Police Officer Safety

Our minds- The most important officer safety tool

Your mental state at work is vital to your success and officer safety skills. In our profession we carry many tools with us everyday, everything from our handguns to writing pens. We carry our tools with us into combat each shift never knowing when a crisis will happen. In addition to never knowing when it will happen, combat differs from day to day. Each of us are constantly aware of the realities of combat and the possibility it can lead us to using deadly force. There is no way to know what dangers each shift will hold. At a moments notice we could be fighting for our safety or to protect someone else’s life. When we do find ourselves in a crisis each will be different from the last. The best tool we have to survive this uncertainty is to have a “mental edge”. There are several areas for us to look at to improve and maintain a mental edge- a sense of winning, not just surviving a crisis.

“Expect the Unexpected”

To keep ourselves safe we must be alert and prepared for any threat. We need to expect the unexpected. We should always be aware of things like: our surroundings, the people we meet, their body language and the realities of our work environment. We work in a hostile environment and come in contact with people who do not like the authority we represent. These types of individuals represent a small percentage of the population. This minority are the ones we must be most prepared for.
To help explain how to “expect the unexpected” we should remember Col. Cooper’s color codes of mental awareness levels (white, yellow, orange and red). Maintain a condition “yellow” state of mind. This keeps us alerted to potential threats and the unexpected attacks while on duty.
We have all heard the saying “there is no such thing as a routine call”. There is truth in this phrase. The “routine call” type thinking lowers our mental edge and can cause us to die or become injured. When you think of your calls for service, the person standing on the corner or that same alarm which goes off everyday as routine then you are no longer anticipating that unexpected danger. The problem with considering situations as routine is that dangers become invisible to you. You simply don’t see the threats anymore. This lowered state of awareness creates bad habits and you start taking shortcuts on calls. You begin to see suspicious actions by people on the street and start to rationalize their actions. Once these bad habits develop they are hard to break and you no longer notice it (they become your “routine”).
Anything you practice a lot you can do well. This is true for good and bad habits. If you have bad habits then you are doing them at a high level of proficiency and they have become automatic to you. You must stop, step back and reevaluate your performances with a critical eye. You should try to replace bad habits with sound officer safety tactics. Staying safe at work requires constantly reevaluating your mental state of readiness. Ask yourself after each call “how safe was I during that call?” or “how can I do better next time to clearing that building for suspects?”.
This responsibility of constantly keeping officer safety in check extends outward to others. You have a responsibility to fellow officers. If they have developed habits which could get them hurt or killed then they need to know. Their bad habits have become “invisible” to them. By reminding them how to maintain their mental edge you may be saving their life or you own.

Crisis Rehearsal-Training the Mind

Mentally rehearsing real life scenarios will sharpen your mental edge. Imagine a crisis situation and place yourself in it as the officer on scene. Be creative with the situations. There is no limit to the possibilities of scenarios. During this “mind training” move up and down the use of force options available at your agency. Use all your resources to succeed during your mental scenario training. Later, discuss your tactics and decisions with fellow officers. Talk about different situations together. Remember your previous training, to use cover/concealment and to use verbal commands during your scenarios. Thinking this way broadens your mind to available force options in situations you have not experienced on the street or in real life. This type of mental training will prepare you to deal with a crisis. Being better prepared helps you to remain calm and make proper decisions under stress.
In each of your scenarios always see yourself winning, surviving and being the hero. By rehearsing scenarios in your mind you are practicing winning in a real life crisis.

Be Optimistic

We love complaining to each other. We will complain about anything. This constant complaining makes its way into our overall attitudes for life and how we cope with stress. Positive and negative thinking are contagious. How is your attitude towards work? Do you believe your chief has it out for you? Does your lieutenant hate you? Does your sergeant pick on you all the time? This type of attitude is corrosive to you in the short term and long term. Negative thinking will dull your mental edge for survival. If you consider yourself a victim, being picked on by your agency/chief/supervisors, then you should “rethink” your attitude. A victim has no control over what happens to them. You do have control and don’t ever give it up. Your positive thinking can change the world around you. A positive attitude can aid in improving your health, how you interact with your family, your job performance, and how much you enjoy life. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Being optimistic will aid you in surviving a crisis or life threatening encounter. Use positive self talk to improve your survivability. During your crisis rehearsal and mind training say things to yourself like “I am always aware of my use of force options” or “I will survive and keep fighting, even if in pain”. Try being optimistic and enjoy the immediate benefits of positive thinking.

Diet, Rest and Exercise

Your sharp mental edge needs to be partnered with good physical health. There is no doubt the connection between the mind and body is important. We need to take care of ourselves physically. This includes an exercise regimen, good nutrition and proper rest. When we combine these three elements we can be mentally prepared for performing at our peak level.
Our minds are fueled by the food we eat. A well balanced diet is essential to our minds working under the most stressful conditions.
Physical exercise enables us to have faster reflexes and to think quickly under stress. A combination of cardio and strength training can provide you with tremendous health gains in a short period of time.
A sufficient amount of rest is also necessary to having a mental edge. Shift work causes us problems with getting adequate rest. Your mind requires sleep to perform efficiently. Adjust your schedules when necessary to get sufficient rest.
Through our diets, exercise and rest we can maintain good health and be able to succeed in a crisis.

Body/Mind/Spirit

In addition to the connection of the mind and body, the mental edge requires faith in a belief system. This belief system is three fold: 1) You need to have faith in yourself, 2) faith in your profession, and 3) faith in a higher purpose of life. Believing in these three areas will benefit you in times of crisis.
First, you must believe in yourself and that you are on a mission to bring about justice for others. You must believe in your own capabilities to accomplish this mission. Are you capable of performing under the intense stress of a life or death crisis? Only you know how capable your abilities are to survive a critical incident or a fight for your life. If you have doubts, training will increase your confidence. For this to work however, it needs to be more than the 8 hours of annual in service at your agency. It also requires more than qualifying with your weapons twice a year. Seek out the experts in your agency and ask them for help and advice. Then you must practice, practice, and practice some more. You must take the initiative to improve your abilities. As your proficiency and skills improve your confidence will grow.
Second, you should have faith in our profession. This leads to a purpose for coming to work each day. Police chiefs and administrators across America have repeatedly referred to our profession as a “calling”. This is a noble profession in which we are engaged. We stand as symbols of all that is good, right and just in our society. We should stand proudly as defenders of the American way of life. This pride will effect a change in your mental edge. By remembering the traditions of our fellow law enforcement officers we build confidence in our ability to fight the good fight.
Finally, there is a need to have faith in a higher purpose of life. This provides us with a sense of direction. Whether you have a belief in God or do not, there is a sense of hope which can empower you when faced against the greatest odds of survival in a crisis.

The Winning Mind

Ultimately, we must remember the winning mind requires balance. We need to balance our heightened levels of awareness and officer safety with treating people with respect. The successful officer can correctly interpret people and situations. The balanced officer understands when to turn on a warrior mindset and when to turn it off. When we achieve this type of balance it prevents us from burning out at work and falling back into a deadly routine mindset.
We are responsible for our own safety at work. We can improve our abilities to stay safe at work by remembering to expect the unexpected. Stay alert! Simply don’t just survive, but win! Don’t win confrontations at work only, but win at life! Winners view accidents or failures as opportunities to learn and excel. Adopt a mental edge in every facet of your work and enjoy a safer career.