![]() How well will you sleep when you realize that the young girl’s only chance at justice is all but gone partly because you thought that you could conduct the sexual abuse investigation just as well as the detective who normally works those cases?. ![]() Could you look a mourning spouse in the eyes and defend your decision not to use the tactical team to serve that warrant at the violent drug dealer’s house because, as you put it to your team of investigators, “We have guns and badges too”?.How will the media portray our decision not to call the bomb squad for help with that brown package that we had reason to think was suspicious when it blows up and injures someone?.How forgiving would the public be if, because we “did not want to bother them,” we decided not to call the fire department to the crash scene and it turned out that it was not just steam escaping from that trailer after all?.Will your boss be understanding when you are in front of a jury explaining the hasty personnel decision you made on your own about your subordinate’s medical leave, off-duty social media use, pregnancy or disability?.After you reasonably use deadly force, are you certain that you could effectively explain and defend your decision to stop that felony suspect (who was known to be armed) by yourself instead of waiting for another officer?.When you wake up in the hospital with debilitating injuries to see your spouse and kids sitting nearby, would you be able to convince them that your decision to disregard backup and respond in alone was reasonable because there were several non-emergency calls pending and your backup officer was due off soon?.As the following scenarios illustrate, whether we ask for help can and does matter very much. One of those decisions is whether to ask for help. We try to make well-reasoned decisions that we can effectively explain and defend later-even if things go terribly wrong. We know that our actions and decisions will be thoroughly examined and evaluated after a tragedy. Depending on the situation, not asking for help can also costs us in other ways, including the loss of coveted assignments, court cases, careers, reputations, money and relationships. Our failure or refusal to ask for help when help is reasonably available can contribute to us getting hurt or killed. Yet many of us remain uncomfortable asking for help or guidance and some of us flat out refuse to ask, except in the most dire situations.ĭoes it really matter? Does our profession actually discourage asking for help? And if so, what can we do improve the situation? Does It Really Matter That We Don’t Ask for Help? We will quite literally drop whatever we are doing and run as fast as we can to get there. It applies broadly to almost everything we encounter in law enforcement, including when we are acting as supervisors, managers and commanders. The idea that we should ask for help when help is available applies well beyond the on-duty uniformed patrol officer. But often we avoid calling for backup even when we can. There are situations where we don’t have time to wait, we don’t have the opportunity to ask for help, or help is simply unavailable. Calling for help is a simple, yet elusive, way to help improve safety and minimize risk in all kinds of situations. Perhaps we need help this instant (or sooner) or maybe we help nearby just in case. ![]() Sometimes we just need another officer or two and sometimes we might need advice or guidance from someone who is more knowledgeable or experienced. Sometimes we need specially trained personnel or specialized equipment. While the exact terminology or urgency of the requests may vary, at their core, each request communicates the same basic concept: Additional resources are needed (or, I need help).Ĭalling for backup is appropriate in many different circumstances. Send me another unit 10-33 Requesting backup Signal 00 Roll cover Officer needs assistance Officer needs helpĬhances are, you have uttered at least one of these phrases before, and you have responded to countless similar requests from others.
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