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A very interesting article written by my colleague: Jason Wilterdink

In our modern American society everyone is aware of health risks and factors such as cholesterol, diabetes, healthy eating, and exercise. Whether you take responsibilities for these aspect’s of your life or not is another matter, but American’s at least have some knowledge of these factors.

In America we are aware of and consumed by violence. Stories of soldiers who were killed in action and fallen Police Officers make big news. Stories of murder, battery, assaults, rape, and violence are broadcast all over every form of media available.

What most soldiers, cops, medical professionals, dispatchers and citizens are unaware of is true mental health. They are unaware of how to truly exercise their mental health, risk factors, and they are unaware of the diet their emotions and mind consumes each day. Think I don’t have my facts straight? Hold on tight, I am about to reveal dirty little secrets to you that should cause a paradigm shift.

FACT: According to FBI statistics 100-200 (average is 150) cops are killed every year by felonious assault and on duty accidents / injuries (www.nationalcops.com www.officerdown.com www.officer.com http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr )

FACT: Neither the FBI nor any government organization tracks Law Enforcement Officers who commit or try to commit suicide

FACT: A ruling of suicide can be difficult to ascertain. If a person dies of an overdose and there is no suicide letter was it accidental or intentional?

FACT: www.tearsofacop.com says that 300 cops commit suicide each year

FACT: www.thepainbehindthebadge.com says that suicide is the #1 killer of American Police Officers

FACT: www.heavybadge.com and www.psf.org (the police suicide foundation) are two of the best kept secrets about police suicide. No one wants to talk about this or admit it exists, it is real and you should investigate it for yourself

FACT: There are reports of more soldiers committing suicide in a single month than what have been killed in an entire year in Afghanistan or Iraq (poke around the internet – these stories are everywhere)

This should scare you and it should piss you off! It does both to me. Our soldiers, cops, medical professionals and dispatchers are some of the best people in our country. They are the bravest, most moral, ethical, kind, and heroic people in our country. Yet what is happening to them causes more of them to kill themselves than the “enemy” or the “bad guys” ever could. What is worse is that politicians and people who know this dirty secret hide it out of shame.

We need leadership! The leadership and courage to acknowledge and admit there is a problem. The leadership and courage to research the problem. The leadership and courage to teach people about the problem. The leadership and courage to fix the problem.

We need to learn how to “dial down”. This is a term I have taken from the MHC – the Military Healing Center out of Canada. The MHC has developed a program called MBV – or meditation breathing and visualization. Before you laugh listen up! I am a tough guy and a macho guy. I have attended every cool kick-ass macho tough guy class I can afford, and I will continue to do so for decades to come. It is hard for me to admit that the job gets to me. I am “normal” because of it. I admit I have started to use some portion of the MBV program daily. I sleep better, I think more clearly, and I function better because of it! If you want to call me a name which is synonymous with being wimpy or not macho go ahead. If you can’t openly admit that you can benefit from MBV go ahead. But the statistics say you are hiding a secret.

You see if 300 to 450 cops each year are willing to kill themselves how many more are depressed but not suicidal? How many are angry, sad, depressed, upset, frustrated, or disillusioned? How many of them have had their emotional state negatively affect their life, their marriage, their family, and their career?

No one taught me how to dial down before I started my career! Sure we “talked” about stress, but no one had the tools to teach me to deal with it. The next observation I make is the people who are the best at high speed tactical environments are most at risk. If you want to call these people “the best” at tactics go ahead, I would agree, but I do not want to risk insulting the Officers and soldiers among us who are less tactical (SWAT cops and tactical instructors vs. DARE cops and DARE teachers for example / or Spec-Ops soldiers fighter pilots and infantry soldiers vs. support soldiers who are “in the rear with the gear”).

Every soldier, cop, dispatcher, medical services provider, firefighter, and air traffic controller needs to learn how to dial down! But us people who are more macho, more dominant, more Alpha, and who have taught ourselves how to process lots of information very rapidly in rapidly unfolding life or death situations need this stuff the most! We need to learn how to let go, relax, be still, and take information one kernel at a time instead of burning the entire bag of popcorn.

Dialing down is as important and maybe more important than learning tactics, how to shoot, and how to fight! Dialing down is a tool that is as important or more important than all the crap carried on a cop’s batman belt or a soldier’s kit!

