When I first heard the awkward, high-pitched, horn-like sound emitting from a bagpipe, I questioned the musical integrity of the instrument. I couldn’t exactly envision myself sitting back in an armchair, wearing my smoker’s jacket, sipping a fine brandy, listening to the LP of “The World’s Greatest Bagpipe Hits”. But after 15 years in law enforcement, I now have come to understand the magic, beauty, and emotion that free flows from these amazing instruments. When large numbers of Irish immigrants came to the United States in the 1840s, many had difficulty finding work. They were only able to apply for unwanted, dangerous, and difficult jobs, including those of firefighter and police officer. So it follows that when one of them was killed in the line of duty, the Irish community would hold a traditional Irish funeral, which included the beautiful bagpipes. Over time, this tradition spread to all of those killed in the line of duty, regardless of their heritage. Unfortunately, you will have an opportunity to hear bagpipes this Friday if you listen to, watch, or go to the services for Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy Heath Gumm. While attempting to question a suspect involved in a dispute in Thornton, Colorado, he was killed after being shot several times in the chest. Gumm is one of eight officers to die in the line of duty, five of them by gunfire in America, since the beginning of the year. Here’s why the death of a peace officer is so significant to our community. Police officers are the defenders of our society. They are symbols of peace and justice. They are the reason we are afforded our quality of life. If all police officers left the job right now, there would be rioting, looting, and anarchy within hours, all over America’s streets. We have seen just how quickly that scenario can materialize after major events like Hurricane Katrina. Police officers are the reason we can sleep peacefully, voice our opinions, or take our Louis Vuitton bag out in public to go get a latte at Starbucks. The most valuable thing any of us have is our lives. It’s more valuable than money, possessions, or knowledge. Surely even Steve Jobs would have traded in all his billions of dollars to continue to live. We as a society recognize and acknowledge the sanctity of human life, and this belief is reflected in our laws and religions. Yet police officers go out everyday and literally gamble their lives for the peace and prosperity of strangers. They drive INTO the chaos, violence, and danger while everyone else is running AWAY. For these reasons, the death of a police officer deserves our time, respect, and attention. It’s important to pay tribute to the men and women who are the modern day heroes of our world, especially when one of them is ripped away from their family, friends and loved ones by a criminal intent on disrupting our beautiful way of life. After 15 years in law enforcement, I was the recipient of many awards and commendations. Yet despite all of the “official” recognition, ceremonies, medals and plaques, the moments when I felt the most proud of what I was doing and had the greatest satisfaction was upon seeing the many thousands of supporters who came out to show their appreciation and thanks to a fallen officer. It was paradoxical to be so filled with grief for the loss of a fellow brother or sister, but at the same time to also be reinvigorated to go out and do the job. The profound reason many officers are renewed on the day of such heavy loss is because YOU came out to remind us of why we serve. You see, your support means something. It’s a reminder that the silent majority, whom the police rarely hear from, are still there and that they appreciate the police and their sacrifice. It’s a reminder that every day when an officer goes through the painstakingly long and involved process of donning the uniform and all 23 pounds of equipment, that it’s still worth it. It’s a reminder that the good people we are saving outnumber the bad we endure. I encourage everyone to take some time out of your day on Friday to honor Deputy Gumm, his service, and sacrifice in whatever way you can. Your support will not only pay tribute to him, but it will also remind all of the many warriors still out there doing a thankless job why they get dressed every day. Your support will also send a message to the small faction of people intent on bringing anarchy and chaos to our streets that we stand united and that we outnumber them by far. There are many ways to show your support. Attend the funeral if you can, watch the coverage on television if you can’t, share an article of support, donate to Deputy Gumm’s memorial fund, or think of your own way to show your support for the police. And if you have a chance to hear the bagpipes for yourself this week, with a heavy heart and a salute of thanks, allow their magical melody to electrify your nerves and feel the healing of our wounds begin. **Steve Warneke is a speaker, broadcaster, police expert, and author. Find his book From Boy To Blue and more from Steve at www.SteveWarneke.com.** #heathgumm #adamscountysheriff #deputygumm #police #stevewarneke #Fox31 #FoxKDVR #deborahtakahara #policeofficers #bagpipes #officerfuneral

When the founding fathers wrote the First Amendment of the Constitution, I bet they never could have imagined the power and influence the press would eventually wield and subsequently abuse, or how ratings and advertising would control the content of the news media. Today’s press is now a threat to the truth and justice for which the Constitution was written to uphold. The media has strayed from merely reporting the news, to influencing public opinion one way or the other. Even if an actual news story is technically unbiased, sometimes their influence is exerted by the mere content they choose to report on. For instance, certain politicians may make a mistake and it’s barely noted if at all, while other politicians make a similar misstep and the news media coverage goes on for weeks and weeks. Other times the media cherry picks their facts in order to make a case. They use omission, misrepresentation, and allegations by anyone, despite their agenda, to raise questions and concerns about an issue. But it’s now, at this time in history, that the growing percentage of the population is fed up and tired of being told what to think. These same people understand the media needs to be reigned in—a lot. Finally, it’s beginning to happen. The media is about to get the haircut they so desperately need and it is not going to come in the form of a constitutional amendment or even legislation. Instead, it seems the evolution of technology and social media is beginning to affect this change. People, agencies, departments, and organizations are taking back control over their own messages. We are now able to provide our own narrative fairly and more thoroughly than the press by releasing our own content, complete with videos, statements, pictures, and more online. The best example of this is President Trump. Despite the media’s best efforts (and they are in an all out frenzy over this guy) the President controls his own messages, content, and narrative through social media. Like him or hate him, the media is far less effective against this president than ever before in history. Perhaps a less controversial example is the recent video released by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The video, featuring Sheriff Tony Spurlock tells the public what happened the night 5 deputies were shot, one fatally on December 31, 2017. The headline from the local media following the release of the video read, “Douglas County Sheriff Releases a Video Showing