The Recognition of Excellence

Author: Edward J. Tully

When I was a young child, after performing my chores or doing some deed, which in my mind was particularly worthy, I would look to my mother for my reward. More often than not she would say, "Virtue is its own reward!" That was, at that time in my life, a most unsatisfactory response. I was far more interested in money, candy or at least, some praise or recognition for my efforts. The acquisition of self-satisfaction through the practice of virtue was not a high priority in my life.

Many years would pass before I began to comprehend the wisdom of my mother's remark. It was I learned, originally uttered by the Roman emperor/philosopher Marcus Aurelius. His comment was consistent with those made by great philosophers throughout the ages when discussing or teaching virtues. We learn virtues such as, courage, justice, temperance, wisdom, duty, patriotism, charity, faith, hope, and honor through serious study, emulation of virtuous people, and developing the habit of doing the right thing.

Then, as now, it was known how difficult it is to lead a completely virtuous life. All of us have encountered a few truly virtuous people in the course of our lives. We have admired their toughness, character, and dedication to living according to the highest principles. In all likelihood these people were not rich, blessed with blinding intelligence, or had a beautiful face. They were just ordinary folks who realized the value of a life lived with virtue is ultimately far more satisfying than wealth, fame, or even good health.

The pursuit of excellence is not a virtue per se, rather an integration of several virtues such as wisdom, prudence, temperance and courage. For most people, the pursuit of excellence also requires an appropriate measure of hard work and honesty. I suspect those individuals who are truly committed to the pursuit of excellence would not need praise for motivation to continue. However, praise is a powerful motivator for both individuals and organizations involved in the pursuit of excellence. Most individuals respond well to praise. So unless the desire for praise becomes obsessive on the part of the individual (and thus destructive), I think it can be used as a proper reward for the demonstration of excellence.

With some notable exceptions most individuals involved in law enforcement and law enforcement organizations have never had a problem with the obsessive pursuit of recognition for excellence or heroic actions. For the most part, we have been satisfied with little public recognition of the good work of law enforcement officers. Usually the recognition for our work has been internal, consisting of a medal, a letter of commendation, or in rare cases, a promotion to a higher rank.

For most individuals in law enforcement, the informal recognition system we have in our departments is sufficient. In a larger sense, however, our society needs to recognize those persons whose lives are truly exceptional. Our quiet heroes may be the volunteer firefighters or rescue workers who give generously of their time, helping us in our time of need. It could be someone who devotes their entire lives to the service of those individuals incapable of helping themselves. It could be many of our unselfish teachers, nurses, and doctors. It might be a mother who devotes her life to her children or a member of the clergy who always think of the needs of the unfortunate before their own. It might be an anonymous philanthropist who makes donations to worthy causes.

In addition, many corporations deserve recognition for their commitment to civic causes and their community. We have many exceptional people living among us and I think it time that society recognizes the virtuous lives these people lead, while giving less recognition to those people and organizations whose lives, while perhaps more glamorous, are characterized more by their vices than virtues.

Law enforcement has many people who have achieved extraordinary levels of performance, both individually and in concert with the organization to which they belong. I think it is wise for public policy to recognize these individuals and their organizations.

For example, I think it would be of great public benefit to recognize the outstanding manner in which the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Oklahoma State Patrol, the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI handled the investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing. These four agencies, and the many others that also participated in the investigation, deserve public recognition for their outstanding efforts. This investigation set new standards of excellence for cooperation and collaboration between investigative agencies. It should become the model by which we conduct joint law enforcement operations in the future.

I would argue that a more formal public recognition of the good works by law enforcement officers and law enforcement organizations would serve four purposes.

• The recognition would serve as a benchmark by which to judge future law enforcement activities.
• It would be a means to recognize those law enforcement agencies that perform in a truly exceptional manner.
• It could be a means to provide appropriate recognition for those officers whose actions are exceptionally heroic.
• Public recognition of good work by law enforcement builds internal support within agencies to continue their efforts to provide better service to the community.

The occasional praise also acts as a countermeasure to the criticism we often receive when things go wrong. On balance, it is my opinion that more public recognition of law enforcement excellence would increase the level of professionalism in law enforcement throughout the United States and Canada.

