Police Professionalism In Memphis

Police professionalism has always been a debatable topic. It has especially been front-page news for the last few years with the climate change of police involved shootings. I have been a member of the Memphis Police Department for eleven years now, and I for one have felt and saw the change in the public’s perception of police officers. Being an African American male police officer in Memphis Tennessee is a task in itself. Memphis is a city where people are not afraid to address race. The city Memphis has been discussing race and equality for African Americans for past fifty years, with the bus boycotts, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, and just recently as a few years ago the Ku Klux Klan organized a rally in downtown Memphis.

I am not afraid to wear a body camera and have an open, educated dialogue with any member of this community. I am tired of the separation between class and race in this city and across the nation. Therefore I preach police professionalism to all of my co-workers and police recruits when I have the opportunity. I especially like talking with the officers who have just graduated from the academy as they transition in work on the streets rather than in the class room. My motto is “you get out what you put in” if want them to treat you like a professional, you act like one. As it relates to police professionalism, I believe that if a department wishes to increase the professionalism of it officers, it begins in the recruitment and hiring process. There is the need for qualified individuals who want to make a positive impact in their communities, showing respect for the people in which they are sworn to protect and serve. The ability to hire quality employees starts in the Mayor’s office, with the benefits and incentives that you will need to attract someone looking for a career and not a job. Once your department has selected a qualified candidate, they must be provided the best training money has to

I am also a firm believer in training that is directed towards ethics, cultural diversity, and knowledge in your profession. As an officer spends more time on the street and in the community, he/she begins to get more comfortable, and this is when police ethics becomes an issue. Often as a police officer, you will be faced with scenarios that will push the envelope of your morals and values. When the situations present themselves if you are not mentally stable or prepared for these situations, then you will fall victim to them. I think it is an agency obligation to prepare their officers for these types of situations. It is also the office’s responsibility to place their employees in the best position to succeed. When an employee can progress in the workplace that fosters a feeling of accomplishment that can spread throughout the office. As that employee moves forward in their career, they begin to feel like the company or agency has their best interest in mind, therefore feeling the need to represent the company in the best light