Portions of Deadly Deputy Zack Parrish Shooting.” The significance of this headline is that none of the local news agencies were “first” or could brag about the story being “exclusive.” Why? Because the ones to break the story, control the content and message, and release the video footage was the involved sheriff’s office. Instead, the media was relegated to retelling the story the sheriff’s department had already shared—the way they wanted it told. The sheriff’s video was very professional. It was scripted, had proper lighting, videography and was well edited. It contained body camera footage, a timeline, and the thoughts from the sheriff regarding the actions of the deputies that night. It also honored the fallen officer, Deputy Zachari Parrish, for his sacrifice. The sheriff’s video on Facebook has over one and a half million views and climbing. When I served as a supervisor in media relations at the Denver Police Department, we were among the first few agencies to begin releasing and controlling our own content. We were also pioneers in law enforcement regarding our efforts to change the false narrative against police by telling our own stories of the good work the men and women in blue do every single day. We put out videos, newscasts, interviews, and more. I also produced monthly audio podcasts with the Chief that answered questions from the rank and file. We grew our Facebook and Twitter followers into the tens of thousands. We controlled our own messages. It was and still is a very effective form of communication. We should see more police executives following suit and they needn’t wait until an officer is killed to make a video. This can be done after an officer involved shooting, a controversial event, or to combat a media story in which the subject department was treated unfairly or their interview “cut up” in order to make them look bad. I left the Denver Police Department in part because being on the front lines of this war on the cops I needed to have more freedom and latitude to say and put out the kinds of things I believed would help mend the relationship between police officers and the citizens. For example, a recent podcast of mine debunked a local news story from a Denver television station who raised concerns about an officer involved shooting. I believed the news story to be a poor representation of the facts. It was the exact kind of media coverage that is responsible for the false narrative prevailing in this country that the police are out of control. I was able to break down the story, show piece by piece why I believed it was flawed, and then I presented evidence from the District Attorney’s investigation to also assist in proving the officer’s actions were reasonable and appropriate. I didn’t have to sell my story to some newspaper, magazine, or television station. I didn’t have to convince a news editor or program director to put my story on the air. Instead, I just got out my camera, recorded what it was I needed to say and put it out there for the world to see, for those that wanted the truth. Now, I certainly don’t have the viewership of that local Denver station, not yet at least, but my podcast has been seen by thousands of people so far and grows every week. And since this tapering of the news media’s power and influence is in its infancy, well that’s a good start. So while the founding fathers may not have anticipated that freedom of the press would have spiraled as far as it has, we can all be assured a remedy is already en route. The basic tenets they laid out were so amazingly brilliant as to enable us to become the strongest, richest, and most prosperous nation on earth in a relatively short period of time. I believe the founding fathers did have the foresight to know not to legislate too many rules and regulations. They built our nation on good basic principles and then left us in charge of giving the haircuts—however we see fit. **Steve Warneke is a speaker, broadcaster, police expert, and author. Find his book From Boy To Blue and more from Steve at www.SteveWarneke.com.

It’s been called the Friday news dump. That is the practice of releasing news on a Friday in hopes that the story doesn’t get the attention it deserved because of the impending weekend distractions. I’m not sure if it was a coincidence, but a Friday is the day we got to hear one of the most positive police stories in recent memory. And one thing is for certain—we haven’t heard a lot more about the Washington, D.C. study since it was released. So, just why didn’t we get to hear a ton of commentary about the results from the biggest study on police body worn cameras, or BWCs, since their inception? Why is it we aren’t hearing news network debates, late night talk show comments, or panels of expert opinions on this study? Probably because it’s not sexy, it’s anticlimactic, and certainly goes against much of what the news loves to cover so often. BWCs began being used in many police departments across the country, and almost every other agency in the nation committing to future use, after a string of high profile police incidents. They were going to hold police accountable and reduce the incidents where police used force. The largest study just released was conducted using 2,224 officers in the Washington, D.C. police department, which found BWCs have no detectable, meaningful effect on documented uses of force incidents or civilian complaints. Previously, the main study cited for the use of body cameras (and the one used on the website of Axon, who has sold over 300,000 of them) was a 2013 experiment using only 54 officers from Rialto, California. Another study by the NYPD is expected out this spring. Take a moment and think back over the last couple of years and recall the times you’ve come across released footage of a body camera. The vast majority of instances have corroborated what officers and police executives already knew, before $40 million dollars of taxpayer money was spent—in a supermajority of cases, officers are reasonable and appropriate in their instances of use of force. Perhaps the police were doing the right thing in the first place? Let that possibility sink in for a few moments—the men and women in blue deserve it. When this all began, naturally most of the officers were against the idea of body cameras. Everyone assumed it was because they were heavy-handed and doing things they shouldn’t be. Very few stopped to imagine how it would feel if a body camera were attached to YOU everyday at work. Adding insult to injury was that these men and women who were going out everyday putting their lives on the line for complete strangers were not only being chastised, but also having their accounts of what had occurred being doubted. Even now, critics site recent reform of the Washington, D.C. police as the reason why the study didn’t reveal the conclusions they so desperately wanted. They continue to site bumper sticker platitudes, make everything partisan, and point to the one or two major examples nationwide every year where an officer’s actions were criminal. There was however some good that came out of police body cameras. Body cam footage exonerated a ton of police officers in questionable cases and justified their actions. This footage was used in court to obtain convictions and also to train officers. The big question is after spending all this money, did implementing body cameras increase the public’s trust or help improve the perception of the job police are doing? Or did the Friday news dump and lack of coverage mean you didn’t even hear about it? **Steve is a writer, speaker, consultant and police expert. You can find his book and more from Steve at www.SteveWarneke.com.

