By Lt. Jim Glennon
Street Survival Seminar Instructor I have to admit that I love my jobs. All of them. Though many may argue that at least one of them is not a job (parenting), I believe that each has the characteristic that makes them “occupational” in nature, they are what define me. Parenting. Loving this job is easy because I love my kids, each and every one of them. The three that are mine biologically, the three that come to me via my marriage, and the one, a nephew; we have legal guardianship because of an unforeseen happenstance. Yes I love them all, even though they run from me like cockroaches fleeing sunlight when I catch them leaving things, breaking things, forgetting to do things, arguing about things, and ignoring my plea to be accountable for their innumerable material things. I love them for what they bring to me, for what they bring out in me. No not the anger and cursing and the wishing I was single with a low sperm count. But for the hugs. For the problems I can fix, and the ones I can’t. For the calls just to make sure that I’m still around and for the calls designed to get something from me and start out with the manipulative, “Have I told you how much I love you lately? Are you near a McDonalds by the way?” I love them for the opportunity I get to matter to someone else in a significant way. This brings me to my second job, being a cop. 26 years and counting. I’m a lieutenant for a medium size department outside of Chicago. There are many reasons I love the job, which is different than loving your agency by the way. As Dave Smith, lead instructor for Calibre Press says, “Don’t love your agency because it’s not your agency’s job to love you back. You can love the people, the mission, and how you feel about your contributions, but don’t love a bureaucracy.” But my reason for being enamored with my profession is in many ways the same as the reason I love being a parent. I have the opportunity to matter in a significant way. All cops do. Oh, we in the law enforcement profession shy away from admitting that. We even laugh about the “I want to be a cop to help people” statement we almost all made during our initial interview while plodding through the hiring process. But each police officer working today has, without question, impacted countless others in a very significant way. They have saved lives, assisted in times of crisis, and been there for each other during the periods where the realities of life have overwhelmed. We complain, argue, whine and bitch and at times backstab more than we should. But we also laugh, support, and together deal with the aspects of life most people run from. Finally, my third job. I’m an instructor for the Calibre Press Street Survival Seminar. I realize from a business perspective I shouldn’t let the powers that be know how much I enjoy this position because it’ll probably kill me during contract negotiations. But it is a great job for many, many reasons. The first is the opportunity to present a program designed to save the lives of police officers. Unfortunately too many organizations throughout this country have failed to make officer safety a top priority. I know this because of the thousands of officers that attend the seminars each year. They give testimony to the fact that liability issues and “customer service” take precedence over winning street confrontations. The second reason is in the meeting of law enforcement officers from a multitude of agencies from every region of the country. Being in a room with 200+ crime fighters who feel safe enough to share their stories both during breaks and on the stage is a privilege and an honor. The examples of these are too many to address in this short article but I wish to share a recent occurrence. Last week Ray DeCunto (fellow instructor) and I were in Miami Beach where the hosts were remarkably hospitable. The crowd of 250+ law enforcement professionals was enthused and involved. On the second day of the seminar a young officer walked up to me and told me about a shooting he was involved in. He was emotional as he related the experience. As impactful as that was, what really struck me was that he pointed to a veteran officer approximately 20 years his senior seated at his table. This young man credited the senior officer, Jim Dillman, with saving his life. Not because Jim was present during the attack, but because Jim prepared this young officer for it. Jim had analyze his two deadly force experiences, learned from them, and decided that he was no longer going to leave his safety and the safety of other officers to chance. So Jim trains, prepares both physically and mentally, and then shares his knowledge with others. Other Warrior Crime Fighters. And at least one officer recognizes that Jim’s efforts literally saved his life. Hearing that, seeing that, feeling that at a seminar is what makes me love this particular job. |
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