majority of cops are some of the most amazing individuals on the planet who deserve respect, care and support. 

I was excited, but the naivete of this energy slapped me across the face when our past president, during a very serious conversation, explained the “politics” of this assignment and our standing with elected city officials. I was like, “politics?” My enthusiasm was grounded as she described how some of our labor relationships with elected city leadership had become strained. “Dave, it’s time for a fresh face,” she told me. But I had no clue about local politics. To say that I had reservations about my ability to do anything political was an understatement. But a word she said resonated with me — relationships.

Breaking down the false narratives

Say what you want about cops, but we are good planners. And we know that no plan is far worse than an imperfect plan. So, I embraced my political inexperience, accepted the fact that I would probably make mistakes and set out to reset relationships with our locally elected officials. My plan was simple. Knowing that law enforcement labor organizations are often falsely labeled as “greedy organizations that exist to protect dirty cops,” I planned to do two things:

1. Do everything in my power to counter this false narrative with the truth; our organization, comprised of honest active and retired police officers, is an invaluable community component dedicated to the advancement of police work as an honorable profession.
2. Ensure that our locally elected officials understood, clearly, number one.

Community service as a bridge

A fairly simple plan, right? I like simple. Besides, I lacked the experience and wisdom required for any sort of advanced, high-powered political operation. But cops understand relationships; it’s what we do every day. And cops understand community; again, part of the daily business. How difficult would it be for me to show up and support our locally elected officials at their events? And our organization was doing amazing things in the community. We invest time, energy and sometimes, money, at least monthly, to benefit local community service causes. I mean, it doesn’t take dozens of volunteers to have an impact; a handful of off-duty cops wearing T-shirts with your organization’s logo and doing something positive in the community can have a dramatic effect on how your organization is perceived. Shouldn’t our elected officials know this about us? 

So, community service became, for our labor organization, anyway, the perfect bridge that allowed us to get out in front of our locally elected officials and define who we truly are. If you are faced with a similar political landscape and want to build a labor bridge of your own, here are 15 tips you might consider:

1. Understand and follow your departmental policy regarding political interactions.  Keep in mind that as a labor organization leader, you will be representing your membership, not your department. You may be required to conduct activities like this off-duty.
2. Know who your locally elected officials are and how to recognize them (their photographs will be online). Have a basic understanding of the political districts they represent.
3. Understand that this process must be driven from the labor side. As a police labor organization leader, you can’t afford to sit around waiting for politicians to come find you. You must identify opportunities to engage with them and represent your organization.
4. While in theory, the plan is simple, it takes determined effort. Plan on investing evening and weekend time. Some relationships may develop quickly while others will take much longer.
5. Your locally elected officials will have some sort of regular communication with their constituents — a newsletter, for example — highlighting the community events with which they plan on getting involved or attending. Get on the distribution list for that material and make a determined effort to attend those events.
6. Wear something that identifies who you are. Yep, I’m one of those corny guys who walks around in a polo shirt with our organization’s logo and my name stitched on it. But at community events, this will generate conversation. People will ask what your organization is all about. These are great opportunities to inform influential people about all of the positive things your organization does.
7. Engage with your locally elected officials at these events. Say hello to them. Begin introducing yourself to them. Shake their hands. Thank them for doing something positive for the community. Make sure they know you are in attendance.
8. While engaging with your locally elected officials, update them regarding your organization’s latest community service efforts. Your attendance at a community event offers the perfect segue for these conversations. These interactions can really begin to shape your organization’s status as an invaluable community component.
9. Offer to partner with your locally elected officials on their community service events. Let them know you can always grab a few members to pitch in and help if needed. And don’t forget to invite them to your community events.   
10. When interacting with city officials, we employ a 95/5 approach. 95% of conversations revolve around all of the positive things happening in the community. This is easy talk. We aren’t asking for anything. We want our locally elected officials to feel comfortable when we walk up to say hello. Less than 5% of these interactions involve conversations about the needs of our membership, and as relationships become stronger, you might find that these more impactful conversations are actually initiated by your local officials asking you about the things your members need.  
11. Attending community events will allow you to meet influential community members; high-propensity voters and engaged taxpayers who have regular interactions with your locally elected officials. Get to know these people. Help them to recognize your organization as an invaluable community component.
12. If possible, engage with your elected officials on social media. As your organization carries out community service events, issue press releases and social media updates. Tag your elected officials.
13. Be cautious as relationships develop. Don’t become clingy. You might be trusted with a personal cell phone number, for example. Don’t abuse this sign of trust. Use it sparingly. Ease into these relationships.
14. Stay out of political infighting. Remain neutral. You want them all to know just how great your organization is.
15. Be sincere. It’s OK to be a little rough around the edges; you’re a cop, after all. Be confident knowing that you absolutely belong at these events. People will be interested to see you at these events. They want you at these events.

Highlighting our organization’s dedication to the community has allowed us to define who we truly are and the amazing things we do. Our locally elected officials appreciate us. Our standing with them has completely shifted. Some of these important relationships have even developed strong personal bonds. The “P word” has actually been good for us. Remember, locally elected officials make decisions that impact our careers and, by default, our lives. And while political landscapes vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, we law enforcement labor leaders can at least ensure that our locally elected officials understand that their decisions will impact the lives of honest, community-oriented individuals.