Courtesy of Officer Mike McCoy

Recruiting is not an easy task. Recruits have minds full of questions, doubts, fears and misconceptions. Who can blame them? They watch shows and movies many people enjoy such as “Reno 911,” “Police Academy” and “Super Troopers.” Please don’t misunderstand me, I do find these shows and movies entertaining but I also know what the productions took from reality and where Hollywood stepped in. For recruits, this line isn’t always so clear. The arduous task of correcting these misconceptions for recruits is made even more difficult when your only tool is the city-mandated agency website. These sites serve a wide audience, are very formal and rely heavily on news worthy stories and basic information regurgitation. These sites, while serving their important and necessary task as an Internet base for the agency to relay information to the media and public, do not answer recruits’ questions as efficiently as an audience-tailored and less formal blog site can.

Houston Police Department’s Officer Mike McCoy described the recruits’ dilemma as “a disconnect.” He later founded www.hpdblog.com and I’m honestly speaking when I say that it’s a regular on my web surfing agenda. He used this blog to show recruits what he felt they needed to see and consequently created an outstanding example for other agencies that choose to create a recruitment blog. His blog does many things and I’m highlighting only a few of its most valuable uses.

Insight into Training.

Many people believe they want to be a law enforcement officer; few are able to answer the call. Some cadets are fresh out of high school and others are changing career paths altogether. The transition into the police academy can be scary and their facts can be ambiguous. Through the use of their recruitment blog, HPD brings the wary I-think-I-know-what-I’m-getting-into person up close and personal with current cadets. The blog highlights new classes and even tells the stories of certain cadets’ experiences as they occur. They conducted cadet profiles by reporting the cadets’ opinions and observations on their first day of the academy and throughout the course of their training. Each story contained a picture and included details about what was being taught and how the cadets were fairing. This project spanned multiple stories that were enlightening and packed with information straight from the mouths of current cadets experiencing what these recruits could only ponder and guess about prior to these pieces.

This type of conversation simply doesn’t fit well on a city-mandated website. These personal accounts of what the training entails, what concepts these cadets struggle with and the personal opinions of these average Joes removes some of the concerns the undecided person has before they fill out the application. Ultimately, this transparency can sway a willing and able recruit into the academy and change the mind of a recruit who would spend time in the academy and later decide that the training and the job simply doesn’t suit them.

Insight into corporate culture and values.

It doesn’t matter what your mission statement says, if people cannot see these values reflected in the organization’s actions, nobody will believe this strategically-worded statement. On the blog, HPD honors graduating cadets, congratulates the retirement of long-served officers and discusses their community campaigns. These stories contain pictures and attitude while maintaining a professional yet informal tone that makes readers comfortable.

My favorite stories are always the short, funny ones. One picture showed a dog that jumped into the cruiser to feel the air conditioning on a hot day. Another picture and blurb pair discussed how two officers purchased a window unit for a single mother and her handicapped son after they witnessed the small family’s poor living conditions. These are the stories people enjoy hearing and should hear. Although they won’t make front page news, they show the lighter side of the job and what serving the community means to the organization. Serving is not always cleaning up the streets; sometimes serving is meeting the needs of the community one small, kind gesture at a time. Which stories an agency posts on the blog site gives a glimpse into what the agency values, what it takes pride in while revealing the agency’s unique personality which press releases (which aren’t intended for recruits) cannot do.

An agency is only as good as its employees and these employees must be held accountable for how they live the mission statement through their day-to-day work tasks. Blogging can be used to reinforce the values the organization has and help recruits comprehend and internalize these values.

Joining the conversation.

Yes, I agree face time is important but agencies can’t be everywhere at once. The solution: speak to them where they already are. HPD allows comments to be posted on their stories and pictures. This creates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that can be used to the agency’s advantage. Recruits, employees and the general public are all watching. So, the blogger posts about a cadet’s experiences and an employee comments. On HPD’s blog employees would congratulate the cadets on accomplishments, offer advice, etc. Cadets could respond and so could recruits. On any given article, multiple audiences conversed about the topic at hand and therefore making connections. What a better way to learn about a career field than to hear it from the workforce? Cadets and recruits ask questions. Employees answer these questions. All of a sudden the agency’s values are expressed again showing the support systems and camaraderie which previously only the mission statement attempted to convey.

