In the 2006 movie, “Facing the Giants”, Grant Taylor is a high school coach with a mediocre record who is facing  “giants” in his personal life: his car is breaking down, he is being replaced as head coach, and the players father’s are trying to get him fired.  He learns that he and his wife cannot have children. In order to find a solution to his problems, Taylor prays for help. He decides to praise God after each game, whether they win or lose.  He encourages his players to do the same.

The idea of facing giants is based on the biblical story of the young shepherd boy, David, who killed the giant, Goliath, and later became king.  Taylor’s problems are the “giants” in his life, which he overcame through prayer and a positive attitude.

Law enforcement officers deal with various giants in their careers and personal lives, including: injury, health issues, financial problems, politics, false allegations, lawsuits, marriage problems, depression, substance abuse, loneliness, and feelings of guilt and isolation. For Deputy First Class Ozell Powell, his giant is in the form of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Born with the heart and the soul to wear the badge, Deputy Powell dreamed of being a police officer all his life. After graduating from high school, Powell enlisted in the Army. He fought in the Gulf War and served with distinction. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Army, Deputy Powell attended basic recruit training and he was hired at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Pensacola, Florida. Deputy Powell thoroughly enjoyed being a patrol deputy and helping others.

After 7 years on patrol, Powell began to experience dizziness.  A CAT scan revealed a massive cyst on the right side of his brain. He underwent treatment to drain the cyst, and returned to patrol. However, the symptoms worsened.  In addition to the dizzy spells, he also experienced weakness both legs; but the doctor insisted there was nothing wrong.

Powell decided to get a second opinion when he and other deputies became involved in a critical incident. A friend and colleague asked him afterwards,  “Are you able to get out of your patrol car quick enough if someone shot at you?”

The incident made him realized that he could not quickly escape a potentially life threatening situation. He received the proper diagnosis from a neurologist of MS, an inflammatory disease in which the myelin sheath around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged. The cyst that had been removed had been a result of MS.  If left untreated, the disease can cause blindness, slurred speech, immobility, and, ultimately death.

Fearing that MS could possibly endanger himself and other deputies, Powell made the difficult decision to share his diagnosis with the administration, not knowing what to expect. “The Sheriff’s Department has been very supportive and accommodating,” he stated. “They have allowed me to maintain my dignity. I never once felt that my job was threatened.”

Powell has stated that so far, he has managed the MS, with medication, exercise and diet.  The MS can be delayed, but not cured. Powell has stated that the early days of his diagnosis were difficult. “I missed patrol.  I missed interacting with the community. I missed the camaraderie that I shared with my colleagues on my shift. People are assigned to desk duty while they are recuperating from injuries, but they get to look forward to rejoining their shift once they are medically cleared. It was disheartening sometimes, knowing I would not be able to return to patrol. ”

“There is a stigma associated with desk duty. There were times when I did not feel like a ‘real’ cop.  However, I chose not to dwell on the negative, because my situation could have been much worse. I began to view this not as a ‘lesser position’, but as a chance to serve in a different capacity. I realized that though I am not able to serve the people on regular patrol, I have been able to bring my patrol experience to the front desk.  Opportunities began to materialize. I have been able to work closely with domestic violence victims, and I organized a specialized unit.  I have realized opportunities that may not have been available to me had I remained on patrol. There is a need here, and I have been given the opportunity to fulfill that need.”

Powell credits his faith, prayer, meditation, and a strong support network for sustaining him throughout his ordeal.  Like Coach Grant Taylor, he has chosen to be thankful, regardless of his circumstances. “I am truly blessed to have the support of my wife, my family, my administration, and the whole department,’” he said, flashing his easy smile. He is also writing his autobiography.

Powell concluded with some words of wisdom. First, he advised that one should always get a second opinion when diagnosed with an ailment. “I sometimes wonder if I had not waited so long before getting a second opinion, and if I had this diagnosed and treated sooner, maybe the MS would not have progressed to this stage. Since I trusted the first medical professional that I went to, I will never really know the answer to that question.”

Second, Powell said, “Remember that no matter how bad you think you have it, there is always someone who has it worse than you.  When I found out that I have MS, I was angry, frustrated, and disappointed, but now I realize that I am abundantly blessed. There are people with MS that cannot speak, walk, or even care for themselves. I may not have the physical abilities that I used to, but I am still able to walk, to get out of bed each morning, and to come to work. I still have my job, which I enjoy.”

Finally, Powell said: “When I took I was sworn in, I believed that I would work twenty-five or thirty years and then retire. All I had ever wanted to be is a police officer. So don’t limit yourself. Always have an alternate plan. Life is constantly changing, and nothing is guaranteed. One should always be prepared for life-altering situations.”

With his positive attitude, faith, courage, and strength of character, Deputy Powell has managed to defeat the “giant” of multiple sclerosis. He is an inspiration to his family, to the people he serves, and to the entire law enforcement community.

Law enforcement careers are highlighted with ventures and adventures.  How do you parlay them into a secondary career as expert? In looking into this phenomenon, many police cops think they are experts just because they have been a police officer for their entire careers.   Becoming an expert takes time, money, persistence, and more than just being a police officer.

An expert is generally defined as someone who has more knowledge than the average person.   A law enforcement position does not guarantee expertise in all areas. For example,  a CLEO might not be an expert in the use of force, but could be about policy development.

