Is There Really A Stupid Question?
The Laggards, who only want to ask a question are now excluded because they dared to do what we’ve always been encouraged to do – Ask Questions.
FIT@50 \ week 3
FIT@50 \ week 3 Empathy: It’s okay to care. No matter how “fit” I’ve become, minding my own business has always been my business. During the many years in special operations my job was to know other’s secrets. I was good at my job. Knowing the darkest moments in another person’s life is a cross of confidentiality I understood I’d carry to my grave. Over the years it might have even caused me to construct a wall around my empathetic understanding. During […]
Are you pregnant?
Are you pregnant? I thought what a crazy question to ask a man. Are you pregnant with greatness? Oh, not that kinda pregnant. With greatness? I never thought about it. How many of us are actually pregnant with greatness? Unfortunately, we fear change. Therefore, we do anything we can to avoid giving birth to this potential. An odd analogy? Not really. Change is often accompanied by uncomfort, if even for a brief season. The transition into motherhood requires many changes leading up […]
Policing with compassion
Policing with Compassion: Renee Mitchell at TEDxOxbridge My friend, Sergeant Renee Mitchell, one of the great new innovators in re-inventing policing, shares her experience and the need to do it better. To show compassion and humanity while serving others. Great job Renee
Rating Success Differently
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, […]
It’s safe : Inside the Box
I enjoy the challenge of remaining creative in ways to better serve the public. While I passionately believe there is always room for improvement, I also understand that improvement, via “change” is not always welcome. We’ve worn out the phrase “Think outside the box” to the point that merely saying it shows complacency and cliché. While I fully appreciate tradition, I could not imagine football played before the forward pass. Inside the Box: People don’t actually like creativity In the United States we are raised to appreciate […]
Cops and Cavemen; Come out of the Cold
First posted Law Enforcement Today; March 25, 2013 in Featured, Leadership, Posts by Chief Scott Silverii, Ph.D. What’s With This Person? I was speaking with a Law Enforcement Agency’s Commander about an officer who just did not seem to grasp an agency’s vision. Although clearly communicated over the last several years in agency-wide meetings, in-services, e-mails, social media, and personal conversations the officer just refuses to “get on board.” This Commander is fully committed to the city, the agency and the progressive […]
Women in Leadership: Good for Us All
Image credit: Shutterstock September 30th, 2013 by Kellie McElhaney The topic of the value of getting more women in the top echelons of corporate leadership has garnered a great deal of coverage as of late. Credit Suisse published a report in 2012 stating that their research shows that having more women on corporate boards increased both the share price — particularly in volatile markets — and the return on equity (ROE) of companies. Norway, the first country to have instituted a quota […]
How The Most Effective People Learn From Their Mistakes. A Case Study
See if this sounds familiar. You work incredibly hard to develop a great product or service. You introduce it into the marketplace with high hopes…and it bombs. Your reaction? “The problem wasn’t me or our product. The problem was the market/customer/whoever didn’t appreciate what we had. It was a great product (or service.) The customers are idiots. That’s all there is to it.” And because you are convinced you are right and everyone else is wrong no learning takes place after the […]
Silence in Policing | A Cultural Revolution
NOTE: Going back through articles I’ve written, this was and still is an important issue in the profession and use of social media by law enforcement. Police Silence in Research This post covers law enforcement’s “Code,” and the blue culture of police silence. I spent several years researching this culture during an anthropological ethnography for my doctorate degree. Going back into my research, I decided to use that as my source for drawing information for this post about the influence of Police […]
5 Tips To Create A Positive First Impression
“I think I blew it with the new vice president,” moaned my coaching client. “I was drowning in paperwork when she walked through our department introducing herself. I was so distracted I could hardly get my own name out of my mouth. On top of that, I was wearing jeans while the VP and just about everyone else in my department was wearing a suit that day. I can only imagine the awful first impression I made.” Did you know it takes only three […]
National Police Week: What is a Police Officer?
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
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 […]
Chief Scott Silverii, Ph.D. Named Executive Fellow | Police Foundation
Police Foundation President Jim Bueermann approved the appointment for City of Thibodaux Chief of Police, Dr. Scott Silverii as an Executive Fellow and member of its Research Advisory Committee. The Police Foundation also sponsors the Cambridge Police Executive Program Executive Fellowship Program Executive Fellows at the Police Foundation are current or retired executive-level members of criminal justice organizations whose knowledge, experience and skills help advance the Foundation’s mission. They serve as members of the President’s Practitioner Advisory Board to help ensure the Foundation is […]
I Quit
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
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 Candace Gray
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 […]
Rookie Cop; The Stand-Up Guy
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
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 4 – Guest: Sgt. Todd Prevost
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 1
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
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 […]
I Love You….
I Love You… There, I said it. Actually, I said it Wednesday night to my entire agency during our annual Blue Summit. I am not a “tree-hugging” chief of police, but I do believe that a key part of sincere leadership is allowing yourself to be human to your staff. I also remind them that I prayed with expectancy before accepting the position, as God led me to this city to serve Him, them and our citizens. Sharing the vision, the bigger […]