Almost anyone who has worked the investigations side of Law Enforcement understands that when investigating a threat on a person, the most important part of the investigation is often the perceived threat: Would a reasonable person in the same situation perceive the threat as a real danger?
Corrections officers cannot underestimate the power of perception. During investigations conducted under the scrutiny of the public eye, facts are often distorted by witnesses who don’t have the knowledge or experience to see the whole picture. In these situations, failing to understanding the influence of perception can have catastrophic implications for the future of your career.
Understanding the power of perception
If you stage an incident in front of 20 officers with the knowledge ahead of time that they will be expected to write a report based on what they saw, chances are you will still get 20 different reports. The facts remain the same, but discrepancies will arise as the reader scans the reports. These inconsistencies can get us into trouble with the courts and the public, and we all know how a small mistake now can cause large problems later.
For example, if a witness states that a suspect was wearing a green sweatshirt at the time of a crime, but the facts state that the arrested party was wearing a teal sweatshirt, problems could arise in court. A good officer would clear this up with a line-up (or a picture line-up), allowing the witness to identify the suspect in another way, but there will be times when clarifying inconsistencies will not be so easy. This is when it is important that you understand how people “perceive perception.”
It is not just a catch phrase. Most civilians – including jurors - don’t understand how perception can affect the reporting, investigation and the eventual apprehension of a suspect, inside or outside of prison. Many civilians perceive perception as a “cop-out” for lying. They see multiple minor inconsistencies as evidence of a set-up. You can bet a good criminal defense attorney will capitalize on this.
Though we can’t take people’s perceptions out of a case, we can certainly explain why they exist.
Years ago, I was under investigation by Internal Affairs, accused by an inmate of a ridiculous charge of excessive force. Unfortunately, one officer’s report did not quite jive with the other 10 reports.
As I sat down for my interview, I was admittedly nervous. I knew I had the facts of the case on my side, but anyone who has been subjected to an Internal Affairs investigation knows the feeling of sitting down to be questioned in that dark room. It did not help that the person interviewing me was one of the most effective investigators I had ever met.
As I answered his questions, I noticed a tone in the investigators voice that led me to believe he understood the truth. I was found “not guilty” and life went back to normal. Several years later, I ended up working for this interviewer when he was no longer with Internal Affairs. I asked him how he had arrived at his conclusion.
He sat me down and on a dry erase board he wrote “GODISNOWHERE,” then he asked me to read back what he had written. I stared at the board for a minute and then said: “God is now here.” He made slashes between the words, and suddenly I saw a new statement: God is nowhere.
This is the power of perception.
The investigator went on to explain that when the facts in a case do not add up perfectly, perception must be taken into consideration. He had applied this to my case and found that the officer who had perceived the incident differently was young and inexperienced compared to the rest of the officers questioned. While the more experienced officers had concentrated their reports on the hard facts of the case, the younger officer had picked up on nuances the others did not mention. It was these nuances that spurred the investigation. However, since only the inexperienced officer mentioned them, the investigator realized I was innocent.
Given the same facts, different people can arrive at vastly different conclusions based on their life and job experience. As a Correctional Officer, it applies in every aspect of your job. Imagine a civilian with no law enforcement experience witnessing an incident of force at your institution. They may view your actions as excessive or overzealous given they have never seen the result of an incident that spirals quickly out of control.
Perception is the number one thing that keeps Corrections off of the pedestal of acceptance and respect by many people in our society. There are plenty of examples in which the general public condemns actions of correctional personnel, only to have the officers absolved of any wrong doing by their agencies or the courts.
Perception, however, can be changed. This is accomplished through spreading information and training.
Leveraging the power of perception
It is gravely important for you to understand how perception can work for and against you, and to apply this to your everyday behavior.
When dealing with threat assessment, it is critical to realize that two officers with different levels of experience may perceive, and in turn react, very differently to same situation. Often the more experienced officer will be quick to recognize that a threat is real and imminent, while the younger officer may not. When the more experienced officer reacts to these perceptions, it may leave the newer officer scratching his head, wondering what just happened.
When you first started at your department, you might have wondered why an officer reacted the way he did. You may have even thought that the officer jumped the gun; only to find yourself doing the same thing later in your career after having made some complacency mistakes.
Although there is no way to eliminate differing perceptions of an incident or a mode of enforcement, there are things we can do to eliminate doubt of what happened after the fact. This is why it is so important that we carry out our essential tasks in a professional, unbiased manner.
This is not to say we should compromise our safety to avoid hurting people’s feelings. Rather, it is a reminder that you should always make sure the facts are on your side, recognizing that perception – by the public or by a fellow officer – may seriously affect you later. Even if you become the target of an investigation, you can overcome perceptional differences with facts. The sooner you recognize the power of perception, the better off you’ll be.
When people find out what I do for a living, I can actually see them turn their head a little as if to say, “really?” The perception is that I am supposed to be 6’6” tall and composed of 300 pounds of muscle. Yet, by simply answering some of their basic questions, I have often been able to change a person’s perception of Correctional Officers. These types of daily interactions go a long way to help our public perception.
Perception is a powerful force in our line of work. Its influence can make or break us. But remember, you too can influence it. As long as we understand perception and the affect it can have, we can teach new officers - and sometimes the public - about the power of perception.
If you run into someone that doubts the power of perception, show them the phrase that the investigator showed me. You’ll prove beyond a doubt that perception is not just perceived, it is real. It is not an excuse for a cover-up or conspiracy. It is just a fact of life.
As always, be safe out there, and watch your six!