In life, the more coping tools a person has to deal with different types of people and situations, the more successful that person will be. Different people respond to different things. Some people will shape up if all you do for them is empathize and lend an ear without judgment. Others need only autonomy and trust to go out and do the right thing. Still others respond very well to regimented guidelines and rules about how to behave. Occasionally, there are few who need a dose of physical discipline or its emotional twin—tough love. The world is witnessing a large percentage of a generation of adults now entering society whose parents did not exact any physical discipline or use much tough love. Studies have shown the number of parents who spank their children have been steadily declining since 1985. My own personal observation and life experience corroborate this for me. In fact, an even larger percentage of today’s children are headed down the exact same path as their undisciplined elders. I recently attended a wedding where I watched one of these kids walk all over the parents, misbehave, run into people, pout, knock things over and was just in general, a terrible little child. For a moment I could see into the future and see the adult-him. He reeked of a future bully who was still a brat that nobody liked. He was still running around misbehaving, pouting and knocking things over without care or fear of consequences. It seems people who were raised without any discipline are everywhere. They grew up in a world where everyone got a trophy, they never learned how to compromise, and their parents took their side, even when they were wrong. Moreover, they almost always get their way, believe the world owes them something, never learned how to listen, and don't respond well to any type of authority. They are usually the ones living at home in their late 20’s or 30’s who haven’t accomplished much and are still waiting for what they believe they deserve to just magically fall into their laps. Life hasn’t taught them much either, because they’ve typically been so sheltered and spoiled, they haven’t logged much time out there on their own in the real world. I honestly believe parents who subscribe to beliefs about not using tough love or physical discipline actually have honorable intentions. They are doing everything in their power to try to stop their children from having to experience anything uncomfortable. And while that goal is sweet and loving, it's unrealistic—no person can protect another from the uncomfortable parts of life. We all get our turn to experience failure, loss, sadness, rejection and grief. It’s an important part of life and it also happens to be the time when people experience the most growth and change. It’s going through these negative experiences that make victory, love, success, fulfillment and acceptance so wonderful. It follows then that parents who subscribe to this “protect my child from anything negative” goal don’t want spank their kids, don’t discipline them, and don’t ever use the tool of tough love. But here’s the important part of tough love—many people need it. Many people respond to it. Many people will grow and change because of it. It’s a very important method to incorporate into your toolbox. When I was in middle school, there was a day I was standing outside the band room when I got this wild (and stupid) idea that I was going to embarrass one of the kids in the school that nobody really liked. As a big group of us stood in the hallway chatting and laughing, I noticed my target getting ready to exit the classroom. As he came out, I jump-kicked the door shut. I was just trying to get a laugh out of everyone at this boy’s expense. When I did this, the door hit him in the head and he fell backwards on the floor. Although that was not my intention, I felt I had no choice but to pretend that it was and laugh at him as he lay on the floor. After a few moments when this boy got his bearings back and saw who had done that to him, he came charging straight at me. He punched me so hard in the face that the entire row of braces on my bottom front teeth lodged into my lip. As I bled into the bathroom sink with the water running, slowly dislodging one brace after another from behind my now punctured inside lip, I thought to myself, “Boy, did I have that comin’!” When I told my parents what had happened to my swollen, bloody lip, they both said, “Well, you had that comin’ didn’t you?” They didn’t call the school and demand the other boy be disciplined. They didn’t sue. They didn’t yell and scream and blame the school staff for allowing violence in the halls. My parents realized it was an unpleasant experience, but they also understood I learned a very valuable lesson that day. That dose of humility has always stayed with me. I now understand my actions have consequences. When I became a police officer, I quickly found out one of the main job descriptions for a cop is “Parenting-For-Adults.” Police officers find themselves in the role of a parent for grownups who are acting like children. And, like real parents, police have much of the same powers. Officers can put grownups in timeout (jail), they can take away their allowance (fine), and they can even spank them (use of physical force). This country's trend of abatement of tough love and physical discipline has transferred over to the expected police response when dealing with citizens. Sadly, officers are facing more and more products of this trend, most who have little or no experience of being humbled, disciplined, or told no. We have turned loose into the world a large portion of the population who is spoiled, ungrateful and entitled. Life will (as life always does) humble people eventually as they make their way out of their parents’ basements and gain more and more life experience. Unfortunately for the police, it is the cops who most often find themselves in the role of doling out some of these life lessons. It’s up to the rest of us watching this unfold, to make sure we don’t take away tough love and physical discipline from the proverbial police toolbox. It’s up to the rest of us when we see instances of people finally receiving their slice of humility, to not rise up in anger and offense, but rather to exercise a little tough love of our own by understanding, “Boy, they had that comin’ didn’t they?” **Steve Warneke is a writer, speaker, consultant, police expert and author of From Boy To Blue. Find more from Steve at www.SteveWarneke.com

