MESSAGE #737 I WAS DOWN AT THE POLICE STATION…
“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.”
-PETER MARSHALL
I spent some time at the police station yesterday.The great Sergeant Longo of the Lawrence Township Police Department is a friend of mine and he was kind enough to give me a private tour of the facility.
Sergeant Longo showed me how 911 and other emergency calls come through and are dealt with in the control center. I was also interested to see the cells, garage where they drive arrested persons in, the police weight room, storage area for riot and training gear. I also saw the explosives box that the K-9 unit uses to train their police dog. Every hallway and room was locked before and after entering. There were also special areas in which he could not carry his gun. I was amazed at how big the facility was, and how it was such a major operation.
In my book, I talk about Sergeant Longo (then a detective) and how being a police officer is just like being an athlete. It’s all about performing under pressure. Being cool under pressure. I asked Sergeant Longo if they had any specific breathing or relaxation techniques that they use when under pressure. They didn’t, so guess what? I’m going to create a program for them that includes the same keys in sports – focus, relaxation/stress reduction, and motivation/activation.
Walking around the police station, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how organized it all was. It looked like everything was under control. I felt safe. After all, if things don’t go well, who are they going to call?
I still recall when Sergeant Longo took me to the shooting range. I enjoyed it because it was a metaphor for shooting at a target or reaching a goal. Read the blog entry and watch the video of me shooting here: http://edtseng.blogspot.com/search?q=message+%23417
Well, thank you to Sergeant Longo and thanks for reading.