>> CAPTAIN JOHNSON: I think if we're talking about leadership at every level,
there's a couple qualities that come to mind for me. One being really important is authenticity.
I think you also need to have courage, you need to have purpose,
and compassion. And I think if you have those four traits and qualities, you can be a great
leader at any level at any place in your personal life and in your professional life.
The best part of being a captain right now is that I'm getting to create opportunity
for all of our employees here at Martinez PD to show up as their best authentic self.
- Good morning.
- How are you doing? Good how are you?
And to create and innovate and collaborate all of those lessons I learned
some of them the hard way.
I was struggling emotionally and internally so I kind of got to a point where I was achieving,
and I was getting assignments and I was promoting but I just
felt with each step I was taking, I was having to transform to fit this mold and it wasn't
necessarily true to me, so with the help of some really, really fantastic mentors and actually
through the help of my experience at WLLE, I gave myself permission to just be my most authentic
self and it was really a game changer because I didn't worry so much anymore about whether or not
I was fitting this perfect mold and sure enough I was becoming even more successful than I had been
in the past it was incredibly liberating.
>> LIEUTENANT HART: Beth leads from an inspirational standpoint. She's all about her people, she's very focused on their needs, career development,
mentoring, and she looks at her co-workers more of co-workers than subordinates.
She's very inspirational to me. She helped me take my next step
from sergeant to lieutenant and help me develop my mindset and my final goals for my career.
>> OFFICER PAULSEN: When I look at leadership, first I look at it from like a self-reflective part so like how am
I treating people around me that's going to be a direct reflection of who I am. Holding myself
accountable, pushing through challenges, learning, just all- again that growth mindset. And then the
second half that I see in leadership, the way I look at it is, coming full circle right so for me
leadership coming full circle is you're motivated to give back, you're motivated to develop others,
you're motivated to mentor others. I think that sometimes we lose sight of that part of leadership.
If we recognize that our future leaders are already here, right, like some of my future leaders
in this department are working graveyard shift right now. By us taking an active role in mentoring,
that's how we create the department that we want for tomorrow.
Barrett is my canine and I honestly feel blessed. I remember before I became a handler, other handlers would tell you,
you know, hey you're going to develop this bond with this dog that is unlike anything you've ever known, but
man were they right. Barrett being my partner, it's amazing. One, the things that they can do,
the skills that they have, the fact that you get to be their partner, you get to train them,
that bond is I almost like don't have words to describe it.
So in terms of jiu-jitsu, it's kind of
something that I love. Informally, we've been doing jiu-jitsu here for a couple years and so I've gone
through the Gracie Academy, they have a gst level one, so I'm a level one instructor. Most of our
instructors here are gst certified, but outside of that I knew that I wanted to do it on my own
even outside of work. So I joined a jiu-jitsu gym and so I roll usually four to five days a week,
depending on how busy I am, but it's just something I love and you know starting all from the ground
up just learning how to start a new art, learn something new, it kind of keeps me motivated.
>> DEPUTY REYES: Well, I think leadership at all levels means you don't have to be, you don't have to
specifically have to have a rank or anything, but just being a leader on your own.
For me that means just coming to work every day and leading a life with purpose and with integrity.
You never really realize how much of an impact you're making on, sometimes on your children's
lives either. I mean I've always, I'm always hard on myself. I always think you know I can
always do more I'm always trying to be the best mom I can be and sometimes I feel guilty, you know,
when I'm working long hours but I do see that my daughters are always constantly
aware of what I’m doing. When I was in the academy, my youngest daughter that was four years old
she was watching a Disney movie and there's this little officer that's like a bunny, she's small
and tiny, and I remember her telling me one of these days, she's like, "mom,
you remind me of that little bunny in that movie." She's like, "you're little and
you're small, but I see you get over those walls and you try so hard every day like I
tell everybody at school that my mom can jump over walls and even though she's little like
she can do anything." And for me I saw my daughter say that and it just like you know it made me feel
good knowing that you know all the hard work and everything I do, they see every day.
>> DISPATCH SUPERVISOR JAMES: So what makes a good leader to me is somebody who never forgets where they've come from.
They are willing to get in the trenches and work side-by-side with their people,
they are somebody that people can look up to, they can emulate, they can aspire to be.
A great leader also recognizes that we have leaders in our subordinates or our team members
because I feel like people, when they are validated and they feel valuable, they will
work harder for you and with you. I am literally a product of our department investing in our people.
So when I get to be a part of somebody's journey and they are successful and I know that I've had
a little piece in their story whether it's to mentor, guide them, or give them direction, it
gives me a feeling of pride and honor to know that I was able to do that with them.
