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Originally Posted by garryc
I don't worry about the ribbing, fact is I'll rib a fellow officer and tell him at the same time he or she did good. All part of being on a team.
But, some people can only see an LE situation with what is known after the fact. Review boards tend to have that problem. It's almost as if one of the job qualifications for anyone in the LE field is clairvoyance. Actions done by a reasonable suspision from information KNOWN AT THE TIME don't seem to carry any weight, especially when those reviewing have an agenda to come to a conclusion and only have to construct the facts to suit that end. Politics
I think one of the biggest issues to defeat in a post incident situation, no matter if it's LE or civilian, is getting the persons reviewing to see only what you saw at the time
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Exactly right, garryc. Hindsight is always 20/20.
I am not in Law Enforcement, Corrections or even security (ex-military, though). I find it hard to believe your organization does not have standard operating procedures written down somewhere, and conduct training on what to do in various scenarios. In any emergent situation, you need to know what you are expected to do and what you can expect your fellow officers to do. Deciding tactics on the fly is just plain (insert chosen adjective here). As the saying goes, "Failing to plan is planning to fail". What football team or basketball team does not have a playbook? What fire team or squad does not have standardized procedures for combat movement and communication? Dead ones.
I cannot imagine clearing a house alone under anything but the most exigent circumstances.
If I were your supervisor, under the circumstances you described, I would write you up for NOT calling for backup. And there would have been at least two in the backup team if the manpower were available.
As far as the other questions you brought up about showing compassion to a crime victim. A rape victim is a rape victim. However, you (as well as regular police with non-convict victims) have a job to do. You can be rendered ineffective in that primary job if you lose control of your compassion. A suicide victim always leaves an emotional wake. But you are not equipped or authorized to interact on that level, particularly not when homicide has not been completely ruled out. Attempts to interact on that level may well interfere with your primary duties.
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(truncated for brevity)...She was aghast. I told her my job was to effect the policies of the Department and the procedures of the institution, and as long as I and others did that the death of an inmate is completely irrelevant. She was really upset, I told her that empathy may be part of her job description, but is no part of mine.
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In our correctional institutions (which have been called, at various times, penal institutions, rehabilitation facilities, and all sorts of other names that imply emphasis on disparate missions - punishment, to cure, and everything in between) different people have different jobs. Psychologists and social workers concentrate of reforming the inmates so they can coexist with other human beings (in or out of prison). Correctional officers (a.k.a. guards) maintain order. Both depend on the other to cooperatively do their jobs. But if either tries to do both, it does not work. If the lady who wrote you up does not understand that...well, she needs to be re-educated in order to do her job.
Developing a certain amount of "steel" in your exterior is also important to your own sanity, and that of your family's. You have to know when to, and when not to, apply your compassion. Look at C.O.'s divorce rates.
You did well. I believe armoredman has read you correctly, and you are one of the good ones. You might change jobs to his organization, or you might stay where you are, rise through the ranks and effect some of the changes you know are due.
Good luck, and keep up the good work.
Lost Sheep