Current and Former Law Enforcement Participate in On-Going Study HERE! Introduction The job of law enforcement is critical to maintaining our way of life: If there were no police officers, society would descend into anarchy and chaos. The men and women who protect us sacrifice their lives every day for the peace and prosperity of strangers. After serving 15 years in law enforcement, I’ve observed another, hidden sacrifice many police officers are making simply by doing their jobs. Law enforcement produces a varying psychological toll among police officers. I have observed and noted signs of what I have termed Law Enforcement Distress Syndrome (LEDS) in different members of the law enforcement community, including myself, and have outlined the syndrome here. Not every person exhibits every symptom, and there are varying degrees of severity, but I have seen, know of, or observed each of the listed symptoms specifically in law enforcement personnel. I believe them to result from Law Enforcement Distress Syndrome. It is my sincere hope to use my research to help raise awareness so that police officers everywhere may receive proper treatment and support to improve their health, happiness, and overall quality of life. I am conducting ongoing research on LEDS and am looking for volunteers who are active, former, or retired law enforcement to take a 15-minute online survey. Please contact me at www.stevewarneke.com or steve@stevewarneke.com to receive your electronic survey. Thank you in advance. Sincerely, Ret. Sgt. Steve Warneke Law Enforcement Distress Syndrome Law Enforcement Distress Syndrome (LEDS) is defined as a psychological condition developed by some law enforcement officers due to prolonged exposure to continuous threat, violence, trauma, accidents, and crime. Symptoms may include hypervigilance, revenge/vengeance paranoia, distrust of others, antisocial behavior, fatalistic thinking, adrenaline addiction, depression, suicidal thoughts or actions, and alcohol or substance abuse issues, although it is possible that not every officer exhibits every symptom and there are varying degrees of severity. Risk Factors The exposure to constant threat and witnessing trauma, accidents, violence, victimization, and crime combined with unavailable or ineffective coping mechanisms has a direct correlation to the onset and severity of symptoms. The duration and frequency of exposure to these traumatic events also have a direct link. For instance, police officers in high-crime areas and/or large metropolitan patrols are quicker to exhibit a greater number and severity of symptoms. An additional significant factor contributing to LEDS and its severity is the culture and climate in which today’s police officers must work. A constant public barrage of negative stories and perceptions of law enforcement has created a general distrust and disrespect of police officers. An officer’s perception of a lack of trust, support, and appreciation by the public and/or their department’s administration can increase one or more of the following symptoms. Separation from the job in the form of retirement or other means does not necessarily resolve these symptoms. Often, the resulting loss of power and authority can exacerbate many of these symptoms as the affected individual tries to assimilate back into normal society. Signs and Symptoms Hypervigilance While vigilance is necessary as it helps officers stay safe and avoid falling victim to violence or injury, hypervigilance occurs when an officer believes excessive vigilance is necessary to eradicate perceived imminent danger even if the threat of danger is not real. This excessive behavior affects everyday relationships and significantly deteriorates an officer’s quality of life. Hypervigilance exists when an officer is constantly and continually evaluating their environment both on and off duty to the point where rest and relaxation become difficult or impossible. Hypervigilance can cause one to overreact to situations, and feel a constant state of anxiety and worry. These overreactions can occur anywhere: at grocery stores, movies, restaurants, public events, concerts, on airplanes, or other events and places where, in a supermajority of instances, a safe outcome is the most probable. In severe instances, hypervigilance is paralyzing and prevents the sufferer from relaxing or resting except for a few predetermined places, often at home, or to the extreme, only in specific rooms or places in that home or another safe area. Hypervigilance is also known to be a symptom of PTSD or exhibited in people who have witnessed or experienced extreme trauma. Revenge/Retaliation Paranoia Annually, multiple officers are targeted at work and at home as retaliation for their actions and/or the actions of law enforcement in general, even if their actions were reasonable and lawful. Again, a healthy amount of vigilance is necessary for officers and intelligence branches of law enforcement who are tasked with gathering threat information and protecting the law enforcement community. Revenge paranoia deviates from normal, healthy vigilance when it becomes a belief that many actions by a person both on and off duty will be answered with retaliation and revenge. This can cause the officer to acquiesce in situations even when the desired actions would have been just, fair, and well within their right to carry out. For instance, when dining at restaurants, officers suffering from LEDS will not send food back to the kitchen when prepared incorrectly, for fear that something will be done to the food. Making complaints to management, giving bad reviews, disputing minor parking violations, or handling neighborhood issues whether on or off duty all carry the perceived outcome of retaliation in the form of damage to property or injury to the officer and his or her family. Officers may begin to allow the fear of revenge or work complaints to discourage them from participating in activities with higher risk at work. Officers may gravitate away from conflict or from enforcement, trying instead to take reports or engage in activity that is perceived as a low threat risk to the officer. In more severe cases, officers begin to fear retaliation or hostile action for their regular activities, even when non-confrontational. The afflicted begin to think many of their actions, attitudes, or behaviors might cause others to try to persecute them. For instance, many officers won’t have an innocuous personal conversation in their car because they fear the administration is listening and they will get in trouble if they say anything wrong. Separation from the job can result in an increase in the severity of this symptom due to loss of protection that comes with having a position of power and authority. Distrust of Others and Motivations Police officers are commonly lied to while performing their duties. When speaking with the police, people of interest and suspects frequently lie about their name and other pedigree information, their intentions, and when explaining their actions. Over time, this creates a general distrust about information shared and creates an overwhelming need for proof or corroboration. Officers exhibiting this symptom of Law Enforcement Distress Syndrome begin to allow these thoughts to permeate their way into their personal lives and relationships. They begin to distrust most of what people say, even when interacting with friends and loved ones they once trusted. Compounding this symptom is the belief that nefarious, selfish, or criminal reasons motivate a person’s every action. Even the most selfless and altruistic action is not taken as such by police officers suffering from LEDS and is instead