One such program of recognition, which I think is a model of appropriate recognition, was started in 1993 through the combined efforts of the good people of Motorola and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Working together they created the Webber Seavey Awards. The Webber Seavey Awards recognize departments who have designed, developed, and implemented innovative law enforcement programs in their communities. Each year, at the IACP conference, three winners are announced and 22 other finalists recognized for their achievements. Motorola annually publishes a booklet describing each program and it is widely disseminated by the IACP to the law enforcement community.

The program was the brainchild of Don Whitney of Motorola and Dan Rosenblatt, IACP. Both individuals received much help with the final design of the program from other Motorola employees and IACP members. In just a short time, the Webber Seavey Awards have become one of the highest honors a law enforcement agency can receive in recognition of quality in law enforcement. I think all of the individuals who have participated in the Webber Seavey Awards should be commended. By design the Webber Seavey Awards not only honor innovative law enforcement agencies, but provides departments with fresh new ideas, concepts, and programs that work.

The following are representative samples of some of the submissions to the Webber Seavey Awards program. These samples are illustrative of 75 programs selected as finalists over the past three years. Perhaps one of the programs mentioned might be of interest to your department. Should you want information regarding the other programs not mentioned, you may wish to contact the IACP at 515 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314-2357 for a brochure outlining all of the finalist programs from 1993-1995.

You may also wish to contact the individual mentioned at the end of each abstract for further information and an update on the status of the program. Finally, it may be that one of your department's programs should be nominated to receive the Webber Seavey Award. If so, call IACP for an application form.

DUI Mobile Enforcement Response Unit Program Phoenix Police Department Phoenix, Arizona

To satisfy the goals of increasing the DUI arrest rates while simultaneously reducing the amount of time required to process impaired drivers, the Phoenix Police Department initiated this program through the purchase of six standard sized vans complete with the necessary equipment to adequately process DUI suspects. One van was assigned to each of the city's six precincts. With only three of the vans in operation during the first quarter of the program, the processing times for DUI decreased 71 percent compared with the traditional processing methods. This equated to a 140-minute time savings per impaired driver.

During the program's 22-month period of scheduled operation, the average processing time for the DUI van officers remained constant at 67 minutes for a total savings of 12,396 patrol officer hours. Furthermore, the total number of DUI arrests began to increase. For more information about the program, contact the Project Leader, Tracey Elsbecker, at (602) 262-5004.

Beat Health Unit Oakland Police Department Oakland, California

The Beat Health Unit is an experiment in a location-based theory of crime prevention that targets deviant places, not people. The program decreases the level of illicit activities at a place by improving the physical appearance of a problem location, altering criminal opportunities, and mobilizing citizens to take more responsibility for eradicating problems in their neighborhoods. The Unit responds to complaints of site-specific drug activity with a "Specialized Multi-Agency Response Team" (SMART). SMART members are convened 10 times a week to enforce a variety of civil codes and ordinances.

If after consultation, education, and civil and criminal code enforcement action the drug nuisance remains, the City Attorney's Office has a lawyer assigned full-time to file civil abatement actions against uncooperative property owners. Since its inception in the fall of 1988, the Beat Health Unit has investigated 4,000 complaints and closed more than 1,300 cases. Most project sites have shown significant improvement or a complete renaissance in terms of improved housing stock and peaceful neighborhoods. For additional information, contact the Project Leader, Diane Dickstein, at (510) 238-6368.

Sentinel Program (Citizens on Patrol) Joplin Police Department Joplin, Missouri

In proposing the Sentinel Program, the Joplin Police Department felt that community members, when afforded appropriate training, could supplement and be valuable members of the service delivery system of the police department. By training volunteers to handle nonthreatening assignments, officers could devote more time to investigations and traffic enforcement.

Successful Sentinel applicants are given an eight-hour training program. At the end of this period, volunteers are prepared to take police reports, answer phones, assist with traffic control at accidents and fires, make vacation house checks, enforce handicapped parking and litter violations, assist motorists (in unlocks or jump starts), and educate citizens in crime prevention.

