The safest room in Arizona...

 "To become a good guardian, a man must be by

nature fast, strong, and a spirited philosopher.”

- Plato: The Republic

We were a little late arriving. The color guard and bagpipes that began the evening were finished and playing their way out of the ballroom.

The fellow at the door looked around pointing to several places where we might sit. There were a couple of hundred people at circular tables. We chose one in the back of the room.

It was an awards ceremony that happens every couple of years in the organization. I sit on a small advisory council, which led to the invitation. After introductory greetings by the leader of the organization, dinner was served.  We recognized a few folk from a community public safety class we had taken, and from seeing several of them around town.

We didn’t know anyone at our table, but we did not leave the evening strangers.  Molly is particularly good at this as she chatted up her tablemate to the right and the woman next to her.

The guest speaker was a retired Air Force pilot trainer, spoke about the balance of duty with other life priorities. He related a harrowing experience of having to bail out of an F-15 with a student pilot in the front seat. He said this event changed his perspective on his career and family. He showed a cockpit video of the malfunction and rapid descent of the aircraft. It was breathtaking. Both he and the student survived, but a photo of the crash site made it clear they were lucky that day. He said the driving ambition to succeed while single-mindedly focused on his career was fed by the “…tyranny of the urgent…”

I loved that phrase!

The point, to this audience of dedicated men and women, was the importance of broadening priorities beyond work – a sometimes-difficult task for people who choose this particular career path.

This event was the Oro Valley Police Department’s Biennial Awards Ceremony. Because it happens only every other year, it is a special affair for this group.

There were citations for excellence and vision, awards for the officer of the year, the saving of lives, medals of commendation and merit, as well as a medal of honor. There were, also awards for Citizen, Volunteer, and Civilian of the year. It was a celebration of the best of what this profession means to society.

No doubt we are lucky…

The community in which we live is in the top ten safest cities in the United States, and this is due in large part to the ethnically and gender diverse police, the leader of which is a visionary Chief. He believes in proactive policing and accountability of his officers for their actions. Of consequence, hundreds of hours of education and training occur yearly for the men and women of this organization that has received national attention for its community-policing model.

In a time when police departments all over the country find themselves stained by the actions of a minority of officers, it is important to express that the vast majority of people attracted to his profession feel called to serve the greater social good. As Plato expresses in The Republic, the Guardians are critical for providing social stability and safety.

We hear stories and see videos of police officers that are too willing to act inappropriately, but on this evening when the discussion turned to the use of deadly force, a quiet soberness filled the room. At the tables, that night were not just officers, but spouses and children. Every one of them understanding the risks that each day could be their last, and/or that of someone with whom these men and women might have to interact with deadly force.

Sadly, the press does NOT report the thousands of daily occurrences in this country where police do exactly what they are asked to do – protect and serve. 

This department understands the importance of community partnership and proactively engages such a policy. Our police are visible through community interaction events like ‘coffee with a cop,’ neighborhood safety presentations, personal house security checks, and a philosophy that if you call a cop, you will get a cop. Not just a warm body, but someone aware of community resources to help in any situation that might arise.

All of this is to say, we felt honored to be at the awards dinner. We also commented to one another, that all of the officers at dinner were armed, as I am certain were some their loved ones.

One can never foresee a time when something bad might happen – life is unpredictable. But as we sat at dinner last night, we knew this was not one of them.

Last night, not only was it an excellent evening…but we were in the safest room in Arizona.

- ted