assigned a negative reason for occurring. Police officers with Law Enforcement Distress Syndrome believe that people only do good deeds because they believe it will ultimately benefit them in some way. For example, if an officer exhibiting this symptom sees two people shake hands in public, he or she might assume they’ve witnessed a drug deal. Lone females standing around become prostitutes. Nice gestures or gifts are only done because somebody wants something. In severe cases, this distrust will spread to include family, friends, and significant others, even those who at one time were trusted by the officer. Antisocial Behavior For many years, the “us versus them” mentality has been pervasive throughout law enforcement. While understandable to a degree, this general distrust of others and their motivation can morph into extremes. Over time, many officers may begin to associate only with pre-existing friends and family, and other police officers. It becomes difficult to make new friends and accept people who aren’t already in their inner circle. In extreme cases, some officers will begin to disassociate with existing friends and family because of the belief that they will be hurt and betrayed, convinced that others’ intentions are impure. Often, the severely affected will form their strongest bonds with dogs or other pets as a coping mechanism, believing animals are the only ones with pure intentions, capable of true love. Their relationship with these animals becomes their primary relationship in life, and abnormal caretaking ensues. For example, a person turns down social activities, vacations, and other outings, meanwhile using the care of their animals as the reason for the declination. Chronic Fear Caused by Fatalistic Thinking People engage in and complete many innocuous tasks every day, including driving to work, performing the duties of their job, making home improvements, going to events, and so on. Police officers respond to the small number of situations where these everyday activities have gone bad and an accident, negligence, or criminal behavior resulted in significant injury or death. Over time, police officers associate the severe trauma they witnessed with these regular activities. Police officers may experience this symptom in mild or major ways. In the mild form of this symptom, the affected believes he or she can carry out most tasks successfully because they know all the associated possible risks and precautions. When this occurs, the fear is often then projected onto loved ones. For instance, the officer may trust his or her ability to drive somewhere without incident but believes a loved one would be harmed if they attempted the same task. In more severe cases, the fear begins to affect the officer as well. The affected go beyond taking reasonable precautions into unnecessary ones or avoiding the activity altogether. Quality of life suffers when the officer cannot enjoy regular activities, stops participating in them, or prohibits others from taking part due to fear the activity will go bad, resulting in their death or the death of others. In severe cases, the person stops traveling, won’t engage in many activities, and starts to exhibit signs of becoming a recluse. Adrenaline Addiction Police work is unique in that officers are exposed to a range of circumstances. During any shift, a police officer may go from experiencing a quiet night to responding to a call or pursuing a suspect, driving at high speeds toward an event that is inherently life-threatening to the officer. This happens on a regular basis, depending on the size of the city and crime rate, multiple times a day. After years of experiencing these highs and lows, it becomes depressing when there exists long periods of time without adrenaline. Frustration, anger, and depression can be present while awaiting the next dump of adrenaline. After some time, officers who move from high-action assignments to desk or administrative functions can better notice the degree to which they have been affected by adrenaline addiction. Oftentimes it takes the removal of these situations to evaluate the person’s dependence on them. Much of the research and literature on adrenaline addiction states that those affected by this engage in risk-seeking behavior. There’s no difference in law enforcement. Sometimes it may put one’s self at unnecessary risk while on or off duty. Often, this means the affected person attempts to seek out more dangerous and high-stress positions within a police department like SWAT or undercover work. In severe cases, adrenaline addiction can lead people to engage in all types of risky behavior on or off duty. These could include high-risk sexual encounters, breaking the rules or law, and even substance abuse. Over time, severe addictions occur when a person becomes mentally and physically dependent on adrenaline, experiences a high or sensation, and feels they have to do it again to recapture the feeling. Depression/Suicidal Thoughts Depression in America is a major epidemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared that in 2014, one in every eight Americans over the age of 12 reported recent antidepressant use. While depression is not unique to law enforcement workers, it should mandate discussion for the instances it occurs within the ranks. Police officers around the country undergo a psychological change during their training. This change continues to strengthen throughout their career. This phenomenon is described and chronicled in Steve Warneke’s book From Boy To Blue—Becoming One of America’s Finest. Over time, officers can begin to exhibit signs of hypervigilance, paranoia, distrust, antisocial behaviors, and fatalistic thinking. Many times, there’s a general awareness of these changes occurring but a lack of understanding about how and why. With the prevalence and progression of many of these symptoms, coupled with a lack of understanding and awareness of their occurrence can cause the affected to experience depression. Those suffering from depression are then more likely to attempt suicide. Alcohol or Substance Abuse Issues Alcohol and substance abuse are also prevalent in today’s society, but how this abuse relates to and results from police officers’ work is the focus of this discussion. It is because police officers are under constant threat and must repeatedly bear witness to accidents, death, trauma, gore, and violence, that many of these symptoms begin to exist and grow. If there is not sufficient treatment, management, and prevention in place to keep Law Enforcement Distress Syndrome at a reasonable and appropriate level, over time the affected may turn to drugs and alcohol as a method of coping. In extreme cases of this abuse, officers can abuse alcohol and/or drugs to a point where it costs them their careers. If this occurs, the affected is more likely to increase the abuse to such extreme amount that it can cost them their lives. Identification Because this syndrome is newly defined, there is no recognized identification of LEDS as it’s described here. The hope is to create an awareness of