A Cop's Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the town

People were stirring, and rushing around.

Stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

but Walmart was open and they all crowded there.

My children, at home, were nestled safely inside,

hoping for an xBox or iPhones I couldn't provide.

My wife knelt by her bedside to pray

that I'd return safe as the sun rose the next day

But suddenly my radio came alive with a clatter

and my blood chilled as I heard what was the matter.

Away to the scene I raced in a flash,

siren a blaring I soon round the crash.

My headlights illuminated the new-fallen snow

and lit up the bodies laying face down in the road.

When what to my tear filled eyes did appear,

but a drunken young mother whose babies had not been secure.

The hours passed quickly after taking her to jail,

a family fight, a liquor store robbery, and people with drugs for sale.

A glance at the clock, two hours to go

a gentle rain had again turned back into snow.

Large, gentle flakes covered the ground

For a moment I sat in silence, not hearing a sound

"How can it be", I pleaded, "on the night celebrating your birth,

there is no peace, nor good will on this earth."

Then still, but strong, a voice from within

"I came to make this all right and heal men from their sin.

What you saw tonight, and each night that you work

is precisely the reason I was born on the earth."

And as the sun rose on a new Christmas morn,

I thanked God for a babe that a virgin had borne.

No present purchased online or in store,

could have softened my heart and caused it to soar.

As I drove through the soft, pure, powdery snow

my heart filled with love for all here below.

Into my driveway, and oh what a sight

out rushed my children with excited delight.

I held them all close and felt God exclaim,

"For I so loved the world that I sent Him to save".

by Gary Dudley

Never Quit, Never Give Up, You are Never Out of the Fight... If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me....

Marcus Luttrell

Navy SEAL and author of The Lone Survivor talks to college football players and teaches something all of us will need at some point in life.  Never, ever quit.  If you're still alive, you're still in the game.  Keep going.  Don't give up.... Don't give in....  Refuse to accept defeat.

Character of the Happy Warrior

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

  Who is the happy Warrior? Who is he

That every man in arms should wish to be?

—It is the generous Spirit, who, when brought

Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought

Upon the plan that pleased his boyish thought:

Whose high endeavours are an inward light

That makes the path before him always bright;

Who, with a natural instinct to discern

What knowledge can perform, is diligent to learn;

Abides by this resolve, and stops not there,

But makes his moral being his prime care;

Who, doomed to go in company with Pain,

And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train!

Turns his necessity to glorious gain;

In face of these doth exercise a power

Which is our human nature's highest dower:

Controls them and subdues, transmutes, bereaves

Of their bad influence, and their good receives:

By objects, which might force the soul to abate

Her feeling, rendered more compassionate;

Is placable—because occasions rise

So often that demand such sacrifice;

More skilful in self-knowledge, even more pure,

As tempted more; more able to endure,

As more exposed to suffering and distress;

Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.

—'Tis he whose law is reason; who depends

Upon that law as on the best of friends;

Whence, in a state where men are tempted still

To evil for a guard against worse ill,

And what in quality or act is best

Doth seldom on a right foundation rest,

He labours good on good to fix, and owes

To virtue every triumph that he knows:

—Who, if he rise to station of command,

Rises by open means; and there will stand

On honourable terms, or else retire,

And in himself possess his own desire;

Who comprehends his trust, and to the same

Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim;

And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait

For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state;

Whom they must follow; on whose head must fall,

Like showers of manna, if they come at all:

Whose powers shed round him in the common strife,

Or mild concerns of ordinary life,

A constant influence, a peculiar grace;

But who, if he be called upon to face

Some awful moment to which Heaven has joined

Great issues, good or bad for human kind,

Is happy as a Lover; and attired

With sudden brightness, like a Man inspired;

And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law

In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw;

Or if an unexpected call succeed,

Come when it will, is equal to the need:

—He who, though thus endued as with a sense

And faculty for storm and turbulence,

Is yet a Soul whose master-bias leans

To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes;

Sweet images! which, wheresoe'er he be,

Are at his heart; and such fidelity

It is his darling passion to approve;

More brave for this, that he hath much to love:—

'Tis, finally, the Man, who, lifted high,

Conspicuous object in a Nation's eye,

Or left unthought-of in obscurity,—

Who, with a toward or untoward lot,

Prosperous or adverse, to his wish or not—

Plays, in the many games of life, that one

Where what he most doth value must be won:

Whom neither shape or danger can dismay,

Nor thought of tender happiness betray;

Who, not content that former worth stand fast,

Looks forward, persevering to the last,

From well to better, daily self-surpast:

Who, whether praise of him must walk the earth

For ever, and to noble deeds give birth,

Or he must fall, to sleep without his fame,

And leave a dead unprofitable name—

Finds comfort in himself and in his cause;

And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws

His breath in confidence of Heaven's applause:

This is the happy Warrior; this is he

That every man in arms should wish to be.

Finding Joy

This video always makes me feel good.  We hear that we should "find joy in the journey" and I think it's one of the most important things we can do in life.  God is joy, love and peace, but we don't always feel it.  Life is a struggle and we must choose what we are going to feel... what we are going to believe.  Are we going to choose doubt, fear and despair or are we going to choose joy, love and peace?

Non-believers will say that faith is a crutch.  They say they only believe in what they can see... what is real.  So many of the one's I know then turn to alcohol or drugs to escape the reality of their lives.  Talk about a crutch.  It's actually kinda funny to me (I'm not a very compassionate person, but I'm working on it) that they mock us for needing a "crutch like religion" to get through life and then they take a shot of liquor to help them feel better.  I've never known anyone that receives joy, love and peace from alcohol or drugs.  In fact, they receive just the opposite.