Another reason why this type of communication benefits the agency is because of its informality. Recruits and cadets are sometimes hesitant about asking questions or voicing their opinions. It is amazing how this fear subsides when fingers hit a keyboard. Having a medium available to recruits where they are more likely to voice questions without fear of embarrassment gives the agency the opportunity to answer these questions rather than allowing the recruits (or another party) to fill in these knowledge gaps. My rule of thumb is to always be where the conversation is and offer your knowledge whenever possible because if you don’t others will and their information may be false.

All agency sites look the same. Trust me; I look at these sites every day and they all blur into one. The header, mission statement, color scheme, press releases and career information are all presented in a clean and professional fashion which is good for recruits, right? Well, yes but what if? What if you could show them the career in a more personal way? What if you could tell stories, real stories, with the same gusto as an employee would tell it? What if you could answer recruits’ questions in a platform they are more comfortable with and therefore more likely to ask the important questions they’re wrestling with? HPD has proven through their witty blog that of these things can be done with the right goals and the will to type.

You can also view this article on OfficerView.

Have you ever felt like you were being watched? During the oral board, or the interview process required to enter many law enforcement agencies, the sets of eyes across the table will undoubtedly expose you to this feeling. Some people become nervous at the thought of an interview, especially when they’ve a strong desire to earn the position. Your passion for the job may cause nervousness, but it can also be used to your advantage. Harness your passion and eagerness by implementing these tricks:

You can also view this article on OfficerView.

Being an LEO wife is a job like no other. I’m certain it requires super powers I simply don’t possess yet as a rookie but hopefully they’ll come. I’ve done my research and prepared as much as I could, but there is a truth I can’t suppress. I can’t support him without having extra support for myself. I have a long list of things I do to support him, but this list is useless unless I’ve another list handy: How to support myself.  My list looks like this:

Read articles: It seems like between him and his colleagues, they’ve seen it all. And, when they need assistance, they immediately call for back-up. LEO wives need back-up too. In these cases, Google becomes my closest friend. Searching police wife, cop wife, thin blue line spouse and the sort presents an array of articles written by wives around the nation who are dealing with the same things I am. I typically can find an article that is both entertaining and heartfelt while scarily relatable. Laughter is great medicine and I guarantee there is at least one police wife out there who understands what you are going through and has a funny story about it. Relating to others can be used as support in efforts you once felt helpless in. Here are links to articles I enjoyed: http://bit.ly/tp0Ihr,http://bit.ly/sKUUpJ.

Actively join the sisterhood. People often talk about the brotherhood inside the department but I promise you there’s nothing as amazing as the sisterhood behind the brotherhood. Policewives.org has forums, blogs, books, and special projects designed to support LEO families and causes they care about. They send care packages to LEO families, blankets and stuffed animals to child victims of crime, and offer state-specific resource information to police wives. Another site for the sisterhood is wivesbehindthebadge.org. My favorite part of the site is the blog series called “Going through the emotions” where they discuss all of the emotions of being married to the badge. They also have fun fundraisers such as “Puppies Behind the Badge” calendars which support K-9 units across the nation. There are many websites out there that connect wives similar to yourself that act as a safe zone for your fears, struggles and funny moments derived from your husband’s honorable career choice.

Find a confidant. It’s easy to claim no one understands your situation because your man is in a high-risk profession. This isn’t always true. Either way your man is a man and your marriage is a marriage. It’s important to have someone that relates to your unique fears that come from the job, but it’s also beneficial to turn to someone who just understands marriage and men. I have a friend whom although her husband isn’t in a high-risk profession, she understands me and has 25 years of marriage under her belt. Sometimes I get so flustered that I just drop-in and my folded arms and pursed lips are the signals she reads all too well at this point. Find a friend that doesn’t completely reflect your situation because they’re likely to have a vantage point you don’t have on your own.

