The desire to be great: What it takes to excel as a law enforcement officer

From rookie to veteran, maintaining excellence in law enforcement requires commitment, resilience and the unwavering goal to be a great officer

By Lt. Dan Marcou for Police1.com

In the past, as an instructor at academies, I would conduct a simple survey with each class of recruits. I asked them, “If I had a magic wand and could grant you one wish, what would you wish to be?”

A bad police officer? A mediocre one? A good one? A great one?

Nearly 100% of these recruits had a “desire to be a great police officer.” Only two recruits, as I recall, sincerely shared that they would be satisfied with being “a good police officer.” None chose to be mediocre or bad.

After taking the poll, I would mumble some magic words, wave my hand over the class, and say, “Your wish is almost granted. All you need to do now is keep striving to be a great police officer for about 30 more years, and one call at a time, your wish will come true!”

The effort that goes into being a great officer

Becoming a great police officer is no easy task. In fact, just becoming a police officer requires tremendous effort.

Each candidate must avoid serious trouble throughout their youth, graduate from high school, meet college requirements, maintain physical fitness, complete the academy, survive the hiring process and pass the scrutiny of their field trainers. All of this must happen before a recruit can even establish a reputation — good or bad — as a police officer.

Only through consistently high performance on the street, over time, will supervisors, peers and the community you serve come to recognize you as “an officer who is worth their salt.” Becoming a good or great officer requires:

• Training
• Experience
• Constant alertness on patrol
• Aggressive pursuit of the criminal
• Timely arrival at and effective handling of serious calls
• Fair enforcement in cases of violations of the law
• Treating people with dignity and respect
• Great communications skills
• Physical capabilities and skills
• Great tactical skills
• Adaptability to change
• Physical and emotional endurance
• Commitment to excellence
• Internalizing, then applying the police officer’s code of ethics
• Correct temperament
• Sustaining quality performance over time

By committing to maintaining these high standards, you will find yourself being referred to as a “good officer” and well on your way to becoming a “great officer.”

A hold on passion for law enforcement can be tenuous

The intense passion recruits have for the profession is common, but it often lasts only a bit longer than the new car smell in a recently purchased squad car. Many officers struggle with the harsh realities of the job — challenging calls, negative people, poor supervision, ineffective prosecutors, bad judges and anti-police legislators. The red-hot fire in the hearts of many rookies is often extinguished by these large doses of reality.

That said, losing the initial intense passion for the profession doesn’t mean a police officer can’t still be great. Greatness is still achievable as long as the desire to excel remains. However, officers must be careful not to let this natural decline in passion turn into apathy. Apathy can be dangerous.

An apathetic officer’s performance may deteriorate and their alertness can decline significantly. This lack of vigilance can cause an officer to miss danger cues, dismiss alarms as false and develop unsafe habits.

The one thing needed to be a great police officer

The key to becoming a great officer is simple: the desire to be great.

When an officer actively desires to be great and consciously maintains that mindset throughout each call and shift, that commitment to excellence will undoubtedly be recognized by victims, fellow officers, the community and their family when they are needed most.

If you strive to be a great officer, ensure that your physical and tactical training keeps you at the cutting edge. This is crucial because I can guarantee that, in your pursuit of excellence, you will encounter many people. A portion of those contacts will be with dangerous individuals whose worst fear is coming across a great officer. Some of these individuals will try to harm you.

To be the best, take your training seriously. Focus on your physical skills, tactical abilities, communication techniques, driving proficiency, de-escalation tactics, knowledge of police policies and procedures, patrol strategies, technological skills and the application of constitutional law. You must know how to make sound decisions and have the skills to back them up.

Additionally, hone your report writing skills so that anyone who reads your report — including the suspect’s defense attorney — can clearly see that your actions were justified and righteous.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! Becoming a great officer starts with just one thing: the desire to be great. Hold on tight to that goal through every call and contact, all the way to retirement.

Here’s the great thing about striving to be a great officer: in doing so, you will almost certainly be regarded as a “good officer” in the eyes of others. After 33 years in this life, I’ve come to realize that in the real world, being a good officer is more than good enough.