Sep 30, 2019
Ashlie: (00:18)
Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors.
I'm your host, Ashlie Walton.
Clint: (00:23)
And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.
Ashlie: (00:26)
In today's episode, we're going to talk about how having a
cognitive awareness and intent with serving the community that you
serve as a police officer or an any job responsibility that you are
responsible for could really make all the difference on the
individuals and how that can transpire into something bigger. So
just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content. Clint has worked
very close with a lot of the members in his community based on a
special detail that he's been in in one form or another for well
over five years. Now. In doing that and meeting some of the
community members, I've been fortunate enough to attend several
events where I've gotten to meet a lot of them as well. There's one
woman in particular that comes to mind and she comes to mind
because of a story that clinch shared with me as it pertains to
taking the extra step and going the extra mile in serving a need
that she had. Clint, I wonder if you could just talk a little bit
to the listener about what that was.
Clint: (01:46)
In my experience around community policing, it's been eye-opening
in so many levels and I really hope you as the listener can
incorporate or adopt this in whatever you do. And my story with
this lady started for about four years ago and she came to a lot of
our community meetings. She is really involved with the police
department and the community in general. So over the years I've
gotten to know her and she's, she's such a sweet lady. Every time
she sees an officer she buys a gift card wherever we're at and
gives, gives a gift card to whatever officer may be there. She's
always tried to give me one and I've always taken it and then I
hide it back in her purse later and she calls me a stinker because
I've never actually taken one from her. But about three years ago
she asked for some help in reference to her neighborhood.
Clint: (02:52)
She had a neighbor that just wasn't playing with the rules. And I
think all of us have had that neighbor where they play loud music
at night. They parked their vehicles on their lawns, they do
anything and everything, and it just eats at you every day you come
home, you take such pride in your own house and what you do to take
care of your own property and you see a renter next door just
thrashing the house, which not only brings the market value of your
house down, but it really is an eyesore for you. So she asked me to
give her a hand with this neighbor that was causing so many
problems for her and I really didn't do much. I wouldn't ask the
neighbor to knock their stuff off or I'm gonna sit code enforcement
on them, or I'm going to find other issues in relation to the
property and I would truly address it.
Clint: (04:00)
About a month later, I hadn't seen her for a while and she came up
to me and gave me the biggest hug of all what? What was that for?
And she goes, my neighbors moved out. They were tired of dealing
with me next door and she's all, and I know you had something to do
with it. And I'm like, no, I didn't do anything. She's all, I just,
I just know that you took care of the problem for me. And from
there it just stemmed on to where she had started calling me on a
regular basis for other issues on our street. And, and I'll tell
you if you're a police officer, you know sometimes it gets kind of
daunting, especially when you have citizens that have your cell
phone number and call you for every little thing. But when I
shifted my mindset as to not looking at it as, oh man, it's not her
again or it's not this person again, trying to just use me to fix
their problems, but really adapted the mindset of if this look next
door to me, I would want this fixed too.
Clint: (05:24)
And really focusing in on that. It gave me pleasure doing anything
and everything I could for any community member who came to me with
a problem. And that really pushed me in, drove me to go over and
above for any anybody in any person that I could. And so recently I
actually went to this lady's house and she, I got an email from my
boss with about eight items and there were all complaints from her.
So I go, you know, I told my partner, I go, you know, it's going to
be easier. Let's just go there and talk to her. Let's figure out
what their problems are and we'll really see what we can do to help
her. Cause a lot of times just going and actually talking with
them, the problems that work themselves out. So we drove to her
house when inside her house, I sat on her couch, her dog jumped on
my lap and we'd spent a good 30 45 minutes just talking with her.
She called one of her neighbors over and she expressed her concerns
to us as well. And a simple, okay, I'll look into it. They were
more pleased with just that response then anything that I could
ever do.