Several Resources I recommend:
MBV can be purchased from America’s Modern Knights at www.americasmodernknights.com

The book “Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement” or the seminar by Retired Officer Kevin Gilmartin PhD can be purchased from www.emotionalsurvival.com

Additional information on this phenomena and seminars, training, and resources can be obtained from:

www.psf.org
www.heavybadge.com
www.thepainbehindthebadge.com

I have attended the Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement seminar and The Pain Behind the Badge seminar. Emotional Survival for Law enforcement and the MBV program are now required for any student in my Healthy Lifestyles for Law Enforcement class. I recommend these resources highly. My soon to be released book; Healthy Lifestyles For Law Enforcement will outline a holistic approach including mindset, diet, exercise, sleep, emotional survival, and dialing down. I also look forward to other dialing down products and service offered by the MHC.

Let’s cut through the pain, the silence, and the shame! Let’s courageously expose this horrible dark secret. Let’s fix this problem. Suicide, depression, mental health disease, heartache and suffering should not be this big of a problem among our countries heroes! These people all passed the most grueling application process, training, and psychological tests in order to serve and help others. It is clear that they are not the problem. It is clear that something has happened to them and it is likely work related. Please join me in any shape or form you wish. Please educate yourself, do your own research, learn, and grow!

Strength and Valor,
Jason Wilterdink

About the Author: Jason Wilterdink was an EMT in Wisconsin (EMT license 52283) for 5 years. Jason Wilterdink has worked with and handled a volunteer Search and Rescue K9. Jason Wilterdink has worked in full time Law Enforcement for over 12 years, he is a Criminal Justice instructor, SFST instructor, ethics instructor, and a tactical instructor. Jason Wilterdink has served a one-year United States Department of State contract as CIVPOL (CIVillian POLice) assigned to the United Nations Mission In Liberia (UNMIL) – West Africa. Jason Wilterdink is the owner of America’s Modern Knights LLC.

This week’s article is not about training. It’s about success. The following article was written by Mike Panebianco of Able Training Systems, LLC. Here’s more on Mike, in his own words:

My goal and purpose at ATS is to help my clients build their resiliency in challenging conditions. We train multidimensional experiences in communication, confidence building, and personal leadership for corporate or private clients. We blend the research used to enhance flight safety with cutting edge personal defense training to address common resiliency issues. Events cover the span between mindset development to full contact personal safety courses.

Here’s the article.

Success Solution: Words

Changing the way people talk can change their chances of success. I spend a lot of time trying to make my training program, Resiliency Path Training, help people make changes to improve their lives. I have been looking for the one true measure of what will signify success in my own efforts. I think the indicator is language. How do they talk when they are finished with RPT. What does language have to do with it?

Everything.

Robbins, Covey, Dyer, etc. The guys who make millions trying to make you stronger, change the way you look at things, help you set goals and overcome your obstacles in the path of success, they want you to change the way you behave, the way you think. I’d like to focus down on the one thing that binds us togetherthe way we talk.

The way to elevate your position in life is through your language. Language is what binds us all together, creates our groups, elevates our mission, or chains us to a group of turkeys. It can go either way.

Language Indicates Thoughts and Beliefs

The words we choose give insight to others as to what our thoughts and beliefs are. Do those thoughts and beliefs attract others to where you are, or where you are headed? Are your words consistent and true, or are they self serving?

Ever look at the language people who are “stuck” use? “If only.”, “The Rich”, “Why not me”, “Only the lucky people” begin the statements of why they, and people like them can’t get unstuck. Believe it or not, that language is attractive to people who are stuck. They all stick together.stuck.

Blast out of the cycle. This is a free country, and the last time I checked, there was no genetic requirement to become a success, be confident, or thrive under pressure.. It takes a personal effort. I qualified for food stamps for years in my journey. It wasn’t my birthright to be successful. I found a way out. My language has evolved, it evolved first. The successes followed.

Value in You, and then.

Getting out of the basement with your language is a start. Getting out of the “if only’s”, and “this sucks” and realizing you are capable and worthy is the beginning. Changing your language from poverty to plenty only gets you half way. Self service to your own needs gets you out of the pits and into the race, but you will never be great by using the language that says “I, me, my, mine”. There is no legacy in “me”. Believing in yourself, and reinforcing that belief in your language will start you on your way, but won’t take you to the high ground.

How many of you know people who continually talk about how great they are, how great their product is, how great their accomplishments are? How often do they talk about the value of others? Not often. How many people do you see following them that are of great successes themselves??? Not many. Do these people build anything up other than themselves, at your expense?

These people are not stuck, but they aren’t great to anyone but those beneath them in language.. Think about that..