One of the greatest quotes I know and especially with people that you are mentoring or coaching or guiding and
parenting is ships are safest in the harbor but they're meant to sail and I strongly believe in
that and the joy I get from being a part of their journey is phenomenal.
I am super excited to attend WLLE this year in person. Last year I attended virtually and although I got a lot out of it and
I was super engaged and pretty much locked to my screen when I was watching all the speakers,
I just think that being in person, surrounded by such great women and leaders in law enforcement
will be so uplifting and encouraging and the networking aspect having those outside
resources and building those connections and bridging the gaps with our allied agencies
is super important.
The first time I went to WLLE was, I believe, in 2019. I was very surprised at
the level, it was some of the best leadership training I've ever been to.
I didn't know what to expect I thought I'd be the only male there and I was
pleasantly surprised that everyone was there and everyone was
equally welcomed.
>> CHIEF HSIUNG: So my first time at WLLE was, I want to say, maybe five or six years ago.
I thought it was great, you know, the vibe and the energy was phenomenal and just
the amount of support that everyone had for each other, and sure as a male I was like
not sure what to expect, that fear or apprehension quickly went away because at the
end of the day, you know, it wasn't about that, it was about just a lot of supportive environment
people looking out for the best interests of each other's careers
and I think policing and this you know career in general needs a whole lot more of that.
>> DETECTIVE WILDS: This is a very busy city, there's definitely some violent crime that happens within the city, it's
definitely no dull moments in the day whatsoever so it's definitely something that's right up my
alley. I like to be busy, I like to be always moving and working and so it's a great station for me to work.
So we had a bar fight over the weekend where two males were involved in an altercation with
several other people. So something that we have to do our due diligence in terms of investigating.
When I get a case, there's nothing more fulfilling than identifying who a suspect might be.
Finding where they're at and then putting a vest on, going out there, and actually going arrest them.
What I love most about my job right now is that I'm, to an extent, my own boss so I get to handle
my own investigations but when there's a big case I get to collaborate with my team.
Crossfit has been a huge thing not just for me and my career but it's, you know, a great de-stressor.
It's been such a huge confidence booster for me as well, it's something that you know I compete in
this sport so it's just another outlet that I have besides work that I can always look forward to.
I love the high intensity type situations. I went to the SWAT academy for the Sheriff's Department
called the SCD Academy. I was the first female law enforcement officer to graduate from that
academy, so I'm definitely not one to shy away from any kind of incident where we're arresting your
high prolific offenders and yeah that's come as a surprise sometimes to some other partners of mine
that I've had.
I guess the biggest thing is I've never let fear pull me back from something that's the last thing
I want in my life is for me to not fulfill any goals of mine because I was afraid.
>> OFFICER WRIGHT: I think being a leader you don't always have all the answers, you don't always
have it all figured out, but you're willing and you're ready to take on that leadership
when you're asked to do it but also when you're not. Leadership at all levels to me I don't think
it matters what rank or what position you're in, especially in this department. I think a leader is
someone at all times that is ready to help people and guide people.
So, being a recruiting officer we have an applicant preparation program and what that really is targeting is our applicants that
are going through our program and preparing them to get ready for our physical abilities test
and our written exam. We'll be working on our physical fitness, we'll be going on a run after
as well, and basically assessing them and seeing where they're at for the push-ups and sit-ups.
My leadership style, I always tell the applicants a little bit of tough love
because my expectations are high and I’ve articulated that to them so
but at the end of the day it's to better prepare them for this hiring process and
the academy life that they're getting ready for. Most of my lifetime my life career was
being in track and field, being an athlete. I spent many many years as a young kid
running track and then eventually getting a scholarship to running college division one
but as I neared the end of my career in college I really started thinking about what I wanted to do
and how could I make what I’ve learned through being in track and field in sports what could
I use that towards, and I didn't see a lot of female chippies and I didn't see
a lot of African American female chippies so I really decided to take that leap of faith and
be the difference that I wanted to see in law enforcement. I really wanted to be that
example for young females out there that if I could do it you could do it too and just the
inspiration that I was able to have when working the road just pulling up to a red light and
little girls rolling down the window and waving and they're just excited to see a female officer.
>> CHIEF HSIUNG: We all come from different walks of life. The things that have made us who we are growing up
is an advantage. Let those traits and let that history shine forth in how you police,
how you serve and how you protect your communities. You bring such a unique skill set to the table
of your organization, let that shine, let that be an advantage for your organization.