A Public Promise
06/08/16 04:32
Yesterday afternoon I attended a ceremony for swearing in new officers of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. We had a few new deputies, a few new corrections officers and booking technicians and group of temporary deputies who cover contract law enforcement in Wall, Hill City and the Forest Patrol to free up regular deputies for service during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. It takes quite a few extra officers to deal with all of the extra traffic duty, accident investigations and law enforcement that is part of inviting tens of thousands of guests into your neighborhood.
After the swearing-in ceremony we Chaplains get a half hour or so to present a brief introduction to law enforcement stress for the families of the new officers. It is a chance to help to communicate to families some information about the unique stresses involved in law enforcement and the tool and techniques that can help with stress management. It is important that not only our officers understand stress and learn to manage it well, but also their families understand the dynamics of living with an enforcement officer.
I was struck, once again, by the uniqueness of the swearing ceremony. I hope that the new deputies and officers also were impressed with the way we do things here in the United States. Central to our way of life is the presence of non-military law enforcement. In general, except in times of grave crisis, our military is trained, equipped and deployed to defend our country from threats that come from the outside. Our internal laws are enforced by an entirely different group of professionals, who are distinctly civilian.This is very different from many countries around the world where internal law enforcement is managed by the country’s military.
Our peace officers swear to uphold the constitution and laws of the United States, the State of South Dakota and the statutes of Pennington County. They stand before a judge, dressed in a robe with all of the trappings of a legal proceeding and make individual pledges to enforce the laws with all of the diligence, training and impartiality that they can bring to that task. It is a moment when we, as citizens ask other citizens to make a personal commitment not to the leaders of our land or to the hierarchy of officials, but rather to the fair and impartial enforcement of laws.
When we say that we are a nation of laws, we really mean it. It is a fundamental principal of our democracy.
Of course as I look down the ranks of new officers, many of them seem really young to me. That isn’t because they are too young for the responsibilities we give them. It is just that I’m getting old and I am aware of how much there is that still needs to be taught by basic experience. These young officers will have a few hard knocks and a bit of trial by fire before they become seasoned officers, but their energy and enthusiasm is a great benefit to the Sheriff’s office team.
Part of our responsibility as chaplains is to provide young officers with appropriate ways of diffusing stress, opportunities to learn from their mistakes, and regular communication of the support of the community for them in their chosen profession.
The sad truth is that those engaged in law enforcement are prone to a lot of the effects of stress including poor health statistics, higher than average divorce and suicide rates and a host of other problems. When what you do for a living each day is deal with society’s chronic problems, you begin to get the sense that everyone out there is a problem. There can quickly develop an “us” and “them” mentality among law enforcement officers. As chaplains, we seek to provide opportunities and experiences for our officers to see another part of this community in which we live and to learn effective ways of dealing with the stresses of their profession so that they can be fully engaged members of the community.
It is a big challenge and looking at the officers as they take their oaths, I am aware of how big our responsibility is.
the thing that I wish I could capture and retain from yesterday’s ceremony is the idealism and enthusiasm of the young officers. They are genuinely convinced that their role as law enforcement officers will make the community safer and more livable for all of the people of our community. I know that over the years they will be tempted to become cynical. They will collect enough experiences that make them question the basic goodness of their fellow citizens. They will see enough trauma and discord to color their opinion of the people of our community. Some day, years from now, some chaplain will need to once again remind them of what they believed on their swearing-in day. They will need to be reminded of the oath they took and how much it meant to them at the time they were sworn. And they will need to be reminded that they once believed in the goodness of people and the power of impartial law enforcement to build up the community.
Yesterday, however, wasn’t the day to warn the new deputies of the hard times that lie ahead for them. It wasn’t the day to caution them about their own mental health and the threats to their life and health that come not from armed perpetrators of violent crime, but from the cumulative effects of long days with too short breaks and too many stressful situations appropriately handled, but inadequately diffused after the fact. It was a day to celebrate their commitment.