In 1993, Sentinel volunteers patrolled for 3,600 hours, conducted 4,854 vacation and business checks, helped 612 motorists, and assisted officers at 216 traffic accidents and 72 fires. This freed hundreds of hours for officers to direct toward emergency situations and suppressing the city's crime problem. As a result, arrests increased 63 percent and Part I crimes decreased nearly 26 percent. The Project Leader for this program is Jim Hounschell, (417) 623-3131, ext. 403.

Technical Reserve Program Moscow Police Department Moscow, Idaho

As law enforcement enters the 21st century, technology is becoming more complex and mainstream. Efforts to take advantage of these technologies are often hampered when technical expertise is unavailable and/or not affordable. The Moscow Police Department established the Technical Reserve Program to help alleviate this problem.

Technical Reserves are support personnel from the community who volunteer their specific technical expertise to the agency. The specific areas or assignment slots depend on the needs of the department. Some examples of specialty areas found useful are: Computer Specialists, Videographer, Gunsmith/Armorer, Graphic Artist, Radio Repair Specialist, Psychologist, Chaplain, and Photographer.

These citizens are required to volunteer a minimum of 100 hours per year. They are encouraged to ride along with police officers whenever possible in order to gain an understanding and appreciation of the police role in the community. The success of the Technical Reserve Program has been shown by the 1,084 hours of volunteer time donated last year. Each Technical Reserve volunteer at least doubled the time required. The Project Leader is Lieutenant Jake Kershisnik, (208) 885-7074. He can be contacted for additional information.

Team Approach Regarding Gang Enforcement Techniques (TARGET) Los Angeles Sheriff's Office Monterey Park, California

This program was designed to be a multi-agency effort to reduce gang-related violence in the city of Paramount, California. The program united all of the agencies involved with the criminal justice system in Paramount in a concerted effort to isolate and neutralize the most violent members of youth gangs.

Through the TARGET program the 25 most violent gang members in the community were identified based on the criteria of the State Street Terrorism Act. These individuals are then either contacted or observed four times daily by sheriff's deputies. This technique serves as a major deterrent to criminal activity and increases the likelihood that the gang member will be observed should they become involved in criminal activity. If a gang member is arrested--on any charge -- the case is given to the District Attorney with a "zero tolerance" approach to prosecution. If the gang member is placed on probation, the terms of the probation are furnished to the Sheriff's Office so officers can enforce the terms.

In the first six months of operation using TARGET, 28 gang members left town, gang-related crime was reduced by 28 percent, gang-related attempted murders dropped by 75 percent, felony assaults decreased by 30 percent, and drive-by shootings and weapons violations dropped by 70 percent. In addition, assaults on police officers decreased by 20 percent. For more information contact Project Leader, Bob Robinson, City of Paramount Public Safety Manager, at (310) 220-2002.

Domestic Violence Panic Alarm System Suffolk County Police Department Yaphank, New York

This system has a single purpose -- to overcome communication barriers that victims of domestic violence sometimes meet when seeking emergency assistance. It is a system that allows the victim to contact the police for assistance without having to use a telephone. This is accomplished by the victim pushing a small button on a remote control device that notifies police by means of a radio signal. When activated a police supervisor instantly receives the signal. The call is a priority and a unit sent to the address without delay. Criteria for furnishing the device to potential victims have been established.

The results from the system have been astounding. Domestic related assaults decreased by 41.9 percent. Domestic-related reckless endangerments declined by 22.6 percent and domestic related homicide fell by 42 percent. Since implementation of the Panic Alarm System, there have been no domestic-related homicides when the victim hit the panic alarm. The Project Leader is Sergeant Cornelius McKenna. He can be contacted at (516) 852-6589 for additional information.

Violent Crime Reduction within Convenience Stores Gainesville Police Department Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville has successfully met the challenge of the convenience store robberies. Rather than using the traditional response of increasing police patrols or providing undercover officers, the department tried a different approach. The Planning and Analysis Unit examined in great detail the nature of the convenience store robberies, the supposed reasons and causes for the robberies, the characteristics of the target site, the characteristics of the perpetrators and victims, and local crime trend studies.

