I was reading a piece on the Portland police department, and the woes of recruiting for them this week.
The city had decided they could offer up a freebie or two.....as positive reasons to work for the city police department. So, the city offers free yoga and free mediation workshops.
Most cops I've known in my life were Security Police.....Air Force types. If you had mentioned yoga or mediation....they would have laughed. What they wanted was a mini-gym in the back of the SP-building with free-weights mostly.
I won't go totally negative here...yoga is good stretching exercises, and for older folks (over forty)....there might be some minor benefit for ten minutes of yoga per day.
The mediation business? I'm from the south, and generally.....if you did sixty seconds of 'Jesus-help-me' praying....it was enough for the 18-hour work-day.
The general hope here by the Portland city folks....between the yoga and mediation....maybe as a cop, you wouldn't be so quick to pull the pistol out and shoot 'Marvin' who is on some wild drug binge and about to stab three old ladies at the Piggly Wiggly check-out station.
They may think the yoga-mediation stuff makes you feel more positive about the job, but if you asked the 700-odd members of the city police department....most would just grin and suggest a free six-pack of beer each week or some free tickets to a roller derby or wrestling event would be of equal or better value.
Portland's chief problem is that a number of people have risen to the ranks of city leadership, and they are more or less....unprepared for the real work required. Most haven't had to deal with drugged-up juvenile behavior guys, or people who petty-crime themselves to $1,000 a week to cover their needs.
Where things stand in a decade? It would be interesting to ask this question.