But I'll go ahead and admit it.... YES, I need a crutch.  I am a broken person living in a broken world and I need help.  That help is available to me, and to all of us, through Jesus Christ and I am not ashamed to accept Him into my life and follow Him.  He is the source of joy, love, and peace in my life - and He can give that to you as well.

Some Great Thing

I love history.  I have been fascinated by history all my life.  It's not so much the where and when, but the "why" that intrigues me.  As I read of the "great things" of the human experience, I want to be there.  I want to stand with the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, man they walls of the Alamo, or ride into the snow packed mountains searching for the stranded handcart pioneers.  It's not that I have a death wish, but I long for that battle against overwhelming odds.  I'm looking to do "some great thing".

I've read this is a common desire for the warrior's heart.  After 9/11 many people say, "I'm glad I wasn't on one of those planes" and the warrior says, "I wish I was on one of those planes.  Maybe I could have done something to change the outcome."  But this feeling isn't new.  It's been around since ancient times.

Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.

And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.

And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment....

And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

(2 Kings 5)

Naaman was a warrior and had the prophet asked him to do some great thing he would have done it or died trying.  Elisha could have sent Naaman on some impossible quest and the warrior in him would have driven him to accomplish it, but the prophet asked something simply, even seemingly silly.  In fact is was so silly the warrior walked away in anger.  But then a wise servant came to him and asked the question, "if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?"

I'm that way.  If the prophet asked for volunteers to walk into snow packed mountain passes to rescue people, I'd do it, but I don't do my home-teaching regularly.  I risk my life for strangers, but I don't stop in and see how my neighbors are doing.  I'm waiting for the Lord to ask me to do some great thing, but I let a lot of the supposedly little and not so great things slide.

I've pondered on that a lot and I've decided it's partly because I don't see the significance of those "little" things.  People stranded in the mountains will die if we don't go save them, but if I don't do my home-teaching does that really have an effect upon those families?  And my neighbor isn't going to die if I don't stop by and see how he's doing.  

A couple days ago, I came across this video and it's changed how I think - not completely, I'm still looking for a dragon to slay!

Like President Hinckley says, we do not often see the results of what we do.  Because of that, what we do often seems insignificant or even a waste of time.  He said, "You never know how much good you do."

We can rest assured that God never asks us to do insignificant, meaningless, or unnecessary things. The things He asks us to do are life's truly "great things", but we just don't recognize them as such because we can't see the results.

This was on my mind today as the sun was rising and I patrolled through a peaceful countryside waking up to a Sabbath morning.  I thought, "Maybe this is all it is.  Maybe it's just helping my wife and kids and those around me the best that I can."

So I still put on my armor and weapons and set out looking for a dragon to slay, but I'm coming to see that "doing some great thing" is simply doing whatever God asks me to do today.

Going In-Active....

Been a while since my last post.  My schedule changed from nights to days and I guess I haven't had much to write about - at least nothing came to mind.  The dynamic of day shift is different than nights.

My days off also changed and now I work every Sunday.  I haven't been to church in about 6 weeks now.  I have been fortunate to be able to stop in and take the sacrament each week.  I stand in the foyer, with the parents who's children are misbehaving, and wait for the Deacons to bring out the sacrament.  The parents point to me and tell their children they better be good or I'll take them to jail.  I hate it when people do that.  It scares the kids to death and they look at me like I'm some kind of monster.  But.... standing in the church, waiting for the sacrament I refrain from telling the parents they're being dumb #$%#@ and then have to repent for even thinking it.... I sure need Jesus and His Atonement... I can't even stop sinning while trying to be good!

Last night before going to bed I was contemplating one more Sabbath day spent in my patrol car and I wondered, "Does anyone even notice that I haven't been to church in over a month?"  I don't know.  When people stop going to church, for what ever reason, I think at some point they wonder the same thing.  "Did anyone notice that I don't come to church anymore"  and even more importantly, "Does anyone care?"  I think that's the most important question.

Do we really care when someone stops coming to church - do we even notice?  I've never been an overly social person.  I don't feel like I need a lot of group support - but some people really need it.  At some level, I think we all do.  I think we all want to be part of something.  We don't want to be invisible, forgotten or overlooked.

The Road to Jericho Runs Through Zion

Long ago, Jesus told a story of a man taking a long journey.

He said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?"

Four young adults were far from their home in another State when the transmission went out on their car.  They walked four miles along an Interstate Highway to a gas station to purchase transmission fluid - thinking that they might be able to add fluid and get the car into a town.

The sun was going down and it was beginning to rain.  Dressed for summer, and not prepared for a Fall storm in the mountains, their T-Shirts and shorts were soaked as they plodded along back toward their broken down car.

Their journey had brought them through the heart of one of the leading Stakes of Zion, but they looked a little rough around the edges.  One driver noticed them walking along and called 911.  Another driver passed by and called the Sheriff directly to report them.

But a certain Deputy, as he journeyed, saw them and stopped.  With only room for one in his vehicle, he drove one of them back to the car and helped put in some transmission fluid.  They got the car moving and limped it along toward a small country town.  Two miles down the road, and still a few miles from town, the car stopped again.  It would go no further.  They pushed it off the road.

