AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2017 17 LAREN LEICHLITER TOM CLINE OPINION/EDITORIAL I n July 2015 APB pub- lished a piece asking officers to examine their reason for po- licing – is it to help people or hunt them? Hunt- ing, being more fun and netting recognition, rewards, and accolades from peers is attractive, especially for young men, and often the women too. The feeling of power that comes from catching bad people is exhilarating. Wielding power and control over others is intoxicating and addicting, particularly for young men. Men on their basic level are hunters; women protectors/helpers. Trusting one’s natural in- clinations is usually the right thing to do in most areas of life although often they are contrary to politically cor- rect cultural norms. In law enforcement though, I believe the natu- ral inclination to hunt in men must be tamed and strictly controlled because it has a tendency to ignore individual rights and Con- stitutional controls. Police power corrupts all of us to some degree. Percy Bysshe Shelley said, “Power, like a desolating pestilence, Pol- lutes whate’er it touches . . .” I knew that the power that we law enforcement people have tempted me to things I never would have done. And I didn’t understand there were negative conse- quences even when actions were legal, sanctioned, and encouraged by peers and bosses. I’ve come to realize that my “hunting” mentality had less to do with what was right and more to do with fun, feeding ego and an appe- tite for praise and accep- tance. I don’t like to admit this – my priorities got con- fused. Do you know cops who work all the overtime they can get? They tell you they’re doing it for their family. But in my opinion money issues are a result of not liv- ing within one’s means. The family would rather have their Dad or Mom home, especially the kids. A parent reading a story, or going for a walk to the park trumps the latest Xbox. The kids need mom and dad more than they need tech- nology or Nikes. I am con- vinced that the more time we spend with our families, the better cops we become. The interaction with them influences our behavior at work. For a long time I could not make sense of this, but once I put my family ahead of the job, I did better at both. Recently I did a Help- er/Hunter workshop for a group of Chicago cops attending a Wellness Day. After my segment a sergeant with 20 plus years on the job approached with a practical example from his experi- ence. He agreed that helping people was the way to job satisfaction and hunting a necessary by-product of helping. He went on to ex- plain how police behaviors are influenced by their fam- ily ties. The sergeant’s side busi- ness is running security for church carnivals, and several years ago he recog- nized that cops spent too much time away from their families, usually working security gigs. He started encouraging his off-duty Chicago cop workers to bring their fami- lies to the carni- vals they worked so they could see what their job entailed. Initially there was great re- sistance from the cops citing the safety of their families. Gradually some tried it and found it rewarding. Amazingly, there has been no conflict between his workers and the carni- val-goers since the families started coming. Now, it is routine to see his security people with their families mingling with patrons at the carnivals. He says his workers view their service differently; they see themselves as peace-mak- ers, protectors and helpers rather than law-enforcers hunting for bad behavior. Seeing themselves in this light guides their actions rather than the hunter men- tality. At one time most men wearing a badge policed the towns in which they and their families lived. Peace- making and fairness were the objectives, not collecting guns, dope and felons. How would interaction on your next stop change if your family were there? Would your words and tone of voice be different? Think about it. Thomas Cline, a 48-year law enforcement veteran, is past president of the International Association of Ethics Trainers, a writer/trainer at the Chicago Police Academy and a consul- tant. Tom is the author of Cop Tales! Never Spit in a Man’s Face…Unless His Mustache is on Fire, and Surviving Storms. Non-Tactical Career Survival for Law Enforcers. For infor- mation on training and work- shops. Email: Coptales@gmail. com. T his is the sea- son reserved for memories of our colleagues who have been killed in the line of duty. May is the month for Peace Officer Memorial ceremonies at both the state and national level. It is a solemn time of re- membrance and reflection of the lives that have been lost across the country in our great state and even closer to home. Thankfully the Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Asso- ciation (SEBA) has not lost another member since the tragic death of Det. Jeremiah MacKay in 2013. Although more than four years have passed since his death, the memories are vivid and his absence is painful. The same is true for all of our San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department fallen deputies. Time may have healed the initial hurt but nothing can fill the void from a fallen partner, father, husband or son. Each announcement of the death of a law enforcement peer strikes us with anguish, anger and empathy. We know the same thing could happen to any of us, on any given night, at any given call. We see their grieving families and can’t help but imagine our spouses or chil- dren in the same position. It makes us quickly recap all of our close calls and give a quick prayer of thanks that we made it home. Most recently, San Ber- nardino County Deputy Patrick Higgins survived being shot in the chest by a robbery suspect. Body armor and grace were the only things that prevented yet another plan- ning of a law enforcement funeral. Thank God for the safety of Higgins and all involved in the ultimate apprehension of the suspect. Other members of fellow Southern California agen- cies have not been so lucky in recent months. The deaths of Officers Keith Boyer, Lesley Zereb- ny, Jose “Gil” Vega and Sgt. Steve Owen are still fresh in our minds. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to their families and friends. As I said above, time can help the healing but it will never erase the loss. We spend a month in retrospection not to dredge up painful memories but to honor the fallen, raise awareness and renew our commitment to our profes- sion. We are living in times in which peace officers are not only in literal crosshairs but political ones as well. Our profession is not only targeted by violent suspects but the politicians and activ- ists who support and protect felons. Dangerous legislation such as AB 109 and Propositions 47 and 57 continue to put more and more danger- ous offenders back into our neighborhoods. It is our job to stay vigilant, remain active and remind our community that we are here to serve them regard- less of false narratives being pushed by political agendas. We celebrate the lives of the fallen by following their great examples of service and sacrifice. I encourage all of you to reflect during this solemn time of remembrance. Stay safe. Laren Leichliter is a Detec- tive with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and SEBA President. He agreed that helping people was the way to job satisfaction and hunting a necessary by-product of helping. He went on to explain how police behaviors are influenced by their family ties. Hunters, helpers and policing in the USA Police week is a time for reflection, introspection