Using the results of their research, the Gainesville Police devised a violent crime reduction strategy that has proven to be a national crime prevention model. The model consists of a city ordinance mandating specific standards of business behavior. The mandate includes the requirement to have two clerks on duty between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., robbery deterrence training for clerks, signs indicating cash registers funds limited to $50, drop or time-release safe in which to store excess cash, bright and uniformly lit parking area, removal of all visual obstructions from the windows, a sales area fully observable from the street and an operational robbery detection camera.

Since the inception of the strategy six years ago, convenience store robbery has been reduced by more than 80 percent, but most importantly, there have been no injuries requiring medical attention since 1986. For additional information, contact the Project Leader, Chief Wayland Clifton, Jr. at (904) 334-2415.

Operation Bootstrap University of Washington Police Department Seattle, Washington

Operation Bootstrap is the product of the fertile mind and enthusiasm of Michael Shanahan, former Chief of the University of Washington Police Department. In simple terms the program asks corporate American to share their management training programs by inviting several law enforcement officers to participate in the program without cost to their department.

More than 900 law enforcement agencies have registered as Bootstrap members and more than 5,000 officers have received training that would not have been ordinarily available to them. The program is a resounding success not only for the attendees, but also for the corporate executives who have benefited from exposure to law enforcement officers. Chief Shanahan is still involved with Operation Bootstrap and can be contacted for additional information through the department (206) 543-9331.

Repeat Offender Profile and Evaluation Unit (ROPE) Inglewood Police Department Inglewood, California

The ROPE program is designed to identify, certify, track, and monitor habitual offenders. The ROPE Unit consists of four distinct program components: the Armed Career Criminal Program, The Serious Habitual Offender Program, the Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act, and Career Criminal Apprehension Program. Each program has separate and specific criteria for identifying and certifying participants.

The ultimate objective of the Unit is to assemble and disseminate information on repeat offenders that will result in their timely arrest, successful prosecution, and appropriate sentencing to a correctional facility. In the recent past, ROPE has assisted with the Gang Crimes Unit of the Office of Criminal Investigations in concentrating on gang-related crimes with a focus on the revocation of probation and parole of arrested gang members. The Project Leader is Unit Coordinator Beverly Rhine (310) 412-5193. She can be contacted for additional information.

An Effective Response to Child Abuse Peel Regional Police Brampton, Ontario, Canada

The Peel Regional Police Department developed An Effective Response to Child Abuse to improve its response to child abuse cases. The desired improvements revolve largely around process -- the way in which investigations are handled, how victims are treated and the relationship between the police and other aspects of the community response. A full-time coordinator's position was created to implement and monitor police policies and serve as liaison with other police services and agencies.

Child abuse investigations were moved to specially trained officers in the Criminal Investigations Bureau. Investigators were certified, and interview techniques were improved and standardized. Soft interview rooms were constructed off-site from the police divisions to make the entire experience less traumatic and more compassionate for the victim. The videotaping of statements aids in the prosecution and assists in reducing court appearances for victims. The tapes also establish the credibility of the child and investigator by showing that the child was not coerced.

The quality of child abuse investigations has already improved. The number of guilty pleas by offenders has risen and there has been a substantial increase in communications between Children's Aid Society, which receives reports of child abuse, and the police. Other reports show the quality of police reports has increased, while trauma for the victim has been reduced. The Project Leader for this program is Deputy Chief James Wingate (905) 453-3311, ext. 4700.

Project S.T.O.P.P. (Strategy to Overcome Peer Pressure) Omaha Police Department Omaha, Nebraska

The Omaha Police Department developed Project S.T.O.P.P. to denormalize the use of alcohol and tobacco products by underage youth, thereby reducing violence, delinquency and social and health related problems encountered by youth. Unlike many prevention programs that put primary responsibility on the youngsters, Project S.T.O.P.P. places accountability on both adults and business retailers who sell alcohol and tobacco products as well as on the youth.

Acceptance of the solution -- not only by retailers but from the public -- demands that education primary to enforcement. Training seminars and meetings for retailers are conducted to explain the laws and the importance of restricting tobacco and alcohol sales to minors. Presentations are also made to other law enforcement agencies, health organizations, community groups and schools, colleges and universities. In addition random compliance checks -- using underage youth with their own driver's licenses for identification -- were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the presentations given to alcohol and tobacco retailers.

