Thankful and Hopeful

Some amazing people supported me this year. You need to know them.

Nov 25, 2023

brown and white wooden arrow sign — Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash

I started on Substack in February this year. My primary concern launching this newsletter was that I would run out of topics within the scope of policing. This was not valid. These times have provided more content than I could ever properly cover. Another was that I would write articles that wouldn’t be read. I was way off base on that concern as well.

Thank you for reading American Peace Officer Substack. This post is public so feel free to share it.

A warm welcome

The first three people I must publicly thank are Paula Fitzsimmons of For the Blue , Jeff Daukas of Courageous Nobility with Jeff Daukas , and Travis Yates of Courageous Police Leadership with Travis Yates . Your immediate encouragement blew me away, and none of them have taken a break in providing support for me. Anyone who has subscribed to American Peace Officer and hasn’t checked these writers out is in for a treat.

Paula is a passionate supporter of courageous policing leadership and national legislation that protects officers and deputies. She has a heart for the profession and her writing gives me perspective on issues that I miss. Her success will be shared with law enforcement even more broadly in the near future so subscribe to For the Blue for details of some exciting work she will be doing in 2024.

Jeff is a gifted writer on policing topics, but there is much more there. I know personally that he invests lavishly in everyone he knows and when the occasion comes where we meet, we won’t meet as strangers. He is taking a break but I have every confidence that he will be delivering his exceptional content again soon. Please subscribe and check out some of his past articles.

Travis was likely my earliest encourager on Substack. Months later I realized that I had attended his ‘Below 100’ training with him about nine years earlier. Since connecting, we were able to plan a seminar together and met this month. Travis is as fearless in his book, The Courageous Police Leader, as he is in his Substack publication. Both deserve your attention.

An unexpected boost

In October, I ran out for a quick dinner and when I came back, my email inbox had dozens and dozens of unread messages. They were all new subscriptions and they were coming in twice as fast as I could read them. I thought I was being spammed. My thoughts became concerns that the Substack platform was having a serious data security issue. After few days of my subscriptions climbing, I realized that I had Keith Graves to thank for recommending me and my newsletter.

Keith, I can’t thank you enough and I’m honored by your support!

I don’t know how he does it, but Keith publishes three amazing Substack newsletters including Drug Intelligence Bulletin , 2A Cops-Cops Supporting Gun Rights , and Christian Warrior Training . I recommend you check out all three!

black car in front of brown building — Photo by Stephen Picilaidis on Unsplash

Cops on the job

Police Law News pulls no punches and provides topical analysis on ‘officer involved’ encounters while they are emerging topics in the news. The author, a policing professional who also has earned his law degree, breaks down the circumstances of any sensational use of force or officer involved shooting. He delivers an expert judgement on the legal reasonableness of officer actions. What I love is that the cop doesn’t always win but is always evaluated fairly. This author has a presence on Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube.

Police Wire is another voice of reason written by an active officer who reviews many aspects of contemporary policing and policies by contrasting them with long established policing philosophies. This author has challenged my viewpoints by letting me see current events through a different (probably younger) lens.

Both of these authors speak against the media labeling suspect resistance as police violence and other illegitimate euphemisms.

Please check out their publications. I’m better for them and you will be too.

Not on Substack yet

I’m thankful for author John Kelly and the ‘Sometimes Heroes Need Help’ podcast. He has been a source of support and encouragement and has facilitated some awesome connections.

The officer wellness space has recognized him as a fresh and necessary approach. If you have a young officer or deputy in your world, you ought to purchase a copy of his book, Surviving Self-Inflicted Wounds, A Deputy’s Life of Redemption. It’s an atlas to navigate the complex world of being expected to solve everyone’s problems for 12 hours on workdays, and then try to balance your own life, relationships, and finances in the time remaining.

John shares his experiences with brutal honesty for the lone purpose of saving the current and next generation from avoidable harm. Many law enforcement professionals will have better lives and careers, dodge unnecessary harm, by reading his book and having him speak to your department or agency.

person sitting on top of gray rock overlooking mountain during daytime — Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

Optimistic for the future

If you are a subscriber and reading this, I’m thankful for you. Thanks for signing up. Truly, thank you for reading the articles. Your interest and support are validating; a necessary reminder that we are not alone in aspiring the best for the policing profession.

As a free subscriber, one of the best things that you can do for American Peace Officer and the other publications I’ve mentioned here is to comment and share. I think we all aspire for more interaction and engagement.

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?