32 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JUNE 2017 The Ethical Society of Police (E.S.O.P.) supports our new St. Louis City Mayor Lyda Krewson in accepting Chief Doyle “Sam” Dotson’s retirement from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. We believe this is the right decision for our city go- ing forward and a positive sign of Krewson’s future leadership. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department needed change. Now it is time to hire a chief of police who will work with our community and officers to improve our city. Our new chief must be someone who understands equality, fair police tactics, strategies, and community engagement. We support a nationwide search that begins within our own ranks, and welcome any can- didate that meets the above criteria. – Sgt. Heather Taylor, President Ethical Society of Police (E.S.O.P.) @ESOPGenesis www.facebook.com/EthicalSocietyofPolice www.esopinc.org ABOUT E.S.O.P. The Ethical Society of Police (E.S.O.P.) is an association of St. Louis police officers whose mission is to bridge com- munications between the community and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD). Founded in 1968 by African American police officers to address racial biases within the SLMPD, the E.S.O.P. works to improve community/police relations, develop policies and programs to reduce crime, elevate the status of minority civilians and police officers, encourage greater minority employment by law enforcement agencies, and increase professionalism in law enforcement. Membership is open to all races and includes nearly 250 law enforcement professionals employed by the City of St. Louis. Officers want input on new chief choice Sleep wildly underestimated in terms of health and safety by Janine Henkel N ot too long ago I went to work, put on my uniform and sat in shift briefing. I remember being so tired. The kind of tired where your eyes ache and it feels like you’ve been up for hours. I glanced over at the clock and saw that my 12-plus-hour day had just begun. After almost crashing my patrol car, I went home early. When I got home, I couldn’t sleep and I knew I had to fix that. Over 40 percent of police officers have some kind of sleep disorder, compared to 15 percent of the gen- eral population.Shift work, long hours, adrenaline rush- es and tragic scenes that you can’t get out of your head are all a problem. We focus a lot on staying energized – coffee, energy drinks, etc. – but blow off winding down and then we wonder why we can’t fall sleep. Here are just a few of the things that cause insomnia – caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, decongestants, anxiety, eat- ing too much or working out before bedtime. The list goes on and on. Some you can’t easily control, but most you can. Let’s look at some exam- ples and how to fix them. If you get off shift, slam a pre-workout, hit the gym and think you can then fall asleep later, think again. You won’t have enough time to let your body calm down, making sleep impossible. Keep a three hour win- dow between workouts and bedtime. And pass on the pre-workout drink until you have at least an eight hour buffer. These tend to contain caffeine or herbs that are guaranteed to keep you up. If you ran call-to-call, had no time to eat, then stuffed your face when you got home, you may be lying awake later wondering when that 5-cheese enchilada is going to pass through. This causes GERD, which is your stomach acid flowing back up; this can prevent you from falling asleep. Avoid spicy or heavy foods. Just stick to a light dinner of complex carbs, lean proteins and healthy fats. Some calming foods are bananas, oats, quality dairy, cucumbers, apples and sour cherry juice. If you’re glued to a screen on your tablet or phone before bed, you’re getting a dose of ‘blue light.’ This light tells your brain that it’s time to get up and stay up. On the other hand, a red/orange light (think dusk) tells your brain, “Go to sleep already.” Yes, this one is a biggie. Shut off electronics an hour before bed, invest in blue- blocking glasses or install ‘f.lux’ on your computer (a free program that gradually reddens the light emitted). Phillips also makes a prod- uct called a “wake-up light”. It’s an alarm clock that simu- lates a sunset and sunrise. The sunset setting can help you shift to sleep mode. It’s very cool and affordable. If you find yourself lying in bed unable to fall asleep because your brain won’t shut off (obsessive thinking) try this: write down what’s bugging you. Get it on paper and out of your brain. If you find yourself in bed for 15 minutes and still can’t fall asleep, get up and en- gage in something relaxing until you feel sleepy. And no, not TV. Meditate. Before you write this off as hippy crap, know that it’s been proven time and time again to spark a strong re- laxation response. In fact it’s so powerful that you should only do meditation while sit- ting or lying down because of the risk of nodding off. It seems nuts, but you have to prepare for sleep like you prepare for other tasks After almost 20 years in law enforcement and lecturing her co-workers about their eating habits, Janine Henkel retired and founded OnPointNutri- tion.org, a nutrition consulting business designed with first re- sponders in mind. Janine holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition, is a Certified Per- sonal Trainer and U.S. Marine Veteran. You can usually find Janine geeking out on technical books or enjoying the outdoors with her five-year-old son.