It is disheartening to see the phenomenon of hate embraced by so many people who don't understand the origin, meaning, or impact. To grasp the significance, you must first understand what it means. It is an intense, deep-seated emotional response of strong dislike,...
MAJOR BEN’S ARTICLES
Below is a list of articles by Major Ben Brooks that have appeared in the Times Herald.
Daddy, What Time Will You Be Home Tonight?
Every family member asks this question daily. I wonder how many leaders realize the gravity of that question for their officers. When they get up in the morning, they have quiet time with their family before embarking on, hopefully, another routine day at the office....
Leaks
A leak is an unintended hole, crack, or fault that allows a substance- such as a liquid, gas, or light- to escape or enter a container or system. As a child growing up in the rural South, I watched my father build his own home. At that time, he installed a tin roof....
Masks and Officer Safety
As a career law enforcement officer, I am perplexed by the recent debate over officers wearing masks. Everything I learned about law enforcement involved honesty, integrity, and, most of all, transparency. The federal government has a duty to present law enforcement...
Bias Understood
As an international speaker, trainer, and consultant, I have been intrigued by the lack of understanding of various terms, with people using them without knowing their meanings or applications. At one of my National Speakers Association conferences, a presenter shared...
Fear and Bias as a Law Enforcement Blind Spot
Fear – an unpleasant feeling triggered by the perception of danger real or imagined. Origin - past experiences (0-6) History - nomadic days (fight or flight) Survival function - to protect us, triggered by a significant event, i.e., hot, cold, wet, trauma Source: New...
DEI America’s Biggest Blind Spot
In 2016, I took a course with AARP in defensive driving. Having been driving since I was sixteen, I was curious about what the instructor could teach me. I signed up for the course to get a discount on my car insurance. As the instructor went through his orientation,...
DEI, The Latest Bogeyman
DEI is the latest catchphrase that is the catalyst for the present state of the divided states of America. We raise and salute the flag as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America. As patriotic as that sounds, it is far from our day-to-day...
The Reality of Community Policing
Many police executives approached community-oriented policing with a great deal of skepticism because they didn’t realize the critical role that the community plays in their success. Many felt they could do it on their own. Dr. Lee Brown, a former police commissioner...
A Practical Approach to Addressing School Shootings
After Columbine, over four hundred school shootings were reported in America. Every citizen should be outraged that our society has allowed that to happen. Schools should be the safest place in our community for our students, staff, and teachers. It is challenging to...
Active Shooter and Mental Health
By Major Ben Brooks
There is an epidemic of school shootings in America. The phenomenon has caused a great deal of concern about the proper procedure to address this issue. Many officials, politicians, and police officials propose that the best way to address school shootings is by having a greater law enforcement presence.
While this approach may seem like a viable option, it obscures attention to the real issue. The active shooters are students or former students. Active shooter training is designed to engage the perpetrator for nullification. Recognizing the perpetrators as students challenges the implementation of a law enforcement response when a mental health professional should be the first responder to address the student’s needs, particularly if there are indications of mental health issues.
The obsession with emphasizing a police presence ignores the notion of having a psychologically and physically safe environment for the students, teachers, and staff. There must be a focus on the climate that challenges a student to seek revenge on the teachers, staff, and fellow students. Experienced counselors are in the most strategic position to address issues before they become problems. The presence of law enforcement is a short-sighted strategy and not the answer.
All stakeholders—teachers, staff, students, counselors, the police, school resource officers, and politicians—must come together to comprehensively address the issues of school shootings and mental health issues for our students.
Doing what is expedient rather than practical misses the point of identifying and addressing the real issues. Teachers cannot teach, and students cannot learn in an unsafe environment. Consequently, all stakeholders must do their part to ensure the psychological and physical safety of our students, without political posturing.
Stakeholders are encouraged to pay attention to student behavior that produces red flags. The red flags involving the most recent fourteen-year-old were hidden in plain view.
In communication, 7% of what we say is the spoken word, and 93% is nonverbal, which means there’s more impact on what we do than what we say. Reading the nonverbal cues of troubled students is a major step in addressing issues before they become problems. School counselors must be engaged. An ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure.