Taking a Step Back
What is law enforcement cynicism?
As we progress through our careers in law enforcement, we tend to naturally develop a cynical attitude towards citizens, the public, and society as a whole. Broadly, the definition of cynicism ranges, however, most definitions of the word commonly focus on the self-serving interests of human beings. For law enforcement, self-serving interest are not the primary focus of our cynicism. Between our training, and the inherent evil we deal with on a daily basis, we tend to lose faith and hope that there is “good” in the world. After all, we aren’t dispatched to situations that are positive or to interact with those individuals who have healthy relationships and strong communication skills. We get dispatched to the calls where something has gone wrong, where communication has failed, and where deliberate wrong-doing has occurred. When we focus solely on this negativity, and it changes our world view so much that we begin to lose faith in people and society, this can jade any good police officer and make them feel both alienated from the world and ultimately cynical of every situation.
However, it should be noted that we are ingrained in our law enforcement training with skepticism, and for good reason. Those who blindly trust that all situations and interactions with other human beings will end positively, are bound to end up hurt, broke and often murdered. We are trained to question every aspect of our interactions with the public for officer safety reasons, and to ensure that we are thorough and analytical in how we investigate crime. This is a good thing, but as with everything in life, there needs to be a healthy balance as to how we conduct ourselves as investigators.
Taking a Step Back
What is this article all about anyway?
Well, I’ve been working in the field for long enough to know that we all have strengths and weaknesses. These areas are ones in which we practice meeting perfection, or to improve our skills in order to become proficient. In law enforcement we have to come to terms with the fact that we are human beings, and that we make mistakes, and will continue to make mistakes in the future. Yes, we can practice perfection. However, we cannot and will not ever achieve such perfection. I want to take a step back in this article to share with you a number of issues I see with our interactions with other human beings when we take on the role of law enforcement officer. I’m not asking for you to agree, I am simply stating what I have seen and view as our failures in the field.
Relationships and Communication
They are everything we have in life.
The relationships we form with others are important, and they start with first impressions, which require an open but analytical mindset and a fair bit of respect and dignity. I can’t express to you how many times I have seen officers get dispatched to, what they describe to be a, “stupid” call or some sort of civil disagreement and immediately pass judgement on the person they are about to begin speaking to, without ever getting to the call and actually interacting with the person. This is a dangerous game to play as an officer, it damages your credibility with the public and the credibility of your fellow officers, the department you work for, the Town or City your department protects, and the profession as a whole.
I know what some might be asking, “How in the hell does me passing judgement on someone’s stupid and time-wasting complaint damage my credibility, or my departments?” It’s not really the judgement, but the attitude that results due to your judgement that reflects poorly on you and your agency when you are quick to pass judgement. When you show up to meet with a complainant who you’ve already passed judgement on as being a “crybaby”, a “whiner” or a “tattle tail” then you don’t take the time to create the crucial connection that is needed before communication can occur, a relationship.
No, I’m not asking for you to start speed dating or to tell your whole life story before you meet with a complainant. However, what is the crucial first step when we interview suspects as investigators? Establishing rapport. Building human connection so that we can understand who we are about to communicate with and develop a level of trust and mutual understanding. You only get to being able to communicate effectively if you take the time, and have an open-minded understanding, or the human in which you are communicating with. Some officers get it, but a lot of them don’t. These officers show up at a call, are immediately dismissive of the complainant, and are completely put-off and pissed off when the individual calls to complain after the officer leaves the call, sometimes after doing nothing to assist the citizen at all except leave them feeling alienated.
The fact of the matter is this, communication is a two-way street. We have to listen and understand what is being communicated to us, before we as officers can effectively communicate back. Granted, there are times when our communication is pointed and there is no wiggle room to allow for a suspect to negotiate these communications. However, notice that this is predominantly when we are dealing with suspects in unknown-risk or high-risk situations. It is not the everyday interactions we have with citizens, unless in our analytic cop brain we recognize the communication is going south and a citizen is now becoming a suspect. Sometimes, we can even create these situations as officers in the lack of dignity and respect we show towards a complaining citizen. People tend to get hostile when they feel alienated and mistreated, we are supposed to be the good guys, let’s keep the peace rather than create disorder.
Communicating with Victims is Crucial
How we communicate with victims of crime and citizens who witness has to be professional, understanding, patient and respectful. This is the only way we as law enforcement officers can ensure that victims and witnesses become cooperative with the criminal justice process and continue their cooperation due to the supportive nature of the officer involved. You can be that guy or girl who is dismissive and lacks empathy, and you will be remembered as such by victims and witnesses, as well as through your IA department’s investigations, which I am sure you will have many documented. Or you can let the cynicism go, learn to understand the importance of relationships and communication, and be remembered for being professional and caring.
Laziness Follows You
As a side note, I have also seen the effects of laziness in the field of law enforcement. We don’t have room for laziness in the field, if you cut corners it will come back to haunt you. If you purposely treat people in a way that they become uncooperative with the criminal justice system and then refuse to be a part of it simply to spare your time, then you don’t belong in this profession, and you take the high road while you’re ahead, or change your perspective and attitude for the better while you still can. Officers who are perceived as lackadaisical will have a tough road ahead of them to correct their prior categorization.
When someone makes a report, put forth the effort to determine if a crime has been committed and document every interaction you have with the public. At the very least, the thorough investigation you conduct will protect you from appearing lazy. However, sometimes all that is needed to earn respect from the public and from victims and witnesses in particular, is to put forth a reasonable effort to be helpful and understanding.
Don’t Take it Personally
Finally, I want to leave you with this, don’t take this article personally if you’ve been in one of these categories before. This is a touch line of work, and I can admit that at times I have been short with victims and witnesses due to the stress and cynicism of the job. I have just chosen to stay vigilant in recognizing my own flaws, and have worked hard to push myself to be better at all that I do. Again, how we interact with people and how we conduct ourselves is the basis of our own credibility and the credibility of our departments, show your community that the oath you took is important and at the forefront of your mind in your daily work!