At the beginning of the project, the compliance rate was 35 percent for alcohol sales to minors and 32% percent for tobacco. After the education programs and the random compliance checks, the compliance rates increased to 54 -66 percent for alcohol and 61-69 percent for tobacco. Arrests for violations of alcohol and tobacco laws as they related to minors have dramatically increased due to increase vigilance and awareness of uniform patrol and tips from concerned citizens. For more information, call the Project Leader, Lieutenant Gary Becerra, at (402) 444-5680.

A Juvenile Justice Alternative -- Police Conferencing Anoka Police Department Anoka, Minnesota

The Anoka Police Department is using an innovative diversionary process for juvenile offenders. As they continued to have contact with the same offenders repeatedly, it became clear that the existing practice of referring juvenile offenders to court services or Juvenile Court was ineffective. A Citizen's Anti-Crime Commission was established to evaluate ways of handling young offenders. Together, the commission and the department convinced Court Services and probation personnel that A Juvenile Justice Alternative -- Police Conferencing was the most effective solution based information they had analyzed on programs in Scotland and Australia. Within weeks after admitting guilt, the offender takes part in a conference attended by his or her parents and support group as well as the victim and his or her family and support group. A specially trained police officer facilitates this often intense meeting. During the meeting the offender experiences re-integrative shaming -- a feeling of true remorse. Given this opportunity, most offenders mend their ways.

Although using shame to instill responsible behavior is still controversial, Anoka proves that the results can be redemptive when the means of provoking shame are rooted in compassion. The department has already held 18 conferences and in every case the offender has not come back through the system. Positive feedback has been received from the support groups of both victims and offenders. For more information contact the Project Leader, Chief Andrew C. Revering at (612) 421-6632.

ICAM: Information Collection for Automated Mapping System Chicago Police Department Chicago, Illinois

In July 1993, the Chicago Police Department received a grant to design a mapping system that provided useful information, yet could be easily accessed with a minimum of training. ICAM was developed and is an easy-to-use mapping interface that covers every crime type and can be used at all district facilities, the Auto Theft Section, and the Detective Division Headquarters. Within a matter of minutes, a beat officer using ICAM's computer screens can produce a crime map and a report with details of incidents.

Such ease of use did not happen by accident. From the beginning, direct input from field officers was solicited. This allowed the ultimate users of the system -- police officers -- to actually craft the early stages of development. ICAM consists of several components that are available at the front desk to officers in all districts 24 hours a day. It is used by district level personnel to assist in tactical operations, and the maps are shown at beat and community meetings.

These maps not only help in locating crime, they also identify factors that have an impact on crime, such as abandoned buildings.

As a result of ICAM, police interaction with other city departments has also improved. Their need for crime data has initiated projects to determine the best way to share information generated by ICAM. Meetings are now in progress to share information with the Department of Planning so that improvements to the city's infrastructure can be implemented in areas where they will have the most impact on reducing crime. You can obtain more information from Project Leader, Officer Jonathan Lewin, at (312) 747-6208.

Conclusion

I think Chief of Police Oliver Thompson, Inglewood, CA, best captured the value of the Webber Seavey Awards when he said, "Award programs, by their very nature, spotlight some of the best programs in the country. They serve to exchange bright ideas and new technology, and put people in contact with one another. The Webber Seavey Award is particularly beneficial because it is targeted at practical programs that provide tangible service at the community level. It also acknowledges the hard work of those people whose creativity and innovation are elevating the field of law enforcement."

Mom was right; virtue is indeed its own reward! Those of us who struggle to become virtuous, however, need heroes. People we can look up too and say, "I'd like to be like him or her." The Webber Seavey Awards focus the spotlight on the people and organizations who are committed to excellence. We should all be proud of their accomplishments. The people behind each of the Webber Seavey finalists are our heroes!

The National Executive Institute Associates Leadership Bulletin editor is Edward J. Tully. He served with the FBI as a Special Agent from 1962 to 1993. He is presently the Executive Director of the National Executive Institute Associates and the Major City Chiefs. You can reach him via e-mail at tullye@aol.com or by writing to 308 Altoona Drive, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401