The Deputy found the other three walking a short distance ahead.  The were completely soaked.  They said they would just stay in their car and call their parents for help.  There was no hotel for miles and they had family coming to help them.

The Deputy drove to his home and got blankets for them.  He then stopped at the local grocery deli and purchased some chicken, drinks and other food items and took it all out to them.  They were extremely grateful and thought it all seemed a little abnormal for a cop to do such things.

Maybe he could have done more.  Maybe he should have done more, but when asked why he did what he had done, he simply said, "Because that's what I think Jesus would have done and I try to follow Him".

Stress Reveals Character - Or Lack Thereof

Dear lady I just dealt with...

Hey, guess what, it's my night off, but I got called into work.  I should be home spending a rare, quiet evening with my wife and kids, but I'm out dealing with you and your kid.

Your kid was being stupid and crashed his motorcycle.  It's our job to respond to those kinds of things.  We drove 100 miles per hour to get there quickly... and then you treat us like crap.  Hey, I get it, your kid is hurt, but he's not dead nor anywhere near it, so get a grip and stop acting like an ass.

Oh, you don't like cops.  Great, we don't like people like you... and oh, by the way, I'd like to see how long you'd survive in this world without us.

There are a lot of things I like about this job.  One of them is that I get to see people as they truly are.  Not the mask they wear to church on Sunday or the pleasant facade they show people at the soccer game and around the community.  I get to see what you're really like.  I like that part of this job, cause I don't like two faced people.  I like seeing what people really are so I know where you stand and where I can categorize you.

I'd like to create a 'Do Not Respond List'.  It's kinda like a Do Not Call list, but in reverse.  We'd put all the people that don't like cops on it.  We'd put all the people that treat us like crap on it... and then the next time your kid is laying in the dirt bleeding, and you call 911... nobody will show up cause you're at the top of our 'Do Not Respond List' and you can deal with the problem all by yourself.

But... at least now I know what kind of person you really are.

In The Eye of the Storm

I often see people who are in shock and freaking out over some crisis.  I've seen witnesses at car wrecks who seem to be worse off than the people involved in the crash.  They can't figure out why I'm not freaking out and I'm wondering why they are.

I become very focused in a crisis.  Everything unimportant seems to fall away and the distractions of daily life are gone.  It's just me, the other people involved and the situation at hand.  No past... no future... just the present.  Someone inside of me just takes over.  I've never really been able to explain it until I came across the following passages from one of Steven Pressfield's books:

“I was remote. I was detached. I felt like another person was inside me. This other person was me, only stronger and crueler, more cunning and more deadly.
I never told anyone about this secret me. I was afraid they might think I was crazy, or try to take this other me away, or convince me that I should be ashamed of him. I wasn’t. I loved him. In sports or fistfights, in moments of crisis or decision, I cut loose my conventional self and let this inner me take over. He never hesitated. He never second-guessed. Later, in combat, when I began to experience fragments of recall that were clearly not from this lifetime, I knew at once that these memories were connected to my secret self. They were his memories."

It was like reading something from deep within my soul.  I experienced exactly what Pressfield described in this fictional account.  It sounds crazy and I doubt anyone will understand.  I've experienced those memories "not from this lifetime" and of battles I've never been in.  

The Spirit is eternal.  We each have a premortal, mortal and eternal identity and purpose.  We have all lived before coming into this world.  Some where, shrouded behind the veil, our spirits have memories of our past, premortal life.  

We bring that our identity, characteristics, and purpose into this world.  Pressfield states it this way, “We are warriors. Our trade stands a handbreadth from that of the murderer and the assassin. Perhaps in another lifetime, you and I have committed grave crimes. This life now may be our purgatory. How do I absolve myself of those transgressions, which I cannot even remember? By sacrificing my ego, my greed, my fear, my hesitation, and my selfishness on the 'altar of strife'.

How do I perform this rite? By striding into harm’s way for no cause, no dream, no crusade, but only for the striding itself and for the comrades at my side."

I doubt anyone will understand any of this.  You and I have no beginning and no end.  Birth was not our beginning and death is not our end.  

The 'secret me' is why I'm calm in crisis.  The spirit inside of me has existed for thousands of years - possibly even longer than what we can count or consider.  He was created for crisis and thrives in the midst of it.  He is a Guardian.

Life & Death Decisions

In the small, rural area where I work, most of our citizens think nothing dangerous ever happens.  In fact, I think a lot of them wonder why we even exist.

What they don't know, and would probably find surprising, is that we routinely respond to life threatening situations - situations where we expect someone is going to get killed or seriously injured before it's over.  I'm always amazed at how these situations go right to the edge of violence and then miraculously a peaceful, or somewhat peaceful, resolution occurs.

I was involved in such a situation last week.  I'll need to leave out a few names and details - as this is an on-going case, but I should be able to get the main point across.

A State Task Force was looking for a suspected child pornographer/molester in our jurisdiction.  He was expected to be armed and dangerous.  He was known to have AR15 assault rifles, multiple handguns, and various other firearms.  We were told to use extreme caution if we found him.  Under cover agents were in the area watching for him to return to his home.

I determined that we needed to find this guy and find him as soon as possible.  I decided that I would spend all of my available time on shift hunting for him.  I pulled up his photograph, got a picture of what his car would look like and memorized the license plate.  About an hour into my shift, I had a crazy thought, "just drive by this guy's house and see what's going on"... so I did.

