I was at a law enforcement leadership training last week where we discussed recruiting and retaining good people in law enforcement. I thought a lot about what it takes to do this job.
There are all the things people often talk about; Courage, Compassion, Loyalty, and on and on.
Then there are a few other things like intelligence. Cops have to be able to make a decision in less one second that will take lawyers years to comprehend and answer. Lots of people think cops are knuckle dragging brutes, but you have to think fast and then be able to write down why you did what you did. Of course this can be tested and can aid in picking the right person for the job.
But being a good cop requires just a bit of craziness. This is what makes it hard to find the right people for this job. Too much craziness is a problem and too little craziness is also a problem. How do you measure and then determine the proper amount of craziness in order to be a good cop?
So maybe you take 1 Cup of Courage with 3/4 Cup of Compassion. Throw in a Tablespoon of Loyalty, a 1/2 Cup of Intelligence, and a Teaspoon of not needing to sleep... and then just a dash of craziness.
But that "dash" is the part we just can't figure out. Without enough craziness they won't do the job (because no sane, rational person would do what we do for what we get paid!). With too much craziness they would get killed faster than you can replace them.
Guess we'll just have to settle for that "dash" of craziness and hope it turns out right!
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