this syndrome so first responders may recognize, identify, manage, and treat this condition. Instruction of this syndrome should take place at the entry level police academies as well as during recurrent wellness training. Currently, it is up to the officers personally to be aware of the signs and symptoms of LEDS and then to take the initiative to treat and manage the symptoms so as to prevent their increase and growth. Treatment Awareness is always the first key. A knowledge of the signs and symptoms will create an awareness of their existence should they occur. Naturally, there are members of the law enforcement community who will not be affected by LEDS. Those who are may not necessarily progress into more severe displays of some or all of the symptoms. In other words, the mere existence of LEDS does not mean it will progress if the coping skills of those affected are sufficient, the exposure level is decreased, or both. If neither of those exist, there can exist a gradual progression into the severity and number of symptoms an individual presents. Counseling is an important piece of treating and managing Law Enforcement Distress Syndrome. The severity and number of symptoms will determine the respective amount of counseling necessary. Counseling can help the affected deal with the trauma and find ways to assist in coping with the job so as to reduce the severity and number of symptoms they are experiencing. Support from family and friends is important. Having loved ones be aware of this phenomenon will also assist police officers in the awareness of the severity of the symptoms. If severe enough, seeking medication from a qualified medical professional may also be an option for those suffering from depression and anxiety from these symptoms. Oftentimes, the affected are so tied to their job that leaving without any separation assistance can make matters worse. However, over time and with proper coping, leaving police work and assimilating back into normal life can greatly reduce the number and severity of symptoms. Management There are many ways a police officer and the department can assist their employees with management. Depending on the individual, ongoing counseling may be enough to manage LEDS. Along with counseling, the department administration can also be of assistance. If LEDS is identified as a problem, a temporary change of assignment can help. Clerical, administrative, or teaching positions within a department may provide a much-needed break while the employee works through their issues. Some investigative positions may also provide some relief. However, investigative bureaus such as robbery, homicide, assaults where the detective is still subjected to repeated trauma, gore, and violence may not be as effective. Continuing education and honesty are important of the management of LEDS. The more awareness of this syndrome, the more effective the management and treatment will be. Prevention Due to the nature of police work and the necessary training that goes into preparing the men and women who protect us to successfully do the job, there may not be a way to prevent LEDS. Some of these symptoms in their root form are appropriate—vigilance, paranoia, and distrust in their basic forms are necessary for an officer to be safe and successful in law enforcement. Police officers need to be on guard and vigilant because it is a fact they are under constant threat while on-duty and oftentimes while off-duty as well. In order to keep safety paramount for officers, it is also necessary that police officers be aware of the possibility of retaliation and that they maintain a reasonable distrust of people and their motivations. It becomes problematic when these symptoms progress to a level as described above and police officers’ quality of life deteriorates or the symptoms progress to such a severe level that it inhibits the officer’s relationships and interactions to a debilitating level. Be on the lookout for when vigilance morphs into hypervigilance, or when paranoia and distrust progress to a level that inhibits healthy personal and professional relationships. These are signs that action needs to be taken. The other symptoms, antisocial behavior (outside the person’s regular state), chronic fear caused by fatalistic thinking, adrenaline addiction, depression, or drug and alcohol abuse should be concerning at the first sign of their presence. Steve Warneke is a retired sergeant and award winning author, contributor and speaker. Find more from Steve at www.SteveWarneke.com. #LawEnforcementDistressSyndrome #LEDS #Police #psychology #policeofficers #police #cops #personalgrowth #relationships #hypervigilance #revenge #vengeance #paranoia #depression #substanceabuse #drugs #alcohol #antisocialbehavior #fatalisticthinking #distrustofothers #adrenalineaddiction

After 15 years in law enforcement, one of the skills I am most proud about developing is that of being able to spot a creep. Over the years I’ve had to deal with many of them. I’ve heard of their suave, manipulative rhetoric as recounted by their victims, most of them women. I’ve heard how they weasel their way into people’s lives, getting close in order to take advantage of them. I’ve interviewed and investigated these predators, and having spent so much time with them, I feel like I can see them and their motivations better now. It almost feels like my eyes have become an x-ray machine, peering beyond people’s eyes into their soul, revealing much of their nefarious thoughts. It’s been both a blessing and a curse. Many people who know me chalk up my warnings to hyper-paranoia, but I know better. The times the universe has allowed the truth to be revealed, I am almost always right about people’s true intentions. At the book festival this past week, amongst all the beautiful weather, amazing authors, and loads and loads of interesting readers, I had the misfortune to come across a man who allowed me to exercise this skill in spotting a creep. It was a man who I could tell had a massive disdain for me immediately. But as I watched him come up with different excuses to come back over to my booth, I quickly figured out it was my marketing manager he had zeroed in on. She is approximately 40 years his junior, and over the course of the day, he slowly revealed himself to be a creeper. He would start off telling of his past accomplishments, of his connections and then made sure to dangle the carrot that perhaps he could use these to help our cause. But then there were several insinuations just barely sliding his toes across the proverbial line into the sexual realm. They were comments that had no place for an old man talking to a young woman at a book festival. Predators often tell tales or hint at how they are desired by others, in order for their victim to perceive them as desirable and highly sought after. Often times there’s unnecessary touching—a hand on a shoulder whenever the slightest opportunity exists to do so or a slight squeeze of the arm. Lechery should always be a red flag. Another tactic used by predators, is the attempt to make future plans, to