I drove out to his neighborhood and turned onto his road... and to my surprise, there was his car parked in the driveway.  I drove down the block, turned around and positioned my car at an angle so he couldn't get a shot on me from one of the windows in his house.  I pulled up an email with the phone number to the agent leading the task force and called her up.  "Hey", I said, "are you still looking for this guy?"  

"Yes, we sure are", came the response.  "Well, his car is parked in his driveway and I've got observation on the house", I told her.

"What?  Really?  ok, we're turning around.  Give us a little bit to re-assemble our team and we'll come get him.... oh, he's super dangerous so be careful."

"Game On", I thought.  I unbuckled the webbing holding my AR15 rifle to the seat next to me and got out of my patrol truck.  I pulled out my heavy body armor and put it on and then put on my ballistic helmet.  I moved over into the backyard of a home and found some concealment in some bushes.  Another Deputy was on his way to my location (there were only 2 of us on duty at the time) and I sat there wondering "did this guy see me pull up and does he have a rifle pointed at my head right now".  All of the windows were closed and the curtains pulled so I figured unless this guy was really good, he probably didn't have a bead on me at the moment.

After about 10 minutes I got a call back from the task force leader.  They were ready and were planning on coming up to the back of the house.  Our other Deputy was with them.  "Ok, Where do you need me", I asked.

"Well, sounds like you've got the front of the house covered, so why don't you keep that", she replied.   From my position, I could stop him from leaving in his car.

"Got it", I said and pushed the red circle on my iphone.  I was about 125 yards from the front of his house.  There was a small pasture with a little barn about half the distance to his house.  It looked like better cover than what I had, so I started moving.  I got to the barn and realized it had windows facing his house so I went inside and found a good place to set up.  It had a lot of concrete between me and incoming bullets (if it went to that) and a stable place to shoot from.  Then I got another call...

"We know this guy has a lot of guns and it's probably going to get ugly if we go in that house" - it was the task force leader.  "We just had a thought, we're going to call him on the phone and see if we can trick him into coming out".

"Ok", I said and got ready for whatever the next 60 seconds or so was going to bring.  I calmed my breathing and scanned the house and yard through the optical sight on my rifle.

Prior to all of this happening, they had seized his computers and electronic devices.  They called him up and told him they were outside and wanted to give his computers back.  They asked if he could come outside to help get his computers out of the car.

Well.... sure enough, he came out unarmed, and thinking all was well, and they took him into custody without incident.  Now you won't read any of this in the news... because nobody got shot or killed.  You only hear about what we do when it goes badly.  Nobody ever hears about it when it goes right.

The whole thing reminded me of incidents from the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon.

"And thus it came to pass, that by this stratagem we did take possession of the city of Manti without the shedding of blood."  Alma 58:28

The Book of Mormon records situations where tricks and strategies were used by the Nephite army to take an objective, or capture a city, without getting a bunch of people killed.  Moroni, the great Nephite Captain was described as, "And he also knowing that it was the only desire of the Nephites to preserve their lands, and their liberty, and their church, therefore he thought it no sin that he should defend them by stratagem;..." Alma 43:30

God's word has application in every aspect of life.  There is always something in scripture that we can learn from and apply to our life today.

We go to great lengths to protect everyone's life - even the people we're trying to arrest.  It doesn't always work out that way, but usually it does.  So we hope for the best while training, planning, and preparing for the worst.  We routinely make life or death decisions - and we're happy when it's all over and everyone lived through it.

People Don't Like Us Much, But Think About This...

People don't like cops very much.  We give you tickets, break up your parties when they get too loud and generally seem to make people mad..,.. but we are a consequence to your actions.  I recently had a couple of experiences that made me reflect on this.  I arrested a lady for DUI and she got angry at me and wondered why I was bothering and hassling her.  I also dealt with some jackasses at their drunken party.  They were pissed that we came on their property to hassle them.  But guess what, we are simply a consequence of their behavior.  I didn't want to deal with that lady and I sure didn't want to deal with those idiots at their party.  I'd rather be seating on my couch, watching a movie and drinking a cold Mountain Dew, but someone has to deal with stupid peoples' actions....

A couple of times a week, I get an email relating the line of duty death of a law enforcement officer somewhere in America.  And here's what I want you to think about... is there any other profession (outside the military - and I've been there too) that routinely gives their lives as part of their jobs?

So next time you're facing the consequence of your behavior, cut us a break.

No One is Beyond His Reach

President George Q. Cannon said this about how God has prepared you and me and our children for the tests we will face: “There is not one of us but what God’s love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, and that He has actually given His angels—invisible beings of power and might—charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping.” (from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/to-my-grandchildren?lang=eng)

Shattered Hearts

The human heart is the only thing I know of that can be completely shattered, but still continue to work.  Tonight I crossed paths with a young woman who's life experience is beyond anything I can really comprehend.  When I think about what she has been through, it weighs heavily upon my heart.

I ended up taking her to jail.  I hope it was the right thing to do.  From her long list of involvements with law enforcement - many of them as the victim of bad men - I felt so sorry for her.  I hope that getting her back into the justice system will help her find a new path in life.  I don't know that it will.  

Mortal life will never work out for some people, but I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all of their sorrows, pains, and suffering will be removed from them.  Most likely in the next life, but He will heal them of all their sorrows and all that has been inflicted upon them.  I know that He knows her and one day He will make everything right for her.  

As the sun comes up on a new day and I go home and get some sleep, before falling into bed, I will kneel and pray for her.  I hope she can find a new start in life and find some joy and peace.  Maybe our paths crossed for a reason.  

