Category: Plan Your Growth

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Armor Your Self™ Spiritually

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What does it take to Armor Your Self™ Spiritually?

As we prepare for the Spring 2014 publication of John Marx’ new book: “Armor Your Self™: How To Survive A Career In Law Enforcement” we are going to preview some of the information and concepts contained within the Armor Your Self™ book and training program.. This book is meant to provide guidance to all law enforcement professionals and their families about tactics and strategies that can work to protect them and help create a positive quality of life.

The basic premise of this concept is that in order to successfully survive a career in law enforcement one must Armor Your Self™ physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to strengthen and condition your being to guard against the “hidden dangers” of this very toxic profession.

The spiritual component of this self-protective prevention program is one of the most challenging for… Continue reading

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Thank You For Your Service!

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On this U.S. holiday for giving thanks we at CopsAlive.com say thank you for your service to all the men and women in law enforcement around the world.

Thank you for your courage.

Thank you for your commitment.

Thank you for your sacrifice.

Law enforcement is a very difficult career and we understand the challenges and adversities you face. We appreciate all of your hard work and dedication.

Gratitude is a very powerful tool. What are you grateful for?

A feeling of gratitude can be created by looking for the good nature of things and events and then by focusing upon the positives. You can create this feeling in yourself and you can use it as a tool to lead others to this awareness

We have assembled a free worksheet on gratitude for you to use this day to examine all the things in your life and career that you are grateful for.

CLICK HERE to download our CopsAlive.com Gratitude Worksheet.

This worksheet was assembled in gratitude for all the men and women in law
enforcement who risk their lives to make our world a better place. Thank you!

The mission of CopsAlive is to save the lives of those who save lives!

Happy Thanksgiving and please Stay Safe and Stay Well! Continue reading

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Make It Safe

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Today CopsAlive.com is pleased to announce Police Psychologist Jack Digliani’s newly developed “Make it Safe” Police Officer Initiative. The Initiative is comprised of 12 primary components designed to reduce the secondary danger of policing.

What do we have to do to Make It Safe for police officers to trust one another enough to be able to ask for help when they need it? What do we have to do to our law enforcement culture to make seeking mental health support for stress related issues okay?

How can we truly walk our talk enough to really have each others back and really “take care of our own?”

You can start “Make It Safe” in your agency by distributing and discussing this initiative. We must all work to make it safe for officers to ask for psychological support.

What is the Make it Safe Police Officer Initiative?

The Make it Safe Initiative is a concerted effort to… Continue reading

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From Buddha to the Blue Line

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Editors Note: The following guest article was provided by Max Lewis who works in Child Protective Services for the State of Oregon Department of Human Services. I think you will find this article very enlightening and I encourage you to learn more through the resources he mentions at the end of the article.

Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before. It takes something from him –Louis L’Amour

About twenty miles West of Portland, Oregon lays Hillsboro. A city of about 91,000 people it has a unique mix of urban, suburban and rural landscapes typical of towns that greet travelers heading West towards the coast from Portland. Agricultural and other signs of rural of commerce blend seamlessly among signs of contemporary life like mass transit and a small but distinct downtown. Lattice Semiconductors and the software giant Intel both have a large presence in the city as well. Though not far from Portland it is a city of extremes. In the fall rain pours violently, in early winter thick fog hovers over the landscape and in later months snow can pile up quickly. In summer the Sun beats down on the flat city absent even the slightest breeze to offer relief and temperatures can hover in the 90’s for days. It is in this unique city’s Police Department that a Lieutenant is trying to implement the concepts of Mindfulness to the benefit of his Officers in the field.

Lieutenant Richard Goerling exudes the erect and deliberate demeanor of a life long military man. Twenty years in… Continue reading

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True Blue Valor™

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What is the most frightening thing a police officer will ever face?

What takes more courage to confront than any other single thing in law enforcement?

What is the one thing that we have pledged above all to our brothers and sisters in law enforcement?

