followed the law . This , of course , has added fuel to the concern . The steady flow of false or misleading information about law enforcement hasn ’ t helped either . A trend has emerged that is attempting to make self-defense illegal for all , and the word “ victim ” is being transferred to the suspect .
Bishop managed the dozen or so protests just fine , avoiding the problems some departments faced with rioting and fighting . We feel a portion of this success can be attributed to the outreach leading up to the events that discouraged illegal activity with messaging that we would not stand down . Nonetheless , our staff was concerned and vacillated between deploying long-term tactics or the “ new way ,” whatever that was . Staff was glued to media coverage of the unrest in Seattle and Portland . Though far away , this was not consolation as we knew it would grow . There was some “ defund Bishop PD ” on social media by known residents , which was hurtful since we had done nothing wrong . There was some chatter about eliminating our School Resource Officer , as well . I feel we weathered this segment of the storm fine , as the support for us was much louder than those complaining .
I have had a few of my officers make statements such as , “ If you can get out now , do so ,” “ I just have to make it to 50 ,” and “ I ’ m not so sure if I like the job anymore .” This is terribly sad anywhere , but I feel possibly more so in such special places like Bishop .
I mentioned above that I still mentor officers I supervised from my previous agency . They too have shared with me similar concerns illustrated above and looked to me for help . Our daughter is a CHP officer , and her husband is a city police officer . Adding family to the mix , of course , creates a different level of thought and perspective .
My responses to those I lead , coach , and mentor is of cautious optimism . Realizing what ’ s going on , studying it , thinking it through , and ensuring we do not become timid and adopting a position that “ the sky is falling ” is key , as doing so will lead to mistakes . A selffulfilled prophecy is generally defined as an instance where a person predicts that they ultimately caused something to happen by simply aligning certain behaviors with that said prediction . In this instance , the deluge of 2020 has fundamentally changed how we think and react to calls for service which , if not kept in check , could exacerbate 2020 for individuals and departments .
I hope you found my input interesting and helpful . Take care and be safe my friends ! – Ted
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ted Stec has been the Police Chief in Bishop , CA for about five-years now . Prior to Bishop , Stec worked in agencies near the San Francisco Bay Area and north of Sacramento , CA . He has a Master ’ s Degree in Public Administration and is a graduate of the FBINA (# 242 ), the IACP Leadership in Organizations course , Executive Development Course , and the Sherman Block Leadership Institute (# 252 ). He has change-agent experience along with coordinating and co-facilitating two Team Building Workshops .
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