Cops are Real People - Believe it or not!

Most people think cops are all the same.  We're not.  In fact, I've never worked with, or even seen at any organization, a more diverse group of people that I find in law enforcement.  Who becomes cops?

1. Family business - Law enforcement seems to be one of those careers that spans many generations.  Go to a graduation at any law enforcement academy, anywhere in the nation, and you will see families.  The job just runs in some families.  Grandpa was a cop, dad is a cop, and many of the sons and daughters are cops.... and married to cops.  It's all they know.  I think this is cool.... as long as each individual is doing it because that's what they want to do.  I don't think someone should do this job if it's just to make dad or grandpa proud.  But, for better or worse, that's what gets a lot of people into this line of work.  The people from cop families may or may not fit into the categories below.

2. Social Workers With Guns - A lot of people really buy into the idea of community service.  They want to make the world a better place.  They want to help people.  They want to make a difference.  I know some cops who I refer to as "social workers with guns"... and the only reason they carry a gun is because it's required.  These cops see the good in everyone, even the bad guys, and like to reason with and talk to people.  They believe any problem can be solved simply by talking about it.  They want to help people.

3. Idealistic - "To Protect & To Serve" - I think to some degree we all fit into this category.  Cops in this category view their work as service to others and the community at large.  They differ from the social workers above in that they simply see it as a job that needs to be done.  They may not have an optimistic outlook on humanity.  It's just a service that society needs.  It's kind of like being a garbage man.  Someone has to deal with the problem people and keep order in society.

4. Warriors - The warriors confront and hunt evil.  They are not so much concerned about violations of traffic laws or city ordinances.  Sure, they might pull over a lot of cars, but it's a means to the end of finding real criminals rather than enforcing traffic laws.  They hate people who bully, threaten and harm others.  They are interested in protecting people and prefer to spend their time on the job hunting bad guys.  They are ready for a fight.

5. Thugs - Unfortunately there are some bad cops out there.  They're thugs that gravitate to this job because of the power and authority that comes along with it.  They use their position to harass and intimidate people.  They like having power over people and it makes them feel good to give people a hard time.  Lots of people seem to think all cops must be power hungry thugs.  I don't believe this is true.  I think the thugs make up a very small minority in law enforcement, but they make people mad and make all the rest of us look bad.

6. Pretty Boys - These guys love the uniform, the brass buttons, and shiny belts.  They love driving around in a police car waving at people and being seen.  They don't really care much about doing the job.  They just care about looking cool and being respected as a public figure.

There are probably other categories of cops and reasons people become cops.  I've just listed the mains ones that I see.  But behind the uniform, badge and gun is a real person - in many ways a person just like you.  We laugh, love, hurt, cry (well maybe not cry), get tired, depressed, excited, nervous and scared.  At the end of the day, or night, we're just people - fellow travelers on this journey we call life.

So what am I?  Well... I'm not a Pretty Boy.  I'm not big on fancy uniforms and accouterments.  I'm all about function.  I want clothing and gear that I can work in.  I want to look professional, but I'm very pragmatic when it comes to clothing - it must be functional.  I'd say I'm an Idealistic Warrior.  I'm about 90% warrior and 10% idealistic.  I absolutely hate violent criminals.  I have a strong, innate sense of protection and want to stop bad people from doing the things they do.  I also recognize that law enforcement is simply a job that needs to be done.  I don't think we could have an orderly society without law enforcement.  I'm not much of a social worker. My solution to your life problems is to give you some place to sit and think about your messed up life - namely the county jail.  I'm a first generation cop, so it's not a family business for me either.  I guess it's just what I do.

Here's to Us and Those Like Us...

Why I Do This...

It's 1:14am.  I just cleared off an overdose that appears to have been an attempted suicide.  An adult female had taken a bunch of pills.  Her mother came home to find her unconscious and barely breathing.  She called 911.

Some where out in the darkness, a mother was alone, scared, and possibly watching her daughter breath her last breaths.  She called for help...

I don't believe I can make much of a difference.  I don't think I can save the world.  But when you call for help, I will come.  I will be there with you, and for you, on the worst days of your life.  When God placed us down here, He knew we would face overwhelming storms.  

I was born for the storm.  I'm at my best in crisis, conflict, and chaos.  You can lean on me... and that's why I do this.  So now I sit in the darkness... waiting for the next call.

Violent Robberies Increase in Utah due to Heroin addictions

All is not well in Zion. I'll do a follow up post on this topic soon....

Tough Talk - Speaking Their Language

Like you may have read in the Profile for this blog, part of the reason for doing this was to answer the question "Are there any real LDS cops out there?"  The person asking the question said he knew some LDS people, but just couldn't see them being capable of working in law enforcement.  One of the "evidences" he cited was he couldn't imagine them talking tough or using some of the foul language so prevalent in law enforcement.

So do you have to swear to be a cop?  And if you're LDS, and you swear out on the streets, are you a hypocrite or 'less of a member' for doing so?

Well... here are my thoughts.  I don't think you have to swear to be a cop.  But sometimes you have to speak to the people you deal with in a language they understand.  J. Golden Kimball once told of trying to drive mules.  He said, "you can't drive mules if you can't swear. It's the only language they understand."  When dealing with human jack-asses, it's often the same.  You have to speak to them in a language they understand.  