The answer to all three of these questions is the same: “Taking care of our own” and more specifically: 1) confronting a peer who is losing control of their life or their career, and working to get them some help; 2) Having the strength to maintain the “thin blue line” and rescue a co-worker who is battling alcoholism, depression, drug addiction, or suicidal thoughts; and finally 3) “Never Leaving Anyone Behind” because if we don’t take care of our own, who will?  Unfortunately many times that pledge is a hollow one if we don’t have the courage to confront the people we should care about, before things get way out of control.

At the Law Enforcement Survival Institute (LESI) we have coined the term “True Blue Valor™”

The concept of “True Blue Valor™” is where one law enforcement officer has to muster the courage to confront a peer who is slipping both professionally, and personally, and endangering themselves, their peers and the public.  It takes a system of organizational support and professional leadership to support and foster the concept of courage and intervention.

As part of our Law Enforcement Survival Institution training we recommend that you consider the concept of True Blue Valor™.  Most importantly, when you are talking about the team concept… Continue reading

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Spirituality in Law Enforcement?

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I had the privilege to attend an excellent seminar last week hosted by the Denver Police Department on “Spirituality, Wellness & Vitality Issues in Law Enforcement Practices”.  Our presenters were FBI Supervisory Special Agent Samuel L. Feemster, J.D. and Sergeant Ginger L. Charles, Ph.D. of the Arvada Police Department.  They asked some interesting questions and offered some unique perspectives on modern law enforcement practices.  Some examples include: “Is Law Enforcement a calling for you?” and “What courses were you trained in at the police academy?”, then  “What courses should you have been trained in at the academy?”

This seminar was not about just religion but about any spiritual influence that gives police officers the kind of character that allows them to endure the toxic nature of police work and maintain their sanity over the years of a demanding police career.  There was information presented that many, many more officers die from suicide, cancer and heart attacks than ever are killed in the line of duty and we discussed what leads police officers, true leaders of our communities, to chose suicide over life.

The question was asked how do you become a well rounded police officer?

They led an excellent discussion on… Continue reading

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The Problems with Cops Kids

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We have all heard the stories about other cops kids getting into trouble but it’s NEVER our kids is it?  Those of us from law enforcement families know that sometimes it’s the kids of police officers that suffer because of our careers too.

Well this time it was my kid, an adult child, who I thought was past all that until he checked himself into a drug and alcohol treatment center for 30 days and my eyes were opened up.

What is it about some cops?  Are we too lenient in not wanting to play cop at home and police our own kids?  Or is it that we are too strict at home and… Continue reading

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As a Police Officer Who is Your Inspiration?

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More importantly as a cop who do you inspire?

I just finished reading, well listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer’s newest book: “Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling” and found the book to be in itself very inspirational.  The book is very spiritual and that may turn some of you off but it is worth reading and if you are not ready for it now, you will be someday.

I said I read it well actually I listened to the audio book first through my account at Audible.com and then as I do with many books I bought the hard cover copy so that I could actually see the words.  I don’t know about you but I’m in the car a lot and most times can digest educational materials better if I listen to them and that’s why I have an annual membership with Audible.com so that I can just download the mp3 files to my iPod and play them in my car or when I’m working out.  But if I really want to learn and remember something I also buy the book so that when I’m listening to something, usually for the second time, I can turn to that page in the book and review the concept and remember them better for having seen them.  This works much better if the author is mentioning a chart, graph or even website or address. Continue reading

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Gratitude is a Cop’s most Powerful Tool

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” At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”

Albert Schweitzer

John F. Kennedy expressed it eloquently when he said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

Gratitude is a powerful tool.  I used it so many times as a hostage negotiator when I was dealing with… Continue reading

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As a Cop Are You Achieving Your Vision in Life or In Your Career?

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Do you have a vision for what it is that you really want in life or in your police career?  Police officers are just like most people when it comes to procrastinating about a plan for their lives or even their careers in law enforcement.  Experts and psychologists agree that when people spend time really articulating what they want, they have a much better chance of getting it, so life planning and career planning can have a tremendous impact upon your success.  This usually includes writing down your thoughts and goals so you have a sort of map to get where you want to go.  Here’s an interesting video from YouTube that might also help you.

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