True Grit...… or the Times they are a Changing

True Grit…. The times they are a Changing.

 The “Old Salt” was sitting at the briefing room table, head down and muttering under his breath.

The rookie walked in and said, “What’s up old timer?”

“This whole department is changing too fast for me,” the veteran replied.

“Like what?” the rookie asked.

“I knew we were in trouble when they took away my horse,” the old timer said.

“What horse?” the rookie queried.

“Rex, the Wonder Horse. We used to ride horses on patrol in the old days. He was the best friend I ever had. Yeah, when they took away Rex, I knew it was going to be all downhill from there. They put us in patrol cars, and it was never the same,” commented the veteran. “Have you ever tried to get a patrol car to rear on command?”

The veteran shifted in his seat as he recalled the old days, “No, they can’t do it, they also can not untie your hands if you get captured by the bad guys. Have you ever tried to vault in the saddle going flat out, in a patrol car? Let me tell you, If you miss, it’s a mess” said the old timer.

The rookie chuckled at the thought of the “Old Salt” vaulting his patrol car.

“They took away my single action Colt .45 hogleg, tied down low and gave us these little bitty .38 specials,” the “Old Salt” patted his side arm. “Now they want us to carry the fancy automatics that carry more bullets than John Wayne’s six shooter. Have you ever tried to trigger fan an automatic?”

The veteran shook his head in dismay at the thought of “fixin’ what ain’t broke”.

“I miss the old days when we rode tall in the saddle like the Duke. Why, I remember the time in True Grit, the Duke took that 30/30 out of his rifle scabbard, racked a round, drew that .45 Colt Peacemaker and then took the reins in his teeth and spurred his horse toward those three outlaws. That’s what it was like in the old days,” said the veteran with a smile.

 “Now days, it’s riding around in an air-conditioned car with a bullet proof vest on. We didn’t need bullet proof vest in the old days,” the old salt said. “Don’t take a bath for a year and no one could close enough to shoot you, and if they did, a years’ worth of trail dust could stop a 45/70 slug. Maybe I am just getting too old for this anymore,” the old salt lamented.

The rookie couldn’t help but scrunch his nose at the thought of the solution to not wearing a bullet proof vest.

“Maybe I will just head up to Yackiesville and see what’s cooking up there,” the old salt said with a smile.

The old timer got up and headed for the locker room with a gleam in his eye. The rookie looked up a few minutes later and a fellow rookie entered the room.

“What’s up with the old salt?” the new comer asked.

“I think he is feeling his age,” the first rookie remarked.

“It must be that or somebody put something in his Geritol,” the newcomer commented.

“What do you mean?” the first rookie asked.

“Well, when he went by me in the hallway, the Old Salt had a black patch over one eye, dressed like John Wayne with a tied down .45 Colt Peacemaker and muttering something about Rex the Wonder horse and three outlaws,” said the amazed deputy.

After 36 years in law enforcement, first as a deputy sheriff in San Bernardino County, I have seen a tremendous change in both the law and manner in which it is enforced. The law struggles to keep up with rapidly evolving technology and new case law defines the perimeters of our profession on a regular basis. The “Times, they are a changing,” as Bob Dylan noted back in the 60’s.  Yet, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

As law enforcement professionals, it is our duty to maintain our level of performance and service delivery no matter what changes occur in the law or society. We can and should reflect the highest level of training, knowledge and service delivery to the communities we serve. We will be pushed to know more, think more broadly, and be versed in solving more of society’s problems where 911 is the default answer to any problem a citizen faces.

Cling to the past? Embrace technology of the future? We will have many choices in the coming years, but one thing remains constant. We live and work in a world with human beings. No matter what the future brings, our ability to interact with the community in a respectful and professional manner will never go out of style. How we relate to the person standing in front of us on a call for service, whether a suspect or victim, determines our individual success as an officer and corporate success as a department.

Yes, the times they are a changing, but we can do this!