Listen to the language people are using. If its riddled with I, me, my, mine, you might guess that they have a value system that is focused on just that. Them. That’s better than the destructomatic speech used by the “life isn’t fair” crowd, but it doesn’t lead to true resiliency, or higher ground living. Everything that hits them is some personal affront.because it’s all about “me, I, my, mine” all the time.

Taking the High Ground

The kind of life we all seem to want to live is one of value. Having values, connecting with others with similar values, and enjoying the journey together seems to be a life well lived. In short a more fulfilling life. Regardless of the circumstances we live through..

To leave our mark in this world, we want to not just elevate ourselves to new heights, but we have to bring others on our journey as well. In the Resiliency Path Training model we will frequently talk about High Ground. What we refer to is the place where our values, our mission, our beliefs, and our drive all meet and create the life we aspire to. The Resiliency in RPT is strengthened by the bonds we make with others, the way we elevate others, the way we offer our empathy and compassion, our encouragement, our presence to others. That is signified by our language as we communicate with one another.

Getting to the high ground is NOT a solo mission for anyone. We need others to come along, and as strange as it may seem, you almost have to live to see them get to it first, to help them achieve it themselves for you to ever get to yours. See the paradox in that? Unselfish selfishness? For you to achieve the high ground, you must help others achieve it first. Can you grasp that? It’s the secret of some of the happiest, most successful people you may ever know. (not measured in $$)

Choosing your Language

Choosing the words, “we, us, together, group, team, network” bring that unity to our language that inspires others to join or follow in our journey, and lets them know we are with them in theirs. Language centered around principles brings concrete to the intent of the words. It takes conscious thought to use these words, and to act and think in line with them. Language that is generous, encouraging, inspirational, kind, honest, truthful is congruous with the worthy mission.

Flattery, selfishness, I, Me, slick language is a red flag. Manipulators of language, and frauds are soon exposed. Like a poker player, eventually we can read the tell of someone manipulating language for personal gain.

How many times have you been addressed as a Team, yet looked around and saw a group of individuals who just happened to share proximity, employment, or goals, but didn’t work together at all? I have seen it, and continue to see it every day. It’s empty, uninspiring, and it does nothing to further the team when there’s a bunch of self centered people sharing space. Miami Heat ring a bell this season?? The words have to be backed with value for anyone to buy them. We, Us, Team, Network, value, integrity. It has to be about a cause greater than you.

That means YOU have to believe it, and to wholly rip off the famous movie line from “Field of Dreams”, “If you build it, they will come” Your language can’t just be a ball field in the corn, the game has to live in your head, your actions, your being.

What does this blog mean????

Ok, so you read all this, and you’re saying “Mike, what is all this? You’ve rambled on about language for 1000 words, yet you haven’t said anything about what I should do, or why its important in RPT?”

It’s all about getting you to watch the language you use, and tracking your results. If you’re stuck, you need to find language that will get you unstuck, taking the focus off the wrongs of the world, and back on to you, and the fact that you are as worthy as the next person to be fulfilled.

Once you do that, and you see that it elevates you to a better place, I hope that you will see that the path to great things is by changing that language once again. This time the focus of our language has to be on others. This is the high ground.

If you lead a business or organization, a team, a crew, refocus your language and ask yourself to whom you serve, and to what end? Does your language serve them? That end? Or does your language serve you? Do your results show this?

Challenge yourself. Check your results over time. Change your language, and you may find your actions and thought patterns will change with you. It takes a conscious effort to form effective language. It WILL change you.

The high ground can only be attained and held if we believe, value, and communicate a commitment to the benefit of a greater purpose than ourselves.

The following is an article by Sgt. Steve Papenfuhs as it appeared in PoliceOne. It’s a must read for any involved in training…at any level.

“In my three decades (plus) as a trainer first in the martial arts then in law enforcement I’ve come across a number of instructors who seem to have something to prove. Some have needed to prove how smart they are, and as usual by doing so they look stupid. Some have had to prove that they were the Swami of SWAT by listing all the tactical courses they’ve attended (including some that don’t exist!). These are the “high-speed, low-drag, all-thrust no-vector, paint it black and call it tactical, call every tool a system,” guys.

Some have to prove that they’re “in charge” and must be “respected” so they’re prone to telling police recruits that they must do exactly as they say or they will willingly fail them out of the academy. They may say stuff like:

“You let your hand spin on that prone handcuffing position yes the suspect’s shoulder is still pinned, yes the elbow is still locked in an arm-bar, yes the wrist is still in a flexed wrist-lock, yes the suspect is in the perfect prone position I taught you, but you allowed your controlling hand to spin 180 degrees and your fingers are now pointed in rather than out, so I need to fail you out of the academy.”

