Creating an Emotionally Intelligent Police Culture

Last week was not a good one for policing in Canada. Or should I say the news of what is going on, and has gone on in policing, is now just coming to the forefront, thus making it seem like a bad week. The truth is, there is a dark side within policing that is now just seeing the light of day. From the tragic story of Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre of the RCMP, to the equally tragic story out of Niagara Police Service, to the harassment and bullying cases haunting Edmonton Police Service, Calgary Police Service, Toronto Police Service, RCMP and very likely many more nationally, clearly, something is not working.

I am involved in several online "chats" and groups of present and former police officers, of all ranks, from across the country who, in spite of the pain, frustration, and anger, that has accumulated through their own experiences, or experiences of their respected and beloved colleagues, still give a damn about the profession. It is a noble profession that requires reform, a fearless moral inventory, and a transformation of culture.

As a corporate trainer I teach and facilitate discussions surrounding the need for Emotional Intelligence, within a variety of workplaces and cultures. Peter Drucker once stated that culture eats strategy for lunch. Meaning, of course, that all the strategic planning in the world will not bring positive change unless the culture changes.

In one of the largest studies on culture and teams, Google's "Project Aristotle" proposed that Psychological Safety in the workplace was the top component of workplace values as related to building a positive work culture. I would like to suggest that psychological safety is only possible where high emotional intelligence exists.

Therefore, if psychological safety eats culture for dinner , which eats strategy for lunch, I ( and many others far smarter than I) strongly believe that Emotional Intelligence is the complete meal.

Organizations, and in particular, police services, will not have psychological safety, positive work culture, or innovative strategy without high emotional intelligence throughout.

I am going to make some provocative statements, purposefully designed to get the dialogue going, cause some discomfort, but hopefully provoke thought among policing leaders.

1) Underdeveloped or low Emotional Intelligence is arguably the primary contributing factor to the unpleasant and negative headlines we are reading and watching, related to police behavior. Somewhere , somehow, someone made decisions. Police leaders and officers should resist blaming the media when a negative story is exposed. The negative story exists, and is newsworthy, because usually someone made a poor decision, the decision gets covered up one way or another, the cover-up makes the news, and the police department is held accountable in the court of public opinion. The old saying that people will generally forgive the wrongdoing ( when acknowledged) but won't forgive the cover-up or lack of transparency, is a common theme of these stories.

2) Underdeveloped or low Emotional Intelligence is one of the prime contributing factors to some of the most high profile and infamously botched investigations locally and nationally. The Bernardo and Picton commissions directly identified poor inter-agency communications as a primary factor as to why these serial killers were not caught sooner. Police choices to not collaborate with their police colleagues from other services are often fueled by inter-agency rivalry, jurisdictional silos, petty politics, and organizational ( and misguided) arrogance and hubris. During my time in policing, having worked in drug, organized crime and homicide Joint Force Operations with Vancouver , Victoria New Westminster, Delta, Edmonton, and Calgary police services, I would observe, listen and watch as officers from each department would badmouth their colleagues from other police services as if they were competition to be bested in the game of investigations. Thankfully there were also those of us ( the majority I worked with ) who rose above the pettiness and collaborated and cooperated with one another for the greater good.

3) Underdeveloped or low Emotional Intelligence is the prime contributing factor to the successful lawsuits, arbitration rulings, Federal Court rulings, and courts of public opinion, brought on internally by officers willing to take a stand for what is right and just. When anger, arrogance, pride, and self-righteous indignation, become the key emotions of senior police leaders as they are strategizing and discussing how to mitigate and manage risk, there is a guarantee that those decisions will be ill advised and eventually exposed as poor decisions.

Solutions

A) Create an Emotionally Intelligent Culture. (EIC). An EIC begins with recruitment, permeates the training strategy, is modeled by instructors and leaders, becomes a part of the language, becomes part of the promotional process, and becomes an organization where EI is normalized. Toxicity, negativity, contempt, sarcasm, ridicule becomes the abnormal and socially unacceptable in an EIC.

B) Promote and celebrate courageous speakers of truth, those willing to risk their careers to right the wrongs, those willing to stand up to bullying, harassment, deceit, and unethical behavior. The police whistle-blower is generally marked by similar positive values and traits and yet in most, if not all, situations, are vilified as traitors and malcontents by their superiors who lack the humility to examine themselves and say " maybe we were wrong, let's make this right."

C) Restore the nobility of the profession. As a retired RCMP Staff Sergeant - with my own public story of our acrimonious split - I am still a very proud supporter of the profession and the good parts of the RCMP that I saw, hopefully contributed to, and still see. Yet the badge is seriously tarnished. Police forces across Canada are increasingly under public and media scrutiny. Victims of internal bullying and harassment ( sexual or non-sexual) are finding a voice and courage to tell their story. It will likely get worse before it gets better.

Policing is a noble profession and calling. Pride in the vocation is restored through cultural reforms. Reform is painful and challenging, change is resisted at most steps along the way, yet change the profession desperately needs. The dangerous nature of the work, and the integral part in our society that policing plays, should also dictate the pay they receive. An investment in pay and benefits will ensure a high caliber of applicant.

A final note

I wrote two previous articles on the topic of harassment and bullying in policing a month or so ago. These articles went viral, with police officers across North America either reaching out to me, linking in with me, or sharing the article. I also had senior officers, media and a police commission member make contact. This tells me that the topic is hitting home with the progressives, the deeply caring, the change agents, the seekers of justice and speakers of truth. This is exciting.

As a corporate trainer, a certified Emotional Intelligence facilitator and assessor, certified Psychological Health and Safety adviser, former Staff Sergeant (who went through the good, the bad and the ugly and learned a few things along the way) and senior leader and manager in different industries, I am hopeful that the day may come where a progressive senior police leader reaches out for help in reforming their culture. I am ready, willing, and able to do my part and help. I know there are many others out there who feel the same.

Until such time, I will continue to contribute my voice to the dialogue and support others who are promoting an improved and progressive police culture.

Veritas