Know your limits. Nobody your strength but with strength comes some weakness. In my house, I think of it as the thin aqua line. Yes, Honey, I want to hear all about your day and make it all better by letting you vent but some details are bound to put me out of commission and will indefinitely lead to me leaning on you to dry my tears. I feel blessed to know that my man knows me well enough to have this line all figured out. At first this fact bugged me. It made me feel inadequate. We quickly learned that my support is useful to him but we must approach some situations strategically. For example, if a picture in his head bugs him about a gruesome dead body, I can hear that. The details (depending on what happened) are what may need to be left out. Sharing things this way allows me to be supportive with some understanding about his situation while not turning me into a blubbery ball of tears. In our lives, the same takes place in child abuse cases. Our solution: I trust him. If he says something is bugging him and I ask what it is, if he chooses not to tell me any more than that, I deal with it. I do whatever I can to take his mind off of work and I don’t delve any further into the discussion. At first, this may feel like weakness but in our case it was a healthy solution that improved both of our lives and allowed us to support each other in ways that worked for us.

I’m not delusional enough to say that impossible isn’t in my vocabulary but I can say that I have reserved it for very specific contexts. It is impossible for me to not try. It is impossible for me to give up. It is impossible for me to support him without finding support for myself first.

You may also view this article on OfficerView.

You ran till your legs felt numb. You watched the videos, practiced defensive tactics till they became second nature and you listened to countless instructors tell you about the job that lies ahead after graduation. To a cadet, reading material and hands-on, supervised training removes Hollywood’s depiction of law enforcement by shedding light on the realities of this career field. A ride along experience takes cadets out of the classroom and into real-life policing situations. The level of understanding available from participating in this type of experience is invaluable to future officers. If you are considering accompanying an officer in a ride along experience, there are a few things to think about ahead of time that will make the experience more meaningful. Here are some suggestions:

Plan Ahead. The paperwork is an important first step. Some agencies have this paperwork online and some make you visit the building. Research the process online at the agency’s homepage and plan according to their requirements and schedule. Do not expect to turn in your paperwork the day you wish to ride. Some agencies have a ten day processing period, some require a short narrative explaining your interest in the ride along program, and some require a notary’s stamp. Be wary of making expectations. The experience will be valuable but it will show the reality of the job. Some shifts are packed with action while others seem to drag on forever. This is simply a reality of the job. Also, the officer will make the final decision about how close to the action you will be allowed to get (if their department has not made the decision for them.) Keep this fact in mind before you go on the ride along and do not allow unrealistic expectations to tarnish your experience.

Dress the part. It is an honor to accompany an officer during his shift. Dressing in a way that shows respect to the officer, department and yourself shows you are interested in the field and are not wasting anyone’s time. Business casual is the way to go. Wear clean pants and a polo if possible. Wear comfortable shoes but leave sandals and toe-revealing shoes home, where they belong. Comb your hair and keep it out of your face. This may not be an interview but it is a networking opportunity. Make your appearance match the first impression you aim to make.

Network. Introduce yourself clearly and mention which academy you’re from (if you’re attending school in the local community, more often than not, the officers know one of your instructors.) Forbes.com says, “There is a lot of bad networking out there. You can differentiate yourself just by being prepared.”  Have something interesting to say if the opportunity arises. Some suggestions are what has been your favorite class in the academy thus far, which lesson you are excited to learn next, and what do you hope to learn from the ride along. Trust your gut about when to speak and do not let your conversation get in the way of their work.

Be Professional. Now that you’re well-dressed, tailor your attitude to match the high level of professionalism your outward appearance portrays. Show respect through your language. Yes Sir, Yes Ma’am, No Sir, No Ma’am are not just for instructors. Treat everyone equitably as well. Civilian positions at a department are necessary for the sworn-in positions to accomplish the mission the entire department shares. The officer you ride with will more than likely make you feel comfortable and treat you like they would treat their fellow officer but remember to respect the lines that are drawn. This comes naturally for many but it never hurts to keep the thought in mind.

Ask Questions. Have a few questions handy. Many cadets have questions about the field or the department. Make sure you have thought of some questions before hand. Asking these questions reinforces your interest in the field and shows you are valuing the officer’s time. Pay attention to what is going on. If you have questions about why the officer pulled someone over, found someone suspicious, etc., ask them how they made their decision. This is an opportunity to learn about the thought process you will need during your career.

A ride along is a job shadowing opportunity for eager cadets. Cadets can gain a wealth of practical knowledge from the experience. You wouldn’t enter the academy without your uniform, books, and paper; don’t walk into the ride along blind. Make the most out of your experience by putting your best foot forward. Remember the wisdom of Alexander Graham Bell, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”