When dealing with some crack-head, gangbanger, if you say "sir, please step out of the vehicle", he'll just sit there like you're speaking in Chinese or something.  But when you say "Get your #%$ out of the car before I $%%*&*&^^#", he understands and gets out of the car with his hands up.

I was at the Salt Lake County jail picking up one of their prisoners to bring him to court in our county.  While I was waiting, I noticed a female corrections officer open a holding cell to get one of the prisoners ready for transport.  She was about 5'2" and probably weighed about 105 pounds soaking wet while wearing full body armor.  She said to the guy, "stand up and face the wall".  He didn't move.  In a split second, she unleashed, "Get your a#$ off the floor before I stomp your f#@@! head"  He jumped right up and complied.

So I try very hard to be professional and use clean language.  But I agree with Brother Kimball, when dealing with asses, you have to speak a language they understand.

And if that makes me less of a Latter-day Saint, I'll let God be the judge of that.... as for the rest of you, whoever is without sin among you can cast stones at me!

A Policeman's Final Inspection

"The Final Inspection"

The policeman stood and faced his God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining.

Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, policeman.

How shall I deal with you? 

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My church have you been true?"

The policeman squared his shoulders and said,

"No, Lord, I guess I ain't,

Because those of us who carry badges

can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,

and at times my talk was rough,

and sometimes I've been violent,

Because the streets are awfully tough.

But I never took a penny,

That wasn't mine to keep....

Though I worked a lot of overtime

When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God forgive me,

I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around

Except to calm their fear.

If you've a place for me here,

Lord, It needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don't.....I'll understand.

There was silence all around the throne

Where the saints had often trod.

As the policeman waited quietly,

For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, policeman,

You've borne your burdens well.

Come walk a beat on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in hell."

Author Unknown

The Law & Liberty

Some people have the mistaken belief that laws or rules degrades freedom.  This isn't true.  In fact, laws create and maintain freedom.  

Imagine trying to play a football game without creating boundaries.  It would be impossible to play the game.  Establishing the side lines, end zones, and yardage markers makes the game possible.  

It's the same in life.  Without establishing boundaries, laws and rules over behavior, life would be chaos.  

Cecil B DeMille, producer of Hollywood's Ten Commandments, gave the Commencement address at Brigham Young University in 1957.  In that speech he said, 

"We are too inclined to think of law as something merely restrictive—something hemming us in. We sometimes think of law as the opposite of liberty. But that is a false conception. That is not the way that God’s inspired prophets and lawgivers looked upon the law. Law has a twofold purpose. It is meant to govern and it is also meant to educate. Take, for example, one of the most ordinary, everyday laws affecting all of us—the traffic regulations. The traffic laws, when they are observed, prevent accidents. They also produce good drivers. That is their educational function." (read entire speech here)

Doctrine & Covenants 38:22 states, "Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people" Obedience to God makes us free.  Obedience to just laws allows us to live our lives in peace and freedom.  

True freedom is the ability to act rather than be acted upon.  Some people believe freedom meaning being able to act any way they want.  They believe laws limit their actions.  Let's examine this mode of thinking.

Laws limit the speed you can drive on a roadway.  So yes, the law is limiting your speed, but at the same time, the law is freeing you from the consequences of driving too fast.  The law that limits you from driving too fast, frees you (and all the rest of us) from death, injury, and property damage.  

The universe is ruled by cause and effect, or in other words... law.  Obedience to universal law creates freedom to continue acting.  Disobedience results in you being acted upon by the effects that you, or someone else, caused through failure to obey the law.  When you are "acted upon", you are not free.  

The peace and freedom we enjoy is the result of just laws and the fact that most people respect and obey the laws.  It requires maintenance.  It doesn't just happen on its own.  

Those Who Fight Monsters & the Need for a Warrior Code

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Warriors throughout history lived according to strict codes that guided their actions.  The Samurai lived by Bushido, The Way of the Warrior.  Medieval knights had the Code of Chivalry.  These codes may have been lost to history, but among modern warrior circles, their ideals still live.... but I don't think give them the respect and adherence as we should.

Military and Law Enforcement personnel must live by a moral code.  It must sink deep into their souls and become part of who they are.  In fact, it must become who they are.  If not, the job will destroy them.

Adhering to a moral code keeps us from becoming the monsters we fight.  I often tell people, "We hunt the evil most people pretend does not exist."  We go out and search for everything our mothers taught us to avoid.  We go into the worst places, search out the worst people, and see the worst things this world has to offer.  You can't do that and not be affected by it.

Time and time again I see good people wander into the abyss and never find their way back out.  This job destroys them.  I believe that is why warrior societies throughout history placed such emphasis on their Codes.  I don't think we place enough emphasis on living by a moral code today.  We pay lip service to creeds and codes, but too often that's where it ends.

For me, the code I live by is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I can't avoid the abyss.  It's my duty to go into the darkness, but Christ's teachings illuminate my path, guide my actions and show me the way back out.  I'm not perfect, not by a long shot, but the Code (if you will) established by Christ sets the standard.

In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi tells of a vision in which he saw an iron rod leading along a narrow path, through mists of darkness.  Those who cling to the iron rod, eventually make it to the Tree of Life and a type of paradise.  Those who let go of the rod are lost in the mists of darkness and wander away into destruction.  

This imagery describes what I see working in law enforcement and military roles.  You must have a code to cling to or you will lose your way in the darkness.  For me it's my religious beliefs.  It may be different for you.  I've known a lot of great cops and soldiers who aren't particularly religious, but they live by a strong, moral code.  Those who don't live by a code, don't make it.  I've seen it over and over again.  They are drawn into the abyss and consumed by it.

