On a recent Friday night, my wife and I
attended a funeral for an 18-year-old man who had taken his own life. The first
family member to see me as we walked into the funeral home immediately said,
“I’ll tell you, we have a wonderful sheriff’s office.” I was caught off-guard
and was not sure where the conversation was going.
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| Statues outside the Robbinsdale police caption read: We honor those who have gone before us and challenge those who will come after us to continue the tradition of excellence. |
She went on to say how caring, careful,
and understanding the responding deputies were with the family. The deputies
kept the family informed as they investigated and also provided resources to
them. She starting crying and said, “They even cleaned up the mess, they were
wonderful.” Similar comments were repeated by the other family members we met
in the receiving line. Those deputies were “Level III” professionals.
We have a fire department that has
started a program when they respond to “lift assist” calls to help one of their
residents back into bed or a chair after they have fallen. In addition to
addressing the immediate issues, they have a team of firefighters follow up
with the residents to see if they can address the problem and not just the
symptom. That is “Level III”
performance.
It is the letter to the editor in the
local newspaper from the carpet store owner who lost it all in the fire and
continually thanks the fire department—not only for their fine work but because
they genuinely cared about his business, his employees, and their families. And
it is the police officers who didn’t give up on a prolonged investigation and
maintained contact with the victims so they did not feel abandoned or in the
dark—and got the conviction. It is the “Level III” performer who remembers that
they are dealing with people in one of the worse moments in their lives.
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| Statues outside the Columbia Heights public safety building. |
In his book, Going Pro, Tony Kern writes of the importance of continuous
improvement, ethics, and setting the bar high for a new level of
professionalism. Many of Kern’s themes have been echoed by our national public
safety figures: Alan Brunacini, Gordon Graham, Billy Goldfeder, and Randy Means
have been long been champions of this level of personal and departmental
professionalism. It is truly doing the right thing and doing it the right way.
Being qualified, certified, and hired
is the entry Level I Professional. The book uses numerous examples as it leads
the reader up the scale through Level II to Level III performance. The book
reads as if it was written for the public safety community. In chapter 3, entitled
“Aren’t we all professionals?,” Kern writes:
By
practicing precision and seeking perfection, we are also improving our
readiness for the day when the world turns mean and we need to be near perfect
just to survive.
The book was given to me by a friend. I highly recommend the book and have purchased two
additional copies that I have given away as gifts.
Up next time… “More
fire and police workshops coming this fall”
In the meantime, stay safe
and be careful.
Rob
