socialization

Ferguson & Public Engagement | What are they good for?

November 29, 2014

What’s the best time to plant a tree? – 30 years ago. What’s the next best time to plant a tree? – Today In general, law enforcement has made for horrible horticulturalists. We’ve not tilled the soil of community engagement as a practice. Now we wonder why no one understands us. When an incident like Ferguson erupts, the pundits hurry to fend off allegations from a civilian population incessantly asking for answers. I’ve had so many tell how they’ve unfriended people on […]

“If Not Us, Who?”

November 27, 2014

“If Not Us, Who?” My heart weighs heavy in this week before the important decisions contemplated by a civilian grand jury in another state. After nearly 25 years of serving my community and country, I see the potential for an occupationalrevolution. The potential for substantially significant cultural change. While most revolutions are spurned through violence, this cannot be one of them. Soon, events born in violence will again effect this country. Not just for today, but years to come. Regardless what you […]

Us versus Them | A Ferguson Outcome

November 25, 2014

Us versus Them: Sunday I shared the burden on my spirit in anticipation of the grand jury decision, “If Not Us, Who?” (https://www.facebook.com/CopsWritingCrime) It wasn’t about an outcome. It was that our nation rallied on either side of the issue based not on facts and evidence, but on historical perspective. Truth is, there’s more than one narrative to American history. Just before turning off the news, I received a private message. Simply, it read – We Won! In clarity, I saw this […]

Leading or leaning?

October 16, 2014

Think of those immediately surrounding you in supervisory positions. Now filter out your natural biases, jealousies or negative comments. Just look around. How did they get to where they are? Okay, now you’re free to flood the responses with whatever your perception is of how they arrived at that level. Some of your suspicions are probably true. This article isn’t as much for those being led, as those doing the leading. Ask yourselves how’d you get where you are? Was it because you […]

Mission Possible: TPD Accepts the ALS Ice Water Challenge

September 1, 2014

I’ve been challenged by numerous fantastically caring people over the last several weeks. We sat in a light-hearted brainstorming session this week to create a response video. Within 15 minutes the imaginative group of officers took a simple idea and ran with it. More pleasing to me as their Chief of Police was that everyone dropped their guard to join in. Even if it meant making fun of themselves. It was for a cause greater than anyone of us. In this era […]

Rating Success Differently

February 24, 2014

Cop Culture: Why Good Cops Go Bad ranked in 3 of Amazon’s top categories. I am truly grateful. More importantly, I’ve received calls and e-mails from people asking about the work. They share that reading the book is like watching what their spouse or family member is going through on the job. I always assure them to read through to the recommendations!! If it helps one cop, one family or one community, it is a measured success. That’s rating success differently. Stay Blue, […]

Be this guy

January 13, 2014

“Courage is being scared to death…and saddling up anyway.” John Wayne I first saw this photograph a couple of years ago and was struck with a sense of sadness for the man in the circle. My imagination swept me into believing the worst of fates for his non-compliance. I put the picture aside, and every so often would come across it again. While I wanted to cheer for his refusal to cave, I still suffered from the sadness of his assumed inevitable fate. […]

Lead Thyself

November 26, 2013

Lead Thyself: Quick Tips for Those Managing Themselves There’s a common misconception regarding the title of “leader”: You don’t have to be a manager or a supervisor in order to lead.  If you’re providing direction or support to fellow colleagues, you’re a leader.  More importantly, being a leader starts with being able to manage yourself effectively. If you one day wish to move up the corporate ladder and lead others, you must start with yourself.  Even if you have no interest in entering […]

Peer Pressure: I passed a tractor & ate a bug

October 17, 2013

Yes, it’s much better than had I eaten a bug, then “passed” a tractor. Get it? Anyway, peer pressure is an odd phenomenon. We exert it or succumb to it as children, we implore our own kids not to fall victim to it, yet even as adults we sometimes still give in to it. Bicycles don’t usually pass moving vehicles on the highways, but many of us have dreamed of that moment when pure man and muscle-driven machine out runs an automotive […]

National Police Week: What is a Police Officer?

May 13, 2013

In Honor of National Police Week, I will dedicate each day to a personal friend lost in the line of duty. Each loved their country, their community, their agency and mostly their families. Please join us in celebrating not how they died, but how they lived their heroic lives.

