NJCOPS TRAINING FOR “IT” APRIL 2013 “Practice does not make perfect…Perfect practice makes PERFECT”-Vince Lombardi. A lot of Police Officers come from some sort of athletic back ground and I am sure that some coach along the way has screamed or uttered those words to you. As a Police Officer we need to practice not to win the “big” game but to GET HOME SAFE! We all know that there are many distractions out there such as family, bills, media bias, political pressures, and other job related issues, but we always must remember…THEY DON’T CARE! The guy on the side of the road that is kicking your head in does not care if you coach your son or daughter in tee ball, or if it is your anniversary. The answer is to keep training. In these financial times of cut backs and trimming of budgets, training becomes an easy target, but again it is only a distraction. Training is defined as preparation and education of someone to meet a standard, and in any training program there should be self evaluation for what needs to be enhanced and there should be personal goals that are set so the program can be re-evaluated. So what are you doing to prepare for the “it” encounter? Are you in shape for the “it” encounter? Because under stress your heart rate can climb to 180 beats per minutes in seconds. Do you shoot enough? Because under stress trigger slap becomes very common. Do you plan for “it”? A plan for a Police Officer is ALWAYS a good thing. Whether you stop a car, interview a suspect or are at the mall with your family you should always be planning for an “IT” scenario. There is no perfect solution or one training program that will work every time or for every person unfortunately. Bruce Lee said “the best way is no way.” As a police officer we are looked at differently than others in society; we are supposed to have all the answers, be the strongest and never have a bad day. We all took an oath, we accept the fact that police officers are killed in the line of duty but, a good solid training regimen will not only enhance yourself personally but could keep you alive for when “it” happens. The next obstacle then becomes, where do you go for this training? There is no state of the art facility that provides law enforcement training…until now. More on that for the next issue…