So if you fight monsters, or want to some day, find a moral code and make it part of your life.  Let it become who you are so you can never be separated from it.  

A line from the movie Act of Valor states,

 "Before my father died, he said the worst thing about growing old was that other men stopped seeing you as dangerous. I've always remembered that, how being dangerous was sacred, a badge of honor. You live your life by a code, an ethos. Every man does. It's your shoreline. It's what guides you home. And trust me, you're always trying to get home."

What is your code?

Policeman by Paul Harvey

To The Warrior Queens

To my Warrior Queen:

She sleeps alone so you can sleep safely.
She solves many problems by herself so I can help you with yours.
She watches me walk out the door not knowing if I'm coming back.
She is never given a medal.
She doesn't wear a uniform or a badge.
She is never honored by the public she serves.
She worries because she knows that I run toward danger rather than away from it.
She has by back while I'm watching yours.
She is cut from the same cloth I am.
She is forged from the same elements that I am.
She is tougher, stronger and more dedicated than I am.
She is my Warrior Queen.

For over 20 years you have served me, our family, our community and our nation. Thank you for your service.

Note: Law Enforcement and military spouses sacrifice and serve every bit as much, if not more, than we do.  Their sacrifice allows us to do what we do.  If it wasn't for them, our nation and our communities would be in trouble.  Serving in the military and law enforcement, I've had so many people come shake my hand and thank me for my service.  But I've never seen anyone shake my wife's hand and thank her for her service.  She has moved around this world and from State to State serving right beside me. 

Christ said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  She has laid down her life, so many of her hopes and dreams,  and much of the nice things life has to offer.  Most people will pass her by and never recognize her sacrifices for them, but I know that the God of Heaven looks down and sees all that she does... and smiles.

Meet the Mormons - Coming in Oct 2014

God's Not Dead

God's not dead.  I meet Him every night at work and I thank Him for one more day.  The sun is coming up... time to go home to bed!

Church is For Sinners and All Should Be Welcome

On Saturday morning we received a call on a road rage incident.  A couple of us responded and found some people yelling and shouting at each other.  We separated them and I tried talking to a woman and she started screaming at me.  I told her she had about 1 second to change her tone of voice with me or thing were going to go badly for her.

She calmed down and started telling her side of the story.  As it turned out, she was the aggressor and had started the whole thing.  She obviously had a very bad temper and had an excellent vocabulary of profanity.  We got everyone calmed down and sent them on their separate ways.

The next day, being Sunday, my family and I were attending a different ward* (I can't remember why).  We went into the chapel and sat down.  I felt someone looking at me and at the opposite end of the row we were sitting on was the lady I had dealt with in the street.  She whispered something to her friend and then both of them looked at me and giggled.

My first thought was, "I can't believe she comes to church and then acts that way.  She should know better."  And in that moment, the Lord taught me a lesson that has changed my life and how I look at people... and myself as well.

Church is for sinners.  If we were perfect, we wouldn't need a church.  The best place for sinners is in church.  Where else are they going to learn to act better?  Where's the best place for someone with a bad temper to learn to control it... in church.  And guess what.... we're all sinners.  I think we often think of other people as being worse sinners than we are.  We judge the 'publicans and sinners' and don't count ourselves along with them.  Sin is sin.

In the Doctrine and Covenants 1:31, the Lord says, "For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;"  The Book of Mormon, in Alma 45:16 records, "And he said: Thus saith the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance."

Just because someone goes to church, they are not perfect.  And we should welcome all into our churches, because we no better than anyone.  It's time to put down our rocks and remember that Christ said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

So there we sat in church that Sunday, a sinner with a bad temper and a sinner that had thought himself a little better than some people.  After that day, I decided I'd put down my rocks and leave judgement up to Christ.  I have more faults than I can count so who am I to think anything bad about anybody?

Sheriff's Office vs Police Department

Is there a difference between Sheriffs and Police?  YES

Black's Law Dictionary defines the terms as follows:

DEPARTMENT: "One of the major divisions of the executive branch of the government....generally, a branch or division of governmental administration."

OFFICE: "A right, and correspondent duty, to exercise public trust as an office. A public charge of employment... the most frequent occasions to use the word arise with reference to a duty and power conferred on an individual by the government, and when this is the connection, public office is a usual and more discriminating expression... in the constitutional sense, the term implies an authority to exercise some portion of the sovereign power either in making, executing, or administering the laws."

The Office of Sheriff is not simply another "department" of county government. The internal operation of an Office of Sheriff is the sole responsibility of the elected Sheriff. County department heads are subordinate to a county governing body, because a "department" is truly only a division of county government.  The Office of Sheriff is a statutory/constitutional office having exclusive powers and authority under state law and/or state constitution.  These inherent powers are not subject to the dictates of a local county governing body.

The Office of Sheriff has inherent common law powers and sovereignty granted under a state's constitution and/or state law.  It is different from a county department which derives its limited authority from whatever is delegated to is by statute or by state constitution.

The use of the term "Department" implies being a subordinate unit of government (i.e.  subordinate to local government - "delegated" authority from county government to a Department). The use of the term "Office" implies inherent powers and independent sovereignty.

From: http://www.sheriffs.org/content/faq

A police department is hired by a city government such as a mayor or city council.  A police chief is not an elected official.  He or she is a city employee.  Police have jurisdiction in their town.  

