Presented on Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 01:30P

The concept of police officers as warriors, whether we like it or not, has run through our profession for more than a century. And the institutionalized “wars” on crime, drugs, gangs, and terrorism have greatly contributed to the warrior mentality. Yet, when you ask police officers why they chose to become an officer, most of them say they wanted to help people and help their community. This is consistent with the guardian mindset.

The discussion about reengineering use of force and changing from a warrior to guardian mentality has to be part of a larger discussion about reexamining the role of police in a democratic society, even to the point of how we structure police agencies, beginning with how and who we hire. This module will examine key factors used to determine if a law enforcement candidate is hired by a given agency or department, unquantifiable factors like a perceived attitude, non-traditional interpersonal skills, experimental drug use or undesirable family members, which serve as a catalyst for disqualifying a viable non-traditional or underrepresented candidate, and the practice of “weeding out” viable non-traditional or unrepresented law enforcement candidates using subjective smoke screens to cover the candidates true potential.

This discussion also addresses methods and best practices that can be useful in changing the culture of policing to reflect the guardian mentality that will lead to improved public safety, more effective crime fighting, and the foundation of trust necessary to form a true partnership between the police and the people we serve.