I have recently been thinking about what or who makes a good police officer. What are the ideal building blocks? What are the perfect ingredients in the recipe that serves society the best? I will readily admit that the following list is subjective at best and is solely my opinion for whatever that may be worth.

However, I do believe these are essential questions. As I see more and more good people leave the profession, I look ahead to the future. I also have had conversations with academies and agencies struggling to find volunteers who meet the basic qualifications. The lack of qualified people wanting to join the profession is concerning. We should pause as a society when we must cancel entire classes at an academy because of a lack of applicants. This is a problem that will genuinely affect everyone in the community.

First, let me lay the groundwork. Yes, this is solely an opinion piece written strictly for On The Blue Line; with that said, I have had the opportunity to work in law enforcement for more than ten years and have taught at a local law enforcement academy for more than three years. I also have held various roles in my law enforcement career, up to being a supervisor of investigators. I don’t believe that these facts give me any unique credentials in saying what does and does not make a good officer; however, what they do provide is exposure.

I have had exposure to numerous officers in numerous roles, and I have seen the core attributes that make the good ones great. I have also seen the pitfalls. I have seen the cautionary tales, the qualities lacking, that led to a career-ending decision. Law enforcement comprises of people, imperfect people. People with all the flaws and failures that make them human. People also with all the intrinsic qualities that can make them genuinely heroic.

“Law enforcement comprises of people, imperfect people. People with all the flaws and failures that make them human. People also with all the intrinsic qualities that can make them genuinely heroic. ”

What I am providing is not an exhaustive list; for the sake of brevity, I have only included the first two that I have observed. Depending on what the future brings, I will provide the rest in future posts as part of an ongoing series.

What makes a good officer?

Integrity.

I know, I know, how much more cliche can I be. Every law enforcement training I have attended since the academy mentioned integrity. An entry question they ask when you enter this career is: what is more important, integrity or loyalty? The assumed answer is integrity because you can be “loyal” to the wrong things or for the wrong reasons. Integrity is the safeguard when doing the right thing is not easy or popular.

A strong moral code is essential for a police officer. Ironically, though sadly, for as often as I have heard the mantra of integrity repeated, I can recall and provide you numerous illustrations of where those who sat in training with me are no longer in this career due to a lack of integrity. Integrity is not a choice solely when everything is going well and the correct decision is evident. Integrity is also a series of preplanned decisions that safeguard you when the answers are not so easy and sometimes not so straightforward.

Having strong moral principles is only part of the process of living from a place of integrity. You must also have a decision-making paradigm built around them. You have to say; I am not going to put myself in this position or that position so that there is no way I will struggle to do the right thing. Integrity also requires a preplanned adherence to this decision. Almost everyone wants to do the right thing when it is easy. However, you must swear that you will do the right thing, even when it is the hard thing. Often, I have seen good people fall in this exact moment. Their career was exceptional; they were known for being a person who knew right and wrong and a person of integrity. However, when the hard choice came, they failed to make the right choice because it was not the easy choice. They had not sworn always to do the right thing no matter the cost, or if they did, they could not keep this promise to themself.

If someone is lacking in integrity, law enforcement is not the career for them. There are many safeguards in place to help weed out potential issues with integrity in the application process. But no method is perfect or complete. When new officers enter this career, if we see a lack of integrity, it needs to be recognized and dealt with immediately. There can be no compromise.

If you are planning to enter this career, I encourage you to consider integrity. Do you have a fierce understanding of right and wrong? Do you do the right thing, even when it is unpopular or difficult? Do you have a plan in place, safeguards that will limit temptations and pitfalls? And should you find yourself in a difficult position, have you sworn to do the right thing no matter the cost?

Empathy

Empathy is another term used a lot in the law enforcement career and is often misunderstood. It is also an area where the years in this career often jade the officer, and empathy is the first thing to go. Empathy is not sympathy. We define sympathy as feeling sorry for someone’s misfortune. However, empathy is feeling their distress on a personal level. Their burden becomes your burden, if even for a moment.

Empathy is an important and dangerous thing. Empathy truly separates the good from the great cops. It is core to a victim-centered approach to investigations. Empathy allows you to feel what the victim says; in turn, the victim can feel that you genuinely care. There is, of course, a danger to this. Over time, empathy can quickly turn to apathy as burnout and resignation take a foothold. The constant onslaught of evil and human suffering takes its toll, and the once caring officer can find themselves no longer caring or, even worse, resenting those whom they serve.

Empathy is a core part of any great officer. For those considering this profession or already working in it, you probably have some naturally empathetic tendencies and qualities. You genuinely care or did care about others and, at some level, feel what they are going through. It is what motivated you to enter this profession in the first place and what drives you every day. I encourage you to strengthen this part of you, to safeguard it. It is not cliche to say, “Take care of yourself first.” It is something that we must do! If you choose not to tend to your well-being first, you will see a decline in empathy, and others will also notice it.

“Over time, empathy can quickly turn to apathy as burnout and resignation take a foothold. The constant onslaught of evil and human suffering takes its toll, and the once caring officer can find themselves no longer caring or, even worse, resenting those whom they serve. ”

It is not easy in the environment we serve to keep an others-centered focus and a caring heart. However, it is what the profession needs, and it must be the foundation upon which we build. These issues of integrity and empathy are not only core in every great officer; they are indeed the best of humanity. If law enforcement is to grow positively and bridge the divide in this country, these two building blocks must be present. I encourage you to consider your relationship with the qualities of integrity and empathy. Are they present? Are they strong? What can I do to grow, feed, and safeguard them?

These are the questions that difference makers ask and the questions from people who want to continue to grow and develop. These are the questions we all must ask if we are indeed to be the change we wish to see in our families and communities.

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Wayne Mulder is a law enforcement officer, speaker, writer and the host of the On The Blue Line podcast. Wayne is an advocate for law enforcement officer total health programs and a believer in empowering law enforcement officers in their personal lives. For more on his mission visit OnTheBlueLine.com.

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