The Power of the Crowd

Please welcome Recruit Jarred. He comes to the Lakewood Police Department after several years as a patrol officer for the New York Police Department. He writes today about the ability of a community to elevate people to a higher plane.

When was the last time you felt “the power of the crowd?” I’m referring to the push from an outside source that allows you to dig deep and drive on, not only in a physical sense but also a mental sense. The importance of this feeling has occurred to me before, as I’m sure it has with many of you. It wasn’t until I started the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department/Lakewood Police Department Combined Regional Academy that I realized how significant it is to my sense of ownership and pride.

Typically, this concept is found in team sports or group fitness activities. It can mean the difference between a win and a loss. In some careers, and in certain circumstances within those professions, it can mean life or death. If it’s been a while since you’ve felt this or if you’ve never been there at all, I encourage you to participate either by cheering others on or putting yourself in an activity where you are the one getting cheered. I was lucky enough to have experienced this throughout my life as a team member in the military and later as a New York City Police Officer. I wanted to share my recent experience during the police academy.

At the Academy, cheering occurs when we are given a workout and the words “go” or “begin” are heard. We start running or doing push-ups, followed by box jumps or pull-ups. My body begins to fatigue and lungs begin to burn. Put yourself in a recruit’s position - we still have the internal motivation to keep going but our bodies start to slow down, until you hear your teammates and instructors cheer each us on. However, one particular expression of encouragement came not from a peer or instructor, it came from a local citizen.

The class was running around the lake for a warm-up. I passed a women exercising, out enjoying the sunshine. What she said next truly made me feel the “Power of the Crowd.”  “You’re all doing a great job” she said. “Thank you.” They are words police officers don’t ordinarily hear, humbling to say the least.

I guess two things happened that afternoon. The first was her welcomed comments. The second was the rush of pride I felt that members of my new community were cheering us on and respected our effort.

Not many people are happy to see police but on this day we were a welcomed sight. A simple comment from a local citizen and on that day in that moment I felt the “power of the crowd” the push to dig deep and drive on, not for myself but for others.