Police Chief Scott Silverii: Sheepdogs in the Fringe

May 8, 2013

Editor’s NOTE: Originally posted at The Graveyard Shift as a contributing guest of Lee Lofland. Police Chief Scott Silverii: Sheepdogs in the Fringe I was recently asked to speak at a book reading for the local library to discuss my latest work on cop culture, “A Darker Shade of Blue; From Public Servant to Professional Deviant.” Unsure of what was expected, I looked for key sections or excerpts that might appeal to the civilian public. One of the selections discussed why cops […]

I Quit

April 12, 2013

I Quit Johnny Paycheck popularized this song originally written by David Allen Coe in 1977, and despite having been his only #1 hit, we recall with clarity those famous words, “Take this job and shove it.” He sings about the dissatisfaction and hurt of a man who gave his life to his work without reciprocation of reward. Ok, I’m not quitting, but it gets your attention. It also gains the attention of supervisors, Chiefs and Mayors who ask, “Why?” Well, there are […]

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

April 10, 2013

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do February 13, 2013 in Featured, Patrol, Posts by Chief Scott Silverii, Ph.D. Let’s explore why it is so hard to “break up” from a job you love and love to not love. before beginning, I was approached by a lady Saturday night while monitoring a downtown nightclub crowd following the Ambrosia Mardi Gras parade. She is not associated with law enforcement and I am not sure who she is. She was kind enough to share having […]

Honoring Police Radio Dispatchers Week; Thank You to Allie Hansell

March 23, 2013

By: Allie Hansell @Alliehans1 Well, this is my very first experience blogging, so please be patient with me 🙂 I was asked to write a little about my job and why I love it. I work as a Police 911 Call Taker and Dispatcher for a small suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia.  I started in this field about 3 years ago and it has been a pretty interesting experience. Volunteering Leads to Finding Her Passion My previous job was that of office […]

Honoring Police Radio Dispatchers Week – Thank You to Candace Gray

March 20, 2013

By: Candace Gray 911 Emergency Dispatcher When you tell someone you answer 911 for a living, their first question is usually something like “Oh my gosh, isn’t it stressful?” or “What’s the craziest call you have ever gotten?”. What they typically DON’T ask is “Why do you do it?”, so I’m definitely happy to answer this one! I have been doing this profession for the last 12 yrs, starting at the young age of 20yo. I work for a small department in […]

Honoring Police Radio Dispatchers Week – Thank You to Reycca Dotson-Middleton

March 19, 2013

By: Radio Communications Dispatcher – Reycca Dotson-Middleton Dickenson County, Virginia Coming up on my seventh year as a dispatcher for police, fire and rescue in our small county in Virginia, approximate population of sixteen thousand citizens, we are tiny compared to some. We have three town police agencies, three EMS agencies, four fire agencies as well as our county deputies we dispatch for. Some days I come in and/or leave feeling like there’s nothing I love about this job. I chock that […]

Rookie Cop; The Stand-Up Guy

March 15, 2013

Years ago while commanding a Uniform Patrol Division for a nationally accredited Sheriff’s Office, I worked closely with the Regional Police Training Academy Director. Having previously worked for me in a special services division, we became fast friends. The Question Following the graduation of each academy class, the rookies reported to the Patrol Section for assignment to an experienced Field Training Officer (FTO). The Director made it a point to ask if they still stood up. I’d laugh and say, “Yes.” This went on for just a few weeks, […]

Cops; Old Bulls & Young Bulls

March 14, 2013

January 22, 2013 in Featured, Leadership, Posts by Chief Scott Silverii, Ph.D. Who can forget Robert Duval’s advice to a young LAPD Officer played by Sean Penn in the 1988 movie “Colors?” While Duval’s character may have been referring to operational efficiency more than chronological age, the point is that better results are often associated with maturity. Oakland’s Chief of Police Howard Jordan recently announced increasing the Police Department’s minimum hiring age from 20.5 years to 25 years old. I hope this […]

Discover Our “WHY” Week -Day 5

February 22, 2013

Once you discover your passion, everything else makes sense. This week, lets discuss and discover our “why.” If you liked this message, please share the vision by passing it along. Help ignite a cultural revolution.

Discover Our “WHY” Week – Day 4 – Guest: Sgt. Todd Prevost

February 21, 2013

I have known “Pre” for many years, and I am thankful for his friendship. Though I may have taught him a bit about POP Squad and SWAT, it was he teaching us about consistency, committment and humility. I am honored that he agreed to share his passion with us. He is blessed for having discovered his “WHY”  Bike Cop, “WHY?” After sixteen years in law enforcement, thirteen spent patrolling on a bicycle, I am still asked, “why?” Many accompany the question with further inquiries into as why I […]

Discover Our “WHY” Week -Day 3

February 20, 2013

Once you discover your passion, everything else makes sense. This week, lets discuss and discover our “why.” If you liked this message, please share the vision by passing it along. Help ignite a cultural revolution.

Discover Our “WHY” Week – Day 1

February 18, 2013

Once you discover your passion, everything else makes sense. This week, lets discuss and discover our “why.” If you liked this message, please help share the vision by sharing our site.

I Quit

February 1, 2013

Johnny Paycheck popularized this song originally written by David Allen Coe in 1977, and despite having been his only #1 hit, we recall with clarity those famous words, “Take this job and shove it.” He sings about the dissatisfaction and hurt of a man who gave his life to his work without reciprocation of reward. Ok, I’m not quitting, but it gets your attention. It also gains the attention of supervisors, Chiefs and Mayors who ask, “Why?” Well, there are many reasons […]