Sheriffs have jurisdiction in a county.  Deputy Sheriffs are hired by the Sheriff and patrol the entire county.  Where police may patrol only a few square miles (filled with thousands of people), Deputy Sheriffs patrol hundreds of square miles... often by themselves with little or no backup.  

Sheriffs are also responsible for jails and courts.  Cities do not maintain their own jails.  A jail falls under the responsibility of the county Sheriff.  

The job can be much the same, unless you work for a Sheriff in the courts or jail, and Deputies and Police often work together and back each other on calls.  In my experience, having worked in both a police department and now currently for a sheriff's office, it seems like Deputies have a wider variety of calls and experiences.  I deal with everything from domestic disputes to loose horses country roads, Mexican cartels growing marijuana in the mountains to mountain lions stalking hikers.  Because we patrol such a large area, the types of things we deal with can be very different than what police officers see in a city.  

On Sheep, Wolves, and SheepDogs... and Skunks

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.” Or, as a sign in one California law enforcement agency put it, “We intimidate those who intimidate others.”

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath--a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

The gift of aggression

"What goes on around you... compares little with what goes on inside you." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone has been given a gift in life. Some people have a gift for science and some have a flair for art. And warriors have been given the gift of aggression. They would no more misuse this gift than a doctor would misuse his healing arts, but they yearn for the opportunity to use their gift to help others. These people, the ones who have been blessed with the gift of aggression and a love for others, are our sheepdogs. These are our warriors.

One career police officer wrote to me about this after attending one of my Bulletproof Mind training sessions:

"I want to say thank you for finally shedding some light on why it is that I can do what I do. I always knew why I did it. I love my [citizens], even the bad ones, and had a talent that I could return to my community. I just couldn’t put my finger on why I could wade through the chaos, the gore, the sadness, if given a chance try to make it all better, and walk right out the other side."
Let me expand on this old soldier’s excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are dozens of times more likely to be killed, and thousands of times more likely to be seriously injured, by school violence than by school fires, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their children is just too hard, so they choose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.”

Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. As Kipling said in his poem about “Tommy” the British soldier:

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind," But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind, There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind, O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001, when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

While there is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, he does have one real advantage. Only one. He is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory acts of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

However, when there were cues given by potential victims that indicated they would not go easily, the cons said that they would walk away. If the cons sensed that the target was a "counter-predator," that is, a sheepdog, they would leave him alone unless there was no other choice but to engage.

One police officer told me that he rode a commuter train to work each day. One day, as was his usual, he was standing in the crowded car, dressed in blue jeans, T-shirt and jacket, holding onto a pole and reading a paperback. At one of the stops, two street toughs boarded, shouting and cursing and doing every obnoxious thing possible to intimidate the other riders. The officer continued to read his book, though he kept a watchful eye on the two punks as they strolled along the aisle making comments to female passengers, and banging shoulders with men as they passed.

As they approached the officer, he lowered his novel and made eye contact with them. “You got a problem, man?” one of the IQ-challenged punks asked. “You think you’re tough, or somethin’?” the other asked, obviously offended that this one was not shirking away from them.

“As a matter of fact, I am tough,” the officer said, calmly and with a steady gaze.

The two looked at him for a long moment, and then without saying a word, turned and moved back down the aisle to continue their taunting of the other passengers, the sheep.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, “Let’s roll,” which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers--athletes, business people and parents--from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

“Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men." - Edmund Burke   Reflections on the Revolution in France

Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to slaughter you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, “I will never be caught without my gun in church.” I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a police officer he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down 14 people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy’s body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for “heads to roll” if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids’ school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?”

The warrior must cleanse denial from his thinking. Coach Bob Lindsey, a renowned law enforcement trainer, says that warriors must practice “when/then” thinking, not “if/when.” Instead of saying,“If it happens then I will take action,” the warrior says, “When it happens then I will be ready.”

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: You didn’t bring your gun; you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by fear, helplessness, horror and shame at your moment of truth.

Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot and first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, says that he knew he could die. There was no denial for him. He did not allow himself the luxury of denial. This acceptance of reality can cause fear, but it is a healthy, controlled fear that will keep you alive:

"I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit." - Brigadier General Chuck Yeager   Yeager, An Autobiography

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation:

"..denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn’t so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling. Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level."

And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.

If you are a warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be “on” 24/7 for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... “Baa.”

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-grass sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth. 

The above was taken from: http://www.killology.com/sheep_dog.htm

And then the Skunks....

Skunks are nasty critters, not particularly dangerous, but stinky, smelly vermin that just stink things up for everyone.  Law enforcement officers spend most of their time dealing with the skunks of society.  Wolves are rare, but skunks are plentiful.  Wolves come to town only occasionally, but skunks are everywhere.  

I'll never forget an officer from Memphis, TN that I met years ago.  He'd flown all the way out here to Utah to attend an instructor level firearms course at Camp Williams.  He'd never been to Utah before so every evening he took in the sights of Salt Lake City.  One morning he said to us, "Ya'll have got the cleanest city I've ever seen.  I've been all over this city and I haven't seen hardly any of the 'thugs and shitheads' (his exact words) like we've got back home."

Funny as it was, we all have our share of thugs and s#*%heads.  I deal with them nearly every day, but I always have an eye out for the wolf lurking in the shadows because it's not a matter of if he will attack, it's when.