Our history has led us to this place in time; we have to own the negative narrative that’s out there.
“The biggest challenge we face in policing today is the lack of public trust in who we are, what we do and our reason for being. Our history has led us to this place in time; we have to own the negative narrative that’s out there — to respond to and understand law enforcement’s role in the history of society’s unjust treatment of communities of color. We need to look at how we do things, hold ourselves accountable and figure out how we can build public trust.
“There are many issues we’re all facing as a result: Recruitment is the most significant. The negative narrative we’re in creates the impression that this isn’t a great profession to join. We’re facing a lack of diversity: We’re having a difficult time recruiting females, and people from different cultures and ethnicities.
“Another major issue is that officers are being called on to do things that aren’t necessarily aligned with our training, such as being the main social worker. Social transformation is now our role by default. Mental health issues, housing issues, drug addiction — we respond to it all. The problem is, we don’t have the resources to train people to be everything to the communities we serve.
“Looking forward, it’s not a very optimistic landscape.”
This profession and the nobility of it and the ability to serve in this capacity defines my day and who I am.
“I never lose sight of that. We are selfless in this profession. The rewards are few and far between.
“When I look back and think about the reminders of why this is important, I think about things like getting letters from domestic violence victims I helped. One in particular comes to mind — she was in a really terrible and violent relationship of 20 years. A year after she got out, she wrote to thank me and to let me know she was safe. If we hadn’t taken the extra time with her the night she was badly beaten and pistol whipped, and given her the encouragement she needed, she would probably be dead.
“Stories like that remind me to keep doing what we’re doing. We do good work, and sometimes, at the lowest point in a person’s life, we’re all they have.”
Every officer came into this career with every intention of being a hero of the community.
“Look at the human behind the badge. No one enters this profession to do something wrong. We all enter it to do good, to be pillars in the community.
“Today’s policing calls on us to deal with so much of society’s ills. It’s an emotionally and physically challenging job.
“We’re called upon to solve issues that have nothing to do with crime suppression. But every officer out there came into this career with every intention of being a hero of the community. There’s a human behind that badge with good intentions. Too often we forget to recognize their value and what they contribute to society.
“We have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession, also one of the highest rates of depression, anxiety, obesity and cardiovascular disease. We [those in positions of leadership] often don’t pay attention to the emotional needs of our personnel. We don’t give our staff the resources to address the constant stress experienced in this profession. We have largely ignored the relationship between stress, trauma and resiliency.
“We’re at a time where the burden is greater than it’s ever been. We need to figure out how we can create and maintain resiliency in our officers and our profession so we can be the best we can be.”
–Jennifer Tejada, Chief of Police, Emeryville Police Department