In Writing and Defending Your Expert Report by Babitsky and Mangraviti, the authors suggest that an expert should be prepared to provide the following: a resume, statement of qualifications as well as information regarding all degrees and certifications.

How can one maintain or increase one’s skill level in a particular area to become a Subject Matter Expert (SME)? Enrolling in appropriate training and seminars, presenting at conferences, and writing scholarly articles all provide depth to the resume.

The statement of qualifications is a bit trickier.  In this document, the expert needs to clearly articulate why they have the expertise to formulate opinions in a court of law. In gaining further expertise in this area, writing articles will be helpful as well as participating in certification programs vs. attending training with a certificate presented at the end.  Each court will review the expert’s material based on the same standard, however the interpretation may be different.

Specifically, Federal Rule 26 states:

Except as otherwise stipulated or directed by the court, this disclosure shall, with respect to a witness who is retained or specially employed to provide expert testimony in the case or whose duties as an employee of the party regularly involve giving expert testimony, be accompanied by a written report prepared and signed by the witness. The report shall contain a complete statement of all opinions to be expressed and the basis and reasons therefore; the data or other information considered by the witness in forming the opinions; any exhibits to be used as a summary of or support for the opinions; the qualifications of the witness, including a list of all publications authored by the witness within the preceding ten years; the compensation to be paid for the study and testimony; and a listing of any other cases in which the witness has testified as an expert at trial or by deposition within the preceding four years.

As one can see, the court needs to be provided with information that clearly demonstrates that the testifying/ report writing individual is an expert. In reviewing the highlighted areas, if one has never testified in a court or been deposed as an expert how is that nut cracked?  Certain attorneys hire expert consultants who can be used at certain points in preparation for trial or investigation. This pre-trial work for attorneys can be a stepping stone to actually testifying as an expert witness.

A variety of things can expand one’s expertise. As mentioned in the online magazine Entrepreneur’s article “12 Ways to Become a Recognized Expert,” Donald Todrin makes some recommendations which I have adapted for law enforcement:

Investigate what is currently important in law enforcement and learn everything you can about it.  Choose something that fascinates you such as predictive policing, geo-tagging, touch DNA, or victimology, and study the issue intently.  You can do this by attending yearly conferences, watching podcasts, reviewing periodicals or attending research conferences.  Some expert groups to approach include the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Midwestern Criminal Justice Association Conference, American Society of Criminology Conference.  If you cannot attend, look through the conference program, locate topics that have been presented and ask for a review copy of the material.

Consider writing an article.  How many of you reading this article or other online news magazines have thought about writing and publishing?  Why haven’t you?

Volunteer as a speaker at a college or seminar. State, regional, and national conferences are always looking for qualified fresh presentations and presenters. I recently participated on a board that was creating an agenda for a conference.  Other members mentioned that the same “frequent fliers” were submitting similar material.  Look to be that fresh voice and new person with a new idea or a twist on an old one.

Join professional associations.  My suggestions of those organizations with the best “bang for your buck” include ILEETA,  IACP,  NSA, The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences,  American Society of Criminology , regional criminal justice association, and Toastmasters.  Not everyone is eligible for all of these organizations, but check into them to see where you will fit in.

Finding a mentor who is a little further along in his or her criminal justice career can be extremely helpful    A mentor can be found within one’s work structure, at a professional association, at a training or seminar or as in a college-level or graduate education experience.  A mentor may need assistance with a large project from which you can gain experience.  He or she can provide career advice and other support to you in your career and in becoming a recognized expert.

Recently I have asked some people I respect to provide guidance for me.  There’s only one way to say it, get out of your comfort zone and ask for the help.  Most people will be pleased to be asked.

Without asking, the professional will falter.  The history, experiences, and knowledge of the mentor will be lost if you don’t ask. To find a mentor start close to home, but the Internet is just a click away. A phone call now is relatively cheap. Think about the area that is the main focus of your expertise and find people/mentors who have done similar work. If court room expertise is the goal, contact area attorneys and determine what they are looking for.  If your interest is in being a media expert, contact some people who have been on national shows or local shows.  Saturday and Sunday are slow news days, traditionally.  Write up a press release about your area of expertise and fax it in late on Friday.

It is your career.  Decide what you want to do and go after it. If I have learned nothing from television and movies like Walking Dead, Zombieland, and 2012, the world is coming to an end.  Decide what you want while you’re still on this planet. Get out of the chair and get into the game.

Learn more about this article here:

Babitsky, S & Mangraviti, J. (2002) Writing and Defending Your Expert Report. Sneak Inc. ISBN 1-892904-21-7

Viator, R. and Dalton, D. (2011) Eight ways to expand your mentoring network. Journal of Accountancy; Oct2011, Vol. 212 Issue 4, p44-47, 4p Retrieved on January 11, 2012 from Ebscohost

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220696

Matt Stiehm was born and raised in Minnesota. He has served as a police officer in three states (CA, MN and NE) and keeps current on law enforcement trends. He received a Doctorate in Education from Argosy University, where the focus of his research was campus safety and security. He has a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from Central Missouri State University, with his final paper focusing on the investigation of child abuse.  He currently is a member of ILEETA, MN Infragard, FBI LEEDS, an Associate Member of the IACP and the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association. Contact Matt at info@stiehmsolutionsconsulting.com