secure the connection. Our creeper was very intent about cementing an event sometime in the future. This event is either mutually beneficial or is beneficial to their target, so that the target will want to follow up. There’s only one more step left at this point, and it’s to exchange contact information just before the targets are about to leave, which our predator also completed. The interesting thing is that even my marketing manager will be the first to tell you that her red flags were waving. She too felt he was creepy, but believed by being kind, courteous and keeping the contact professional, she was doing the right thing. Another worry of hers was coming off as rude or unfriendly. So, she did the polite thing and smiled, obliged his request for information and tried her best to keep things professional. Just like clockwork, the first Monday morning after the book fair, guess who called to follow up regarding all the possible plans that were offered? With yet more inappropriate suggestions? Yet another clue that something was not right. Here’s what I learned this weekend: Most people ALREADY HAVE a sense of when they are in a dangerous or predatory situation. They feel it. They have an inkling that something isn’t right. The difference is that they often put that feeling aside or ignore it because they are concerned that they will be perceived as rude or unfriendly, instead attempting to be kind to the creep. I can tell you first hand that even if a crime never comes to fruition after an encounter such as this, it was probably close to occurring. The more interactions a target has with a predator, the more likely something is going to happen. I’ve responded to instances too many times that began just like this one, and found them ending in victimization and tragedy. So LISTEN TO YOUR SPIDEY-SENSE. It’s so important to follow your instincts. Do not be concerned about how you will be perceived when your creep alarms are going off. And I’m especially talking to the ladies here. Don’t give out any information, don’t make any plans, don’t smile or entertain their advances. You have to give the predator a firm, cold shoulder and make a clear boundary that you are not interested in any further exchange with this person and then get yourself out of there. If you don’t, I’ve seen it happen often where pretty soon police become involved, either serving restraining orders or taking a criminal report. The one thing you absolutely have to make sure of when your danger alarm is ringing is that come Monday morning, your phone isn’t. **Steve is an writer, speaker, consultant, and author of From Boy To Blue. Find more from Steve at www.SteveWarneke.com

After the Columbine High School massacre, police were heavily criticized for not entering the school right away to try to eliminate the “active shooters.” Since then, law enforcement agencies in America are constantly training in what’s referred to as IARD— or immediate action rapid deployment. There’s an amazing example of how effective this has become, when a team of officers worked their way through a Las Vegas Casino on August 26th of this year looking for a reported active shooter. As one who is trained in IARD, I can say with certainty that an active shooter call is highest on the list as the most stressful call possible for modern day law enforcement. These situations are complete chaos. There are usually large groups of people utterly panicked, scattering, running and screaming. Officers must enter with typically little to no information. What little information about the number and description of suspects that IS available is usually very broad and often inaccurate. It is common to have completely different suspect descriptions on calls where lots of people are reporting the same incident to 9-1-1. I remember calls where the suspect was reported to be a younger black female, or an older white male. Bottom line for law enforcement is to be on the lookout for ANYONE who looks like they could be a threat. Enter Michael Bennett who was present at a Las Vegas casino during the report of an active shooter. The Seattle Seahawk in his September 8th statement entitled “Equality” alleged he was detained by police “for nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He also accused the officers of excessive force that was “unbearable” and threatening to blow his head off. Check out the video and you can see out of all the people in the casino (which included other African Americans, none of who were detained) a crouched Michael Bennett running and hiding behind a row of slot machines. Although it very well could be that he was running to take cover from what he believed to be an active shooter, it looks suspicious enough to investigate further. It also looks suspicious because this action stood out; other people were running away or lying on the ground. Later in another video view, you can also see the handcuffing of Bennett that clearly did not include any excessive force. In my personal law enforcement experience, there has been many times where we had detained someone at gunpoint who was suspected of involvement in a violent felony and only after a short investigation, determined they were not involved. Despite the fact that I had always explained to those detained why we did what we did and offered an apology, most were not happy with us after an incident like this. That’s certainly understandable. Unfortunately this is just going to happen from time to time, as there is no fix for this. An explanation and apology were also given to Michael Bennett following his being detained. Perhaps he would not have been detained as long, had he had proper ID on him. I suppose if you play in the NFL and are asked for ID by police officers it’s alright to tell them who you are and then insist they use their cell phones to look you up on the internet. I can tell you if the tables were reversed, I would take to Twitter to thank the officers for being the only ones running into a casino with the report of an active shooter to save people instead of running away like everyone else. I would be apologizing for being a grown man out on the town in Las Vegas and not having any ID on me. I would take to Twitter not to make false accusations of excessive force and racism compounding this misguided narrative of bigoted police, but to thank the men and women who came to try to save me from what was reported as a life-threatening situation. I’ll tell you what I see when I watch the videos being released from that night. I see officers of all different races, sexes, shapes and sizes showing their bravery and courage by standing up and entering a potentially chaotic situation to save people they had never even met. I also see a professional athlete who is in-shape, muscular and strong not trying to help others or save anyone. Instead, he’s cowered over, running to save only himself to hide and wait for the very officers he’s lying about to come save him. *Steve Warneke is a retired sergeant and author of From Boy To Blue. You can find his book, podcasts, and articles at www.SteveWarneke.com.

