Last night my wife was surfing the internet and happened upon the UTube video of Susan Boyle performing in the semi finals of the show Britain's Got Talent. Susan Boyle is a Scottish spinster who became famous after her first performance on Britain's Got Talent. In the few weeks since her first appearance on the show the video on Utube has been watched by millions of people, she has been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and featured on news broadcasts around the world. Susan Boyle has certainly become an overnight sensation, but she is far from an overnight success. The internet has created a … [Read more...]

One of the topics that continually comes up with physical skills instructors during discussions around in-service training is the frustration that every year when officers come for training you have to start at 'Square 1". Trainers are often frustrated by the fact that we believe officers spend little or no time throughout the year practicing their physical skills. As a result as trainers we often feel they need to start at Square 1 with officers when they show up for training. Trainers are also frustrated by the fact that in-service officers come with 'an attitude' to mandated training. The … [Read more...]

I am sure we have all heard, and likely used, the expression “We need to think outside the box.” This week I am here to speak up on behalf of the much maligned box. Here are my thoughts for this week: We do not need to think outside the box we simply need to clean out and rearrange the boxes we have, and sometimes we just need to get a bigger damn box. When did the box become evil? When did the box become the reason we are not moving forward or creating change in our organizations and ourselves? We have an inbox for our e-mail and possibly in and out boxes on our desk. We have file … [Read more...]

I was asked a great question during a break in my four hour Excellence in Training presentation at the 2009 ILEETA Conference. During the presentation we had discussed the key themes ofWhat's Important Now and You Have Not Taught Until They Have Learned. The question was "At what point does the student need to accept responsibility for their actions." Great question. The answer - Right from the start.   As students we must understand from the beginning of the training program that we play a key role in the learning process. Learning is not a passive skill. A student committed to … [Read more...]

Take a moment, close your eyes and imagine a 'bad guy'' pointing a gun at you intent on killing you. What image came to mind? Was it a male, 18 to 30 who looked like a typical criminal or gang member? That is the stereotypical image that many law enforcement professionals have of someone who is going to assault them or attempt to kill them. The problem is that the research suggests there is no stereotypical image of what someone looks like that will attack or attempt to kill an officer. Officers need to mentally prepare to face attacks and threats from people of all ages, sizes, genders, … [Read more...]