IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
BY JIM POLAN
MOST ARTICLES ARE WRITTEN ABOUT AN ITEM, SPECIFIC TOPIC, PROCESS OR PROCEDURE, HOWEVER, THIS ARTICLE COVERS THE MOST IMPORTANT TOPIC – YOU!
M
ANY YEARS AGO there were men who wore armor, carried weapons, rode a horse and prepared for battle with the main purpose of protecting the kingdom. Those brave knights are long gone, but
during their time they knew that preparation was the key to success. They also knew that one day when they left the kingdom that they may not return, providing the ultimate sacrifice in the performance of their duty. Today we have men and women who still wear armor,
carry a shield or a star, many now ride an iron horse but are they truly prepared for battle while they protect the com- munity? These individuals have chosen an honorable career in law enforcement but how many officers truly prepare themselves, how many practice and train on their own or do they rely on their chief or sheriff to provide the training? The responsibility of training and preparation belongs to
YOU. A simple way to truly understand this concept is an investment. The definition of investment is “time, energy, or matter spent in the hope of future benefits.” When society speaks of an investment it usually relates to a monetary item; savings, 401(k) or purchasing a home but when law enforcement speaks of investment YOU should consider it as survival. Your investment could be the difference between
18 THE MOTOR OFFICER™ | SPRING 2015
going home at night to your family or not. Ask yourself a question and be honest: When YOU go home
at night do YOU draw your firearm and put it away? If so, great! If not, what have YOU failed to do? Prepare, Practice and Train. What does this phrase mean to YOU: “YOU will never get a chance to draw for the first time.” In a deadly force encounter when using your primary firearm the process begins with the draw and if YOU do not practice daily then the one day that this skill is required, YOU may fail. If your method of transportation while performing your
law enforcement duties is the Police Motorcycle, it is a tre- mendous tool and as a motor deputy/officer YOU know YOU have an awesome job. But with this awesome job comes great risk – do YOU prepare, practice and train? Visualize and travel with me on this brief story for a
moment and identify how many motorcycle training tech- niques were used: It’s a beautiful sunny duty day as YOU ride in the center
lane of a three-lane interstate, your motorcycle is clean and your boots are shined. Communications advises “shots fired, officer down” – simultaneously YOU activate your emergency equipment, accelerate and acknowledge the call. At the same time the vehicle in front of YOU observes your lights and immediately hits the brakes out of panic or fear.
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