Growing up, I loved writing. Much of what I was proud of in my high school and college days had to do with writing. Wanting to spend more time with my amazing sophomore English teacher (you rock Mr. K) led to writing for the high school paper, which led to writing and editing for the college paper. A career in journalism was considered, but the state of print media in the mid-2000s made that seem like a questionable pursuit. Additionally, my priorities had shifted. I didn’t want to just write about interesting things, I wanted to experience them first hand.

So by my mid-twenties, my relationship with writing changed. I was a new police officer, and my writing was little more than a recounting of events, many of them mundane misdemeanors which would never be particularly memorable. Sure, there were plenty of harrowing and hilarious experiences. Like getting shot at by the same person who killed a fellow officer earlier that day, or dealing with the suspect who was so drunk he sincerely couldn’t remember stealing $600 worth of dildos and lube (in three separate visits to the same store, on the same day!) Even those sorts of stories lose some of their innate interest when told in the form of a police report though.

With 40 just around the corner, and 20 years in law enforcement not far behind, I’m realizing I don’t want to just limit myself to police reports anymore. Although I consciously cultivate the perspective of a lifelong student, I have enough gray hair at this point to push past impostor syndrome, and think I have a few ideas worth sharing. Working for a small agency in a rapidly growing region has provided me with a variety of experiences (rangemaster, crisis negotiator, patrol sergeant, detective, school resource officer, etc) which I hope may be useful, or at least entertaining to others. Especially those interested in skills and tools for avoiding and winning potentially violent confrontations.

Starting this feels like coming full circle. When I started police academy, I hated it. I called up my best friend, said I wanted to quit, and he asked what I would do instead. Without much a thought as to why I dismissed a career in journalism in the first place, I said “I don’t know, I could be a writer,” to which he replied dismissively “A writer? Write WHAT?” Without the benefit of experience then that I have now, I didn’t have an answer for him. Now I do. Welcome to Crisis Response Options.