Welcome to Dignity in Policing
Dignity is the #1 emotion that allows policing to remain a noble profession. The emotion of dignity is for everyone in the agency. Everyone. Dignity is the emotion that generates the belief that we have inherent worth. In dignity, you believe, without question, that you are as valuable as every other human being. That allows you to take a stand for yourself, decide what is best for you and take responsibility for the consequences, respect yourself, and insist that others treat you with respect. When we live in dignity, we extend dignity to others…all others.
Entitlement is the #1 emotion that erodes the nobility of policing.
Emotions shape all that we do however they are only a messenger. They provide data and information about our situation and give us the choice to respond appropriately and effectively. We get to decide the emotion that will serve us best no matter the situation. Only you can regulate your emotions. Nobody can do it for you.
No one laid out a plan for understaffing, societal division and unrest, or tension levels that can damage an officer’s well-being. Most of what we see around us was not created intentionally. We worked with the knowledge and tools available, and just as in most other fields, the tools we have today reveal the limitations of the tools we had yesterday.
Boxed-up emotions never stay boxed up. Boxed-up emotions can open as anxiety, depression, family violence, addiction, and suicide. Being equipped to navigate your emotions is another option. Neither is easy, but they have considerably different consequences.
We do what we do because we can no longer accept the situational blindness that exists when it comes to the role emotions play in policing. We choose to fix this problem not because it’s demanded of us but because we can and care enough to try. Emotions enable deep healing work to occur within the self, the ego, and past trauma. Let’s shift our thinking to focus more on prevention than reaction.”
Dignity gives us the power to set personal boundaries, it reveals to us what we need, and empowers us to choose for ourselves.
Dignity in Policing Capabilities
- Coaching one-on-one
- Classroom instruction
- Integrated curriculum
- Certified instructor education
- Emotional Regulation Dashboard Assessment
Client Testimonials
Dignity in Policing: How Emotional Well-being Saves Lives, Families, and Careers
Emotions have always been part of policing although they’ve often been overlooked in favor of other learning and development. The time has come in the evolution of the role of first responders for emotional literacy to be added to their professional competencies.
Decades of research show that life satisfaction, in the face of traumatic events, is less about how many we have experienced and more about how we have navigated our way through them.
The current situation in policing is the result of millions of choices made over many decades. No one laid out a plan for understaffing, societal division and unrest, or tension levels that can damage an officer’s well-being. Most of what we see around us was not created intentionally. We worked with the knowledge and tools available, and like in most other fields, the tools we have today reveal the limitations of the tools we had yesterday.
We are where we are because we did our best with the knowledge and skills available to us. This is true for us individually and for our agencies. We do not knowingly follow a path that does not lead where we want to go.
This book is a program of awareness, action, and evolution based on the growing understanding of emotions as a tool and life skill. It proposes a practical interpretation of emotions that shines a light on how they can be leveraged to decrease our blind spots when making decisions, solving problems, and building relationships.
It is about what only you, as a first responder, can do to ensure emotional balance in your life, with your family, throughout your career, and after you retire. It is about the powerful role of dignity in self-care and establishing your standing in the world.
Let's have a conversation.
Ask yourself two questions: 1. Does your staff stand in and extend dignity to every part of your agency? 2. Do you notice more entitlement, apathy, or resignation than dignity?
Let’s start small, learn fast, and scale rapidly. Dignity is an emotional competence that requires regularity and commitment.
