3 Keys to Living the Dream

How to survive your Law Enforcement career and retire victoriously...on your terms!

LE Chaplain John C Adams

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We had a great time speaking at the annual training conference of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police on January 16th!

Currently, We're finishing up 4 days of classes for the officers at the Sandusky Police Department.

MY STORY

Why do I do what I do?

I am dedicated to helping Law Enforcement officers and First Responders thrive in their careers and achieve a fulfilling retirement. A "tall" order, I know. However, after working in LE, as a Chaplain to numerous local agencies for many years, I began to see too many burn out, flame-out, lose their integrity, see their families disintegrate, or simply just quit!

After talking and counseling with many of them, it became clear that most times the LE weight & stress had become too heavy to bear. Being at the same scenes and going through many of the same things, I get it! But what puzzled me was why some officers were acutely affected and others were not. I began to study and research and discovered that it was mostly the effects of what I call an "emotional concussion."

Get this...most of our officers have been well trained by our academies to survive the streets including hand-to-hand altercations and firefights. However, the vast majority of the 800,000+ officers in the U.S. have not been trained to deal with the things we can't unsee, unhear etc. If you're an officer who has been in LE for any length of time, you know exactly what I am talking about.

As one of my fellow Deputies stated, "The bottom line is that trauma happens gradually and then affects us suddenly. John offers us, through his experience and others in the profession, a way to maintain a rewarding dedicated service without sacrificing ourselves and our families. Trevor Harlow – 1SG (Ohio Army National Guard -Retired) 2 tours Iraq and 1 Afghanistan - Lieutenant Erie County Sheriff’s Office

As the puzzle began to come together, I examined what I personally did to mitigate what I went through. So, after talking to many officers and those in Command, I saw what others did as well. That was when I identified, what I call, 3 keys to living the dream. They are actually 3 D's which stand for: Disconnect, Distract, De-Stress, and with the bonus D, Dismount. Dismounting, on your terms, is the "icing on the cake" if you correctly implement the first 3 D's and I can tell you that it is the BEST "D" of all because I've already accomplished it in one career!

How I serve the Law Enforcement Community

I would be delighted to Keynote your conference or event tailored to your LE audience. I currently have a very relevant one-hour presentation that would be great for conferences or association meetings. I speak on the topic of my book, which is the 3 Keys or "D's" to mitigating the inevitable emotional trauma that comes our way as a result of a Law Enforcement career. Research has indicated that the average police officer will easily be exposed to 178 critical incidents over the course of their career. That means that cops are exposed an unbelievable 3 life times worth of trauma per year compared to the average citizen.

“With police suicides in the news daily, a resource like this can absolutely save lives and help keep intact your family and professional relationships. We are exposed to some of the most horrific things that human beings can encounter. We all need a little help from time to time. This book and the 3 D’s serve as a road map for that help.” Thomas Greenawalt - Federal Bureau of Investigation (Ret.) Former SWAT Commander

Keynote Speaking

Agency Education

One of my favorite things to do is to educate officers and cadets on where the landmines are buried in a LE career. If you know where they are, hopefully, you can circumnavigate them. Yet, even the best officers have an unexpected detonation from time to time. Then what do you do? How do you handle or manage the injury? How do you handle it when you've been wronged or perceive you've been wronged by a supervisor or the agency? Through personalized teaching sessions, I'll equip your officers and employees to overcome challenges and set life-giving priorities while remaining dedicated and loyal to the agency. They will learn to develop the skills necessary for long-term success in a high-stress career. I would love to come to your agency and help your team!

"Most of us in Law Enforcement believed that we were invincible when we started on our journey, but as we get older, we know that we are not. I wish I had understood and implemented the three D’s much earlier in my career because the concept has helped me grow as a husband, father, friend, and a mentor to the Officers I serve with." Chief Jared Oliver – Sandusky Police Department

OK, few cops are excited to read a huge book, especially one that has a gazillion statistics and facts they need to remember. That is why I wrote "Three Keys" and kept it to what I call cop length. It takes about an hour to read and is extremely practical. Also included with the book is the self-grading At Risk Survey that many have told me really helped them see where they are on the At Risk continuum. Both books, "3 Keys" and the Survey, are agency priced at $15 for both or $25 for two sets! It's not practical to write a book too long to read or priced too high to sell. So, to me, if something isn't practical, it's not of much use.

"This (3 D’s teaching) is a must for not only any law enforcement professional but anyone in a highly stressful environment. The tone of Pastor John’s advice gives you the feeling of having a conversation with a wise and experienced friend who has been there." Mellissa Grahn, Senior Special Agent, U.S. Secret Service (21 yrs)

Books for Cops

With Chief Ken Klamar - Sunset Beach, NC

3 Keys book & Emotional at Risk Survey

For more information about any of the above ways I can help your agency, please leave a message here or call.

Email

Phone

info@3keystodream.net

419-239-3429

I would also be happy to put you in contact with those who have invited me to train their agencies for reference.