Not so long ago …

in a land not so far away ...

our police officers eagerly put their lives on the line for us ....  EVERYDAY, EVERY NIGHT and ALL HOLIDAYS.

Then Defund the Police became a slogan that supported/supports removing funds from police departments and reallocating them to non-policing forms of public safety and community support. These non-policing forms have been expressed in terms of education, healthcare, housing and community services/resources. 

The proposed range of defunding ranged from modest reductions to complete abolition of contemporary police service.

Let me make a comparison of the U.S. Police (as CEOs of … and servants to … our U.S. society) to U.S. business CEOs (servants to U.S. businesses). According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), in 1965 CEO salaries were at a ratio of 21 to 1. In 2020, EPI states that the average salary (and compensation) of 280 Fortune 500 CEOs was 351 times the pay of the average worker. Well, this is to be expected since EVERYDAY these CEOs put their lives on the line for others! NOT!!!

On the other hand … U.S. police officers …DO put their lives on the line for others … as well as putting “on the line” the future … the physical, emotional and financial stability of their families … who are at risk of being “left behind,” earn (according to Indeed statistics) an average salary of $56,272 (Low: 36,249/High:$87,354).

This MUST be credited to the different skill sets required of CEOs and Police Officers, right? Wrong, AGAIN!

General research shows the 10 most important skills CEOs should possess:

Clear Communication, Collaboration, Open-mindedness, Approachability, Transparency, Growth mindset, Ethics, Decisiveness, Creativity and innovation, Fearlessness

In an article by Jess Scherman (09/16/2019), ”6 Often Overlooked Qualities of a Great Police Officer", it is interesting to note that many similar CEO qualities are listed (and although fearlessness and decisiveness are NOT listed for a police officer, we know that they, too, are extremely important skills):

Communication skills, Compassion and Empathy, Integrity, Negotiation Skills, Eagerness to Learn, Mental Agility (because 'officers who go into a situation with preconceived ideas—who don’t carefully observe and adjust their expectations—are going to get it wrong.’). 

It should be apparent by now that we need MORE POLICE … not fewer police … AND that we, as a society need to acknowledge and support the amazing risks our officers take to make life better for us. Does there need to be reform! Of course! In order for any of us … for any institution … to be the best we/it can be, there is a constant need for continued education, continued refining, continued collaboration, continued growth.

And, as we look at the need for MORE POLICE, let us rethink our own perspective. Let us look on these officers as CEOs of our society, and let us pay them more of what they deserve for sacrificing their lives … their futures … for our safety.



Let us ask not what more our police officers can do for us. Let us ask, rather, what we can do for our police officers … to help them become the best professionals they can be. And be here for us!