And it was a day to remind ourselves that we believe in the power of effective laws impartially enforced. Each of us has a responsibility to uphold those laws and to remind our fellow citizens that our community depends on everyone doing their part.
Congratulations deputies. May your careers be long and successful. And may you never forget the goodness of the people that you serve.
After the swearing-in ceremony we Chaplains get a half hour or so to present a brief introduction to law enforcement stress for the families of the new officers. It is a chance to help to communicate to families some information about the unique stresses involved in law enforcement and the tool and techniques that can help with stress management. It is important that not only our officers understand stress and learn to manage it well, but also their families understand the dynamics of living with an enforcement officer.
I was struck, once again, by the uniqueness of the swearing ceremony. I hope that the new deputies and officers also were impressed with the way we do things here in the United States. Central to our way of life is the presence of non-military law enforcement. In general, except in times of grave crisis, our military is trained, equipped and deployed to defend our country from threats that come from the outside. Our internal laws are enforced by an entirely different group of professionals, who are distinctly civilian.This is very different from many countries around the world where internal law enforcement is managed by the country’s military.
Our peace officers swear to uphold the constitution and laws of the United States, the State of South Dakota and the statutes of Pennington County. They stand before a judge, dressed in a robe with all of the trappings of a legal proceeding and make individual pledges to enforce the laws with all of the diligence, training and impartiality that they can bring to that task. It is a moment when we, as citizens ask other citizens to make a personal commitment not to the leaders of our land or to the hierarchy of officials, but rather to the fair and impartial enforcement of laws.
When we say that we are a nation of laws, we really mean it. It is a fundamental principal of our democracy.
Of course as I look down the ranks of new officers, many of them seem really young to me. That isn’t because they are too young for the responsibilities we give them. It is just that I’m getting old and I am aware of how much there is that still needs to be taught by basic experience. These young officers will have a few hard knocks and a bit of trial by fire before they become seasoned officers, but their energy and enthusiasm is a great benefit to the Sheriff’s office team.
Part of our responsibility as chaplains is to provide young officers with appropriate ways of diffusing stress, opportunities to learn from their mistakes, and regular communication of the support of the community for them in their chosen profession.
The sad truth is that those engaged in law enforcement are prone to a lot of the effects of stress including poor health statistics, higher than average divorce and suicide rates and a host of other problems. When what you do for a living each day is deal with society’s chronic problems, you begin to get the sense that everyone out there is a problem. There can quickly develop an “us” and “them” mentality among law enforcement officers. As chaplains, we seek to provide opportunities and experiences for our officers to see another part of this community in which we live and to learn effective ways of dealing with the stresses of their profession so that they can be fully engaged members of the community.
It is a big challenge and looking at the officers as they take their oaths, I am aware of how big our responsibility is.
the thing that I wish I could capture and retain from yesterday’s ceremony is the idealism and enthusiasm of the young officers. They are genuinely convinced that their role as law enforcement officers will make the community safer and more livable for all of the people of our community. I know that over the years they will be tempted to become cynical. They will collect enough experiences that make them question the basic goodness of their fellow citizens. They will see enough trauma and discord to color their opinion of the people of our community. Some day, years from now, some chaplain will need to once again remind them of what they believed on their swearing-in day. They will need to be reminded of the oath they took and how much it meant to them at the time they were sworn. And they will need to be reminded that they once believed in the goodness of people and the power of impartial law enforcement to build up the community.
Yesterday, however, wasn’t the day to warn the new deputies of the hard times that lie ahead for them. It wasn’t the day to caution them about their own mental health and the threats to their life and health that come not from armed perpetrators of violent crime, but from the cumulative effects of long days with too short breaks and too many stressful situations appropriately handled, but inadequately diffused after the fact. It was a day to celebrate their commitment.
And it was a day to remind ourselves that we believe in the power of effective laws impartially enforced. Each of us has a responsibility to uphold those laws and to remind our fellow citizens that our community depends on everyone doing their part.
Congratulations deputies. May your careers be long and successful. And may you never forget the goodness of the people that you serve.