Ashlie: (06:50)
That's one thing I love about you because it showcases your
personality. And how you really are outside of the workplace and a
lot of times I don't think that people understand that they have
the ability to pull in those attributes that make them who they are
in order to make themselves a better worker, a better community
member, a better friend, a better employee. And the thing with you
is, I know that when you told her I'm going to look into it, the
reason she was so appeased by the situation was because she knew
based on your own past encounters with her that you're not just
saying that to shine her on and to shutter up for the day. You said
that from a place of genuinely knowing that you're going to follow
through with what her concerns are and I know that she knew that
too. When Clint, I were talking about this particular situation
being that I have had the opportunity to meet her a couple of
times. He was sharing with me how her cocker Spaniel guy is
uniform, so full of fur and we were just discussing the whole, the
whole thing surrounding the situation. And what I told him was how
important it is to build those relationships with the community
members that feel the need to voice their opinions the most
Clint: (08:17)
And something came from this that is so absolutely amazing and, and
I can't even explain what a small world it is. This lady is
actually, I'm going to say it's her, his, it's her brother in law
is actually my second and third grade teacher who was my absolute
favorite teacher through all my years in school. And I had a really
close relationship with him and my mom was the homeroom mom for
those classes. She was close with him and it was just like what a
small world this is for this to happen. And she actually called him
after the fact and gave me his number and I still need to call him,
but just to reconnect and go to lunch or something. And it's just
amazing to see what has transpired over the years since I was in
second and third grade to where I am now. And to be able to share
that with someone who really mentored me and really was big in who
I am as a care, as in my character as an adult.
Ashlie: (09:39)
It's my true belief that nothing like that happens by chance and I
believe that is a little bit of the universe just showcasing a gift
to you because you were open to receiving it and a lot of us turn
the cheek. It's easy for us to shine on the complaints, but you
don't have the ability to do that. It is literally in your job
analysis to help solve people's problems and deal with them. You
call them, call after call, but in essence it's complaint after
complaint
Ashlie: (10:19)
and it's the way that you decide to articulate, to reframe your
mind in a way to where you're going to decide how you want to
approach it and more importantly, what your cognitive response is
going to be to the whole nature of the situation and also to the
outlook on what really impacts your entire career. If you're
constantly going to calls dreading the way that you're going to
feel when you encounter maybe the same people complaining
constantly, then you're going to dread your job. But to be able to
reframe your mind and to look at it in a way to where you know that
you're doing a service to somebody who really needs it, I don't
believe that she would be calling so frequently with any sort of
concerns had they had no, no genuine basis behind them, and of
course there are guidelines and discipline and things like that in
place. If you do have somebody abusing the system and no doubt
there are those people. Luckily this isn't one of those situations,
but having the ability to showcase what you can do for other people
builds this trust and in stating that there are community members
that voice their opinions much louder than others. Clinton, I
talked about how a lot of times it's so easy for members of the
community or members of society as a whole to complain. It's very
easy for them to speak when things don't go their way
Ashlie: (11:56)
But I paid witness to many times when she and many other members of
the community that you've worked with personally have spoken up on
the positive nature of what you do for them and how it impacts
their lives. And I want to say that again, it impacts their lives
to make a difference in someone's Day can ultimately lead to a
difference in their own train of thought, a difference in the way
that they perceive you and a difference of the way that they
perceive your profession.
Ashlie: (12:34)
I would imagine that if you didn't follow through on the things
that you told her you were going to say are going to do or any
other member of the community that you responded to and simply
said, I'm going to look into it. If you didn't do the things that
you promised, those people are going to turn against you. They're
going to have bad things to say about your moral character, your
work ethic, what your duties are, the things that you're capable
of. But instead you get to experience the other side of the
spectrum and it's pleasant. It makes your day a little bit easier.
Having people like that to further build on the community that you
serve as the whole reason why you're doing this in the first
place.
Ashlie: (13:22)
And as you sit there and your own profession in your own day with
any interactions that you're having with people that you maybe
aren't comfortable with facing or that you've never even
encountered before. How could you shift your train of thought
anytime that it gets uncomfortable? Anytime that you're being asked
to face something that you don't want to do necessarily.
Ashlie: (13:49)
Could you be of service to them? Could you do something a little
extra? Could you show them a piece of who you really are and not
just who the badge says you are or the uniform says you are? And I
believe that by showcasing the truths about who you really are and
what your abilities are and the way that your morals and your
ethics and your own code of conduct plays into your day to day is
really what it's all about. And when you can practice that and you
really embody who you are and you mesh it in with what you do for a
living, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.
Balance. Optimize. Tactics.
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