One of my favorite things to do in life is to explore and expose new perspectives about our country, our issues, and our relationships. When it comes to vocation, I discovered one of these new perspectives after getting my real estate license and attempting to be a full-time Realtor. Before I had taken the plunge I thought the life of a Realtor would be awesome— Just take people around to look at properties for sale, negotiate, and then when the house closes, collect a gigantic check. Voilà! I’m rich! I quickly found out some truths about working in that industry. The job of being a real estate agent is not so easy. There’s a ton of work that an agent doesn’t get paid directly for doing. There’s hours and hours of cold-calls, thousands of dollars on mailers and advertising, events, floor time, coaching, and on and on go the expenses and tasks in order to try to drum up business. I had several times where I took people around for days and weeks trying to find them a property, only to have them call me one day telling me they decided to rent something. I never saw a dime from any of the time I spent with them. Late night phone calls and last minute weekend showings were a regular occurrence. It was like I was on-call 24/7, 365 days a year. And if I did manage to close a deal and get that large commission check, there would be a split with all kinds of people, teams, and bosses depending on where the sale had originated. My point here is that after having done it, I had a TOTALLY different perspective about the job of a Realtor. And unless you know a real estate agent or have done it, my bet is that you think like I first did. Yet not understanding the job of a real estate agent has a minimal effect on us as a society. Realtors aren’t on the news nearly every day being reported on negatively. We aren’t less safe as a country, we aren’t bickering over rules and regulations for agents, nor are NFL players kneeling to protest anything real estate related. Now, if you were passionate enough to want to know what it’s like, obtaining your real estate license is not that difficult. In the list of my lifetime achievements, I would rank it: Easy / Mild Nuisance. Due to the complexity of the job, understanding the perspective of a police officer is infinitely more difficult than that of a real estate agent. You can’t go out, take a weeklong class, pass a test and be a licensed police officer. Just making it through a police department’s selection, hiring, and training process is exponentially more difficult and complex. Secondly there are far less police officers in America than there are real estate agents. Therefore it’s more difficult to even find someone who has the police perspective to share. The police officers that ARE in place, don’t typically talk. Fear of retribution from executives, fear of the media not reporting fairly, and fear of public backlash are all other reasons police don’t often address the public. Add to that the many different layers of oversight an officer has to answer to, and you will see officers are already scrutinized plenty. The difference is that not understanding the perspective of a police officer IS detrimental to us as a society. We are less safe when we are scared of the police or don’t trust them. We don’t listen to what they tell us to do in an emergency. We may not even have the faith to call them. Officers are now being killed because people don’t understand the job, the circumstances of each case, and the applicable laws. People are out making summary judgments about every single case they hear about, after only hearing one side of the argument. On top of one-sided media stories, it’s no secret people are intrigued by the job of a police officer. As evidence, I point to the many television and movie portrayals of cops. Some of the biggest movies and shows every year involve cops. This adds to the problem as Hollywood creates distorted views about the police and the job they do. The inundation of destructive Hollywood portrayals also leads people to make incorrect assessments about real-life police issues. And while all this occurs, real officers are doing less police work so they reduce the risk of being involved in confrontation and controversy. Also, many police departments are changing their selection and hiring process to identify and promote passive personalities. At some point, this will cause people to be hurt when an officer fails to act. Now if you are passionate about wanting to know what it really is like for cops, becoming a police officer just to see for yourself is probably not an option. IF you manage to make it though the rigorous selections process and IF you pass the academy and field training, it will be close to a year before you are out on your own. Then, you’ll need at least a couple years to be able to understand the job as a whole. I would rank the achievement of making it to my first day (by myself) on the street as an officer as: Extremely difficult – The hardest, most challenging accomplishment of my life – I’m forever more confident because I did it. I’m willing to bet, like most Americans, you ARE intrigued and interested in the job of a police officer. Furthermore, I believe you care about increasing your safety and the overall safety of the community. And since you can’t run out and become an officer in a week or two, all you need now is an officer who is willing to speak up. Now that I have honorably retired after 15 years, I’m stepping forward to share with you. The last piece that’s missing, and all I need to help get my messages heard, is your attention. As we move forward, I want you to know what I have to say is not political. I don’t care if you’re pro-life or pro-choice. I don’t care if you own guns or don’t. I don’t care what kind of social programs you are interested in or what tax rate you would like to see implemented. I don’t care what color you are, where you are from, what you do for a living, what religion you are. I don’t care if you’re gay or straight. All I care is that you are open and willing to listen to what I have to say. I offer you something new, something that hasn’t ever been offered before- my perspective. I have over 15 years of law enforcement experience. I worked in Districts 1,3,4,5, and 6 of the Denver Police Department. I was a financial crimes detective, an internal affairs investigator, certified hostage negotiator, field training officer, neighborhood police officer, sergeant, public relations supervisor and PIO. During much of my time at the department, I was also a radio talk show host on 850KOA in Denver. Prior to that and also while I was an officer, I did hourly news updates, along with writing and producing news stories for Clear Channel. I produced video content, podcasts and other material during my time as a public relations supervisor to try to show the good work officers do every day, in order to humanize the police to the public. I won four Edward R. Murrow Awards and two Emmy awards for this content. I was one of a very few openly gay officers. I made it through a successful career in a hyper-masculine industry and while still managing to be well regarded and respected. The other cops often invited my significant other to be part of the outside work social group. I tell you all this so you can learn about who I am, where I came from, what I’ve done, and why I’m doing what I’m doing. After discovering I could never be a full-time Realtor, I’ve found myself full circle, coming back to police work and sharing the police perspective. I’ve just released my first tell-all memoir; I post articles and podcast every week on all my social media sites, sharing the truth from behind the line. So just why am I doing this? I’m doing this because I know one of the purposes of my life was to heal this important and critical divide between officers and citizens. I’m doing this because I care about you, this country, and our quality of life. I’m doing this because I love police officers and respect the REAL job they do every single day. One of my most significant skills is strong communication. I’m going to use that to help Americans gain a new perspective, a more accurate one, about the most important job in the country. Imagine if all the police in America simultaneously walked off the job right now— just think about how quickly we would all be in danger even within the confines of our own homes. **Steve Warneke is a retired Denver Police sergeant, police expert, consultant, speaker and author of From Boy To Blue. Find more from Steve at www.SteveWarneke.com.