“Whatever it Takes”: A Message from SPD Chief Andrew Shearer
When crises occur, organizations need a deeply ingrained culture of agility and resilience, and a clear understanding of their missions. To succeed when it matters most, that organization must also be filled with free thinkers at every level who’ve been trained and empowered to be decisive in how to meet their mission tasks, whatever they may be.
In policing, we rightfully focus our training and prepare for those life/career defining moments that may be infrequent, yet they demand we deliver at our best, so we win when lives are at stake. That level of preparedness translates directly into high performance when situations that aren’t “typical police work” become the mission of the day.
“The ways the members of the Springfield Police Department have stepped up to serve their community is truly humbling … they’ve demonstrated a strength of character, grit, and agility, that makes me as proud as ever of this profession.”
– Andrew Shearer, Chief of Police, Springfield Police Department
For the last seven days, much of our community has been without power or clean water and transportation has been paralyzed due to icy conditions resulting from freezing rain and below freezing temperatures. There has been major devastation to residences, businesses, and infrastructure, caused by thousands of downed trees.
The ways the members of the Springfield Police Department have stepped up to serve their community is truly humbling. From helping clear roadways of downed trees, to transporting citizens to warming shelters, to getting fuel for people’s generators, to delivering supplies, to checking on elderly residents, and on and on, they’ve demonstrated a strength of character, grit, and agility, that makes me as proud as ever of this profession. There are a lot of people suffering losses in the wake of this storm, and many homes have been destroyed. With months of recovery for the City of Springfield, Oregon, still ahead, SPD will continue to do “whatever it takes”.
