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| Copyright © 2006 - 2010 - Barry M. Baker - CareerPoliceOfficer.com |
| Disclaimer |
| CareerPoliceOfficer.com is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to such sites. Links are provided only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by this site. |
Conflict
Resolution
Resolution
I always have fun with this one. Whenever I refer to conflict resolution,
there's usually a little sarcasm present; because, when conflict resolution
is associated with police officers, it always manifests in its most politically
correct form. In other words, your conflict resolution skills should always
trump your need to use force to resolve conflicts. This is, of course, a
naive view which will be conveyed to you often by people who have little, or
no, real world experience in resolving conflicts which can pose potentially
dangerous and immediate consequences.
As a police officer, you'll be spending a lot of your time trying to deal
reasonably with unreasonable people. It's not an easy thing to do at
anytime throughout your police career, so think about how stressful it's
going to be in the beginning when you'll probably have very little
experience in dealing with simple conflicts let alone potentially dangerous
ones.
During your academy and field training, you'll be exposed to conflict
scenarios and real conflicts respectively. However, the first will be
classroom controlled, and the latter will be controlled, to whatever extent
possible, by your Field Training Officer. Then, the day will come when
you'll be all alone and presented with your own conflict for resolution.
You'll learn quickly that human conflicts will have similarities among
them along with their own unique aspects. Each and every conflict you
encounter will be a learning experience for you. Conflict resolution will
always be a stressful experience for you, so what you learn from each of
those experiences will go a long way toward your ability to understand,
control and reduce stress on you.
You simply can't imagine how many different types of conflicts you're
going to encounter as a police officer, but let's take a look at one type of
conflict you'll encounter frequently... the domestic disturbance. Unlike
the psychologist or psychiatrist who counsels troubled domestic partners or
family members in a mutually agreed session in a neutral and controlled
setting, you'll begin your counseling sessions at the high point of heated
arguments in the environments where the arguments begin.
You do have one distinct advantage over the doctors. You have handcuffs
and the power to use them; however, whenever possible, you should
employ the same primary tool used by the professional mental health
counselor... listening. Quite often, your mere presence will provide the
controlling factor in a previously uncontrolled environment, and your
thoughtful attention and directions can allow the argument to de-escalate
to a manageable level.
How you develop and employ your conflict resolution skills depends heavily
on your own personality. I worked for many years with an officer who I
wouldn't describe as having a very thoughtful attitude toward others in
conflict, but his method for resolving conflicts was highly successful. This
officer's voice was deep, loud, and commanding. No one could ever shout
over him, and he wasn't even shouting. He wasn't an overbearing physical
presence; although, he was fully capable of backing up his commands with
physical force. In fact, he rarely had to use any type of physical force.
Having watched him perform many times, I was always amazed how
quickly he could gain total dominance over people in conflict. I finally
came to the conclusion that the secret to his success was the utter
self-confidence he exuded when he exercised that dominance. As
successful as this officer was at resolving conflicts, his method resulted in
a lot of stress for his sergeant after the fact. I never worked with an
officer who received so many supervisor's complaints. While the
complaints were numerous and aggravating for the sergeant, they were
never serious... "mean" was usually the operative word describing the
officer's attitude.
While this officer's method of conflict resolution worked well for him, it
still had a built in and regular negative side effect. You must also
remember that what works for one will not work for all. For instance,
you'll see police officers who'll attempt this dominance model with little, if
any, success. Indeed, you'll work with officers who'll create more turmoil
than they prevent.
As a police officer, you must always dominate in every conflict. How you
achieve your domination will go a long way in limiting stress on everyone...
including yourself. Starting with listening is a safe and sure way to begin.
there's usually a little sarcasm present; because, when conflict resolution
is associated with police officers, it always manifests in its most politically
correct form. In other words, your conflict resolution skills should always
trump your need to use force to resolve conflicts. This is, of course, a
naive view which will be conveyed to you often by people who have little, or
no, real world experience in resolving conflicts which can pose potentially
dangerous and immediate consequences.
As a police officer, you'll be spending a lot of your time trying to deal
reasonably with unreasonable people. It's not an easy thing to do at
anytime throughout your police career, so think about how stressful it's
going to be in the beginning when you'll probably have very little
experience in dealing with simple conflicts let alone potentially dangerous
ones.
During your academy and field training, you'll be exposed to conflict
scenarios and real conflicts respectively. However, the first will be
classroom controlled, and the latter will be controlled, to whatever extent
possible, by your Field Training Officer. Then, the day will come when
you'll be all alone and presented with your own conflict for resolution.
You'll learn quickly that human conflicts will have similarities among
them along with their own unique aspects. Each and every conflict you
encounter will be a learning experience for you. Conflict resolution will
always be a stressful experience for you, so what you learn from each of
those experiences will go a long way toward your ability to understand,
control and reduce stress on you.
You simply can't imagine how many different types of conflicts you're
going to encounter as a police officer, but let's take a look at one type of
conflict you'll encounter frequently... the domestic disturbance. Unlike
the psychologist or psychiatrist who counsels troubled domestic partners or
family members in a mutually agreed session in a neutral and controlled
setting, you'll begin your counseling sessions at the high point of heated
arguments in the environments where the arguments begin.
You do have one distinct advantage over the doctors. You have handcuffs
and the power to use them; however, whenever possible, you should
employ the same primary tool used by the professional mental health
counselor... listening. Quite often, your mere presence will provide the
controlling factor in a previously uncontrolled environment, and your
thoughtful attention and directions can allow the argument to de-escalate
to a manageable level.
How you develop and employ your conflict resolution skills depends heavily
on your own personality. I worked for many years with an officer who I
wouldn't describe as having a very thoughtful attitude toward others in
conflict, but his method for resolving conflicts was highly successful. This
officer's voice was deep, loud, and commanding. No one could ever shout
over him, and he wasn't even shouting. He wasn't an overbearing physical
presence; although, he was fully capable of backing up his commands with
physical force. In fact, he rarely had to use any type of physical force.
Having watched him perform many times, I was always amazed how
quickly he could gain total dominance over people in conflict. I finally
came to the conclusion that the secret to his success was the utter
self-confidence he exuded when he exercised that dominance. As
successful as this officer was at resolving conflicts, his method resulted in
a lot of stress for his sergeant after the fact. I never worked with an
officer who received so many supervisor's complaints. While the
complaints were numerous and aggravating for the sergeant, they were
never serious... "mean" was usually the operative word describing the
officer's attitude.
While this officer's method of conflict resolution worked well for him, it
still had a built in and regular negative side effect. You must also
remember that what works for one will not work for all. For instance,
you'll see police officers who'll attempt this dominance model with little, if
any, success. Indeed, you'll work with officers who'll create more turmoil
than they prevent.
As a police officer, you must always dominate in every conflict. How you
achieve your domination will go a long way in limiting stress on everyone...
including yourself. Starting with listening is a safe and sure way to begin.
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