PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office graduates of a program designed to teach compassion rather than control in policing talked about the value of connecting with the public.
Deputy Shane Stevenson and Deputy Charlie McCarty discussed the tenets of a course called Blue Courage with about 40 people at the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce luncheon Monday.
The course given by the Washington Academy of Criminal Justice in Burien teaches law enforcement personnel how to connect compassionately with the public and, as Undersheriff Joe Nole said, “become guardians rather than warriors.”
All new recruits get the training, Nole said. Stevenson, who has served with the Sheriff’s Office for eight years, and McCarty, a 14-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, were the first veteran staffers sent to the training under Sheriff David Stanko’s initiative.
The goal is for all those in active law enforcement service to eventually take the course.
The course aims to decrease a militaristic orientation of law enforcement and teach personnel to be more involved in community.
“In the military, we pride ourselves in serving our country and supporting our Constitution,” said Stevenson, a former Army Ranger.
“But in law enforcement, we are not in anyone else’s country, and it feels fantastic. I get more satisfaction from this than anything I did in the military.”
Said McCarty: “As a deputy, I get to see the aftereffects of what I’ve done and feel more of a sense of accomplishment than when I was in the military.
“In the military, you are in, you are out and then you go home. In law enforcement, you get to actually come back and hear the feedback.”
Stevenson said he’s observed that former members of the armed forces perform well in local law enforcement.
“I think that helps some of the stresses that we do face,” he said.
A military background is good training for police work, he said, leading to the “calmness on the radio and having a mind-set of keeping themselves fit.”
Much of the course has to do with attitude and being proactive about connecting with the community.
Adrenaline rush
McCarty said the average life expectancy of a law enforcement officer is 10 years after retirement, due to what he called “the corrosive effect” of a perpetual adrenaline rush.
“A lot of us get into law enforcement because we crave that adrenaline rush,” he said.
“We really like to get out there and help people, but going up and down all the time can damage the body and give you tunnel vision.”
After awhile, officers start to lose their enthusiasm and focus, he said.
“As officers deal with a lot of things in society that the average person never sees, you start to get cynical,” he said.
“Instead of being so eager to go on a call, you might say, ‘Those people, will they ever learn?’”
If these attitudes continue, cynicism may be justified as realism, McCarty said, and compassion can turn into arrogance.
The solution can be as simple as deep breathing or entering an interaction with a citizen from a viewpoint of curiosity rather than control.
“If you go up to someone and treat them in a confrontational way, they will get defensive, but if you approach them with curiosity, you will get the information you need,” he said.
“And they will feel a lot better about interacting with law enforcement.”
While Blue Courage is focused on policing, its effectiveness does not end there, McCarty said.
“This is designed for law enforcement, but a lot of the techniques can apply in everyday life — whether it’s being at home, dealing with careers or dealing with yourself,” he said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
