AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: OCTOBER 2017 17 BRIAN MARVEL TOM CLINE OPINION/EDITORIAL B y now, every- one in law en- forcement un- derstands that r e c r u i t m e n t and retention is a major issue for all of us. Only until political lead- ers recognize that improv- ing pay and benefits is the only way to solve our recruitment crisis will any progress be made. Over the years, the San Diego POA has actively engaged the media, com- munity groups and elected officials about the impor- tance of making the de- partment’s compensation package competitive within the region. It wasn’t until the last several months that the media picked up on it and we gained some traction on the issue. At this point, there is no amount of one-time monies or re- engineering monies within our own existing contract that will help recruitment and stem the flow of of- ficers leaving. All of our efforts lately have been to create an environment in which we can open the contract sooner than later. We recognize this will take an enormous amount of effort to craft a deal that truly focuses on creating a competitive compensa- tion package and reflects everyone’s efforts to make this a well-staffed depart- ment. We also must get pensionable pay increases. Our efforts have not gone unnoticed. The Mayor has agreed to open our contract early so we can have a very thorough discussion on how best to move forward on mitigating the recruit- ment and retention crisis. I know a lot of times we hear activist groups claiming we over-police and that we don’t need more officers. However, I have yet to meet a regular citizen who complains that there are too many offi- cers on the street. A fully staffed department will only allow us to be even more proactive and pro- vide the services that the community has demanded. If you look at comparable cities our size, they have thousands of officers more than we do; for example, Dallas Police Department has over 1,500 more offi- cers than ours and yet they are smaller in population than San Diego. The ultimate goal of the San Diego Police Officers Association is to make our department extremely competitive so candidates will give us the first look and want to join. We need over 200 new or lateral of- ficers today. Secondly, we want to get the department back to 2,128 sworn of- ficers. We have functioned for so many years with such low staffing that it has become unhealthy for such a vibrant city. The City should be com- mending the department for the great work that goes on every day – and if they refuse to address the num- ber one issue, which is our pay, we will continue down this road of too few officers protecting the people of San Diego. Brian Marvel is president of the San Diego Police Officers Association. A s a trainer and instructional designer who has written and teaches about dealing with the mentally ill I’d like to make comment on Martin Hallorans’ piece (page 28) on police and the mentally ill. I support his position and wish to suggest specif- ics that can help officers today! He cites two extreme cases that presented deadly force threats and officers responded appropriately in each. Most contacts with the mentally ill are not that intense, initially. Often, of- ficers can get intel about a subject from family, friends, peers, or observers on a scene if they take time do so. Intel may include: • use or non-use of meds • use of self-medicating substances, legal or other- wise • what happened in previ- ous police contact(s) • who or what upset the person When asked, most of- ficers agree that patience is not a skill characteristic of cops, and when asked why, two common answers are: • hyper busy shifts that force them to run from one call to another • pressure from supervi- sion to complete assign- ments quickly. Let me open this can of worms; some officers, par- ticularly younger ones, are not pa- tient because they do not have to be. In most places they are neither forced to, nor rewarded for de- veloping and/or being patient and in some cases, punished by ridicule from peers and even supervision. Government is the only entity that can legally use force, or threat of it to gain compliance. It is more fun to force a human to bend to your will, and often easier and more rewarding than practicing patience and learning skills necessary to avoid escala- tion. Consequently, now ev- erybody is teaching De- escalation; how about if we teach and reward officers not to escalate? That is what much of C.I.T. is about, first recog- nizing that you are dealing with a mentally unstable person, second, responding patiently with appropriate scripts, third, writing a re- port describing how their actions are dangerous to themselves and/or others, and finally, routing them through the mental health system for evaluation be- fore criminally charging if necessary. Officers are not diag- nosticians and often doc- tors disagree on diagnoses. P.O.s must learn to describe behaviors so well that when a doc reads a police report he/she may give the behav- iors described a name from their lexicon. For an interesting case study on this subject that cost Chicago’s taxpay- ers $22.5 million, Google Christina Eilman. You see, though Hallorans’ points are correct, there is little individual of- ficers can do to fix the underfunded sys- tem and culture that are broken, and too often leans toward chemical solutions while giving license to behaviors that may lead to mental problems. Officers must endeavor to develop patience and a skillset that slows down their response time to un- cooperative subjects. The third tenet of the BELOW 100 initiative is SLOW DOWN, not only in driving, but also when approaching subjects. Our impatience, driven by the thrill of rushing into danger, is killing us. What do you suggest your imme- diate supervisor tell your family at your funeral about this reckless behavior? Those of you waiting for the politicians, your orga- nization, or the American Psychiatric Association to fix this mess, well, I say, “Have fun in court, and I hope you don’t develop mental problems.” It is difficult for us non- trusting control freaks to accept and remember that our behavior and choices are the only things really in our control. Thomas Cline, a 49-year law enforcement veteran is past president of the International Association of Ethics Train- ers, a writer/trainer at the Chicago Police Academy and a consultant. He’s authored 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 information on train- ing and workshops Email: Coptales@gmail.com Those of you waiting for the politicians, your organization, or the American Psychiatric Association to fix this mess, well, I say, “Have fun in court, and I hope you don’t develop mental problems.” More thoughts on policing the mentally ill Hiring and retention requires more spending