Some have to prove how tough they are by punching the crap out of recruits while they themselves are protected in an impact suit. As you can probably tell, I have no time for these individuals.

Recruit Officer John Kohn
Now, don’t jump to conclusions as I reference the recent death of Recruit Officer John Kohn, who died after suffering a head injury during training at the Norfolk Police Academy. I am not implying that any of the instructors who were present when he was injured meet the descriptions above. This incident simply serves as a reminder and a wake-up call to all police trainers. I am sure that the trainers present during the event had the best interests of the recruits in mind. PoliceOne has posted a couple of news items on the incident. You can see them here and here.

Please keep in mind that, as always, these videos cannot tell the entire story.

According to news reports, Kohn was punched in the face by a police trainer on December 7th of last year. Kohn explained to classmates and his wife that he “got his bell rung” and that he had a headache. It is not clear if he reported this to his supervisors. Two days later during a ground-fighting session he first collided with another student and then was punched several times by an instructor. Kohn was admitted to the hospital and died from head injuries on December 18th. Doctors determined that he had suffered two brain injuries.

Training-related Deaths are Anomalies
Although extremely rare, the death of a law enforcement recruit during combatives training is not unheard of. In May 2005, a recruit at the Texas Department of Public Safety academy died after having participated in a full-contact sparring match with another trainee. It was reported that even though two trainers advised against it, those trainers were overruled by the lieutenant and the recruit was matched against a physically superior classmate. That death led to an investigation of the training conducted at the Texas DPS academy.

The investigation disclosed that between 1996 and 2005, there were 392 injuries sustained by recruits during “Active Countermeasures” training. Fifty-seven of those injuries were classified as compensable head injuries (covered by worker’s compensation.) This included 36 concussions, 18 contusions, two lacerations, and one sprain. At least eight of these concussions were diagnosed as serious head injuries. These 57 head injuries did not include eye, ear or other non-concussion facial injuries. As a result of the death and subsequent investigation, the Active Countermeasures program was discontinued.

Thankfully, these are rare events. Considering the number of police recruits going through reality-based-training, these deaths are anomalies. We want recruits to gain an experience of combat in a controlled environment. We need to prepare them for the interpersonal violence that each of them will face someday on the mean streets. It is rare that an officer will use deadly force during his or her career. But, no matter how eloquent and persuasive a law enforcement professional is with his verbal skills, at some point a subject is going to become physically resistant. And, the officer must use his physical skills to convince the individual that “resistance is futile.”

Policies, Procedures, and Protocols
So, what can we do to fulfill the need of realistic training while minimizing injuries? First, make the training realistic. In other words, stop trying to teach the perpetual yellow-belt/black-belt tactics. Your average recruit will be expected to control an aggressive maniac with far fewer hours of training than your high school freshman wrestler gets before his first match. Don’t get me wrong. I love training in wrestling, BJJ, judo, muay thai, Krav, and MMA. But, much of that is not what we should be emphasizing to our recruits.

Next, remember why you, as a trainer, are there. You’re there for the recruit, not to prove how tough you are or to practice your skills on a human punching bag. Being there for the recruit means caring about his welfare. If you are in an impact suit and the recruit accidentally strikes you in the head with a soft baton that can’t possibly do any damage to you, why get angry and “punish” him? Trying to convince him that he needs to be better with his targeting by punching him repeatedly in the face is not productive.

Recruits need to know that they must acknowledge and report injuries. There is no room for “walking it off” in our environment. If they are injured, they need to know that they can report the injury without attaching any stigma. Train your instructors how to punch a recruit without injuring him. I can honestly say that I cannot remember ever injuring any of the thousands of recruits that I have trained. Oh, I’ve tagged them, but because I have never been trying to hurt them, pay them back, or see how good I am, none has sustained any significant injury.

Make sure that you have policies, procedures, and protocols in place for any high-level training. This will include the use of personal safety equipment such as head gear, padded gloves, and mouthguards. Know what your instructor to student ratio should be to enhance safety. Never allow a trainer to overwhelm a recruit. They should be progressively pushed to higher levels of performance, but going too far too fast is a recipe for disaster. Have water, a first aid kit, and ice packs close at hand in case of injuries. Most importantly, we can reduce injuries to recruits by remembering why we are there.

We are there for them. We are there to make them better. We are not there to practice our own skills or to prove how tough we are.”

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