Out of Dormancy

Perhaps my blog was missed, and perhaps it wasn't, but for me, it has been far too long since I sat down to write about what is going on in our household. I accepted a job with the University of California Davis in May of this year. I signed on for a six month stint to help the campus police department reconstruct itself after the disastrous viral pepper spray incident on campus last November 19th. 2011. That singular incident cost the Chief and several of the command structure their jobs and others discipline or demotion. It thoroughly demoralized the department with the constant negative news coverage, and the loss of staff persons some of whom were liked and respected.

My decision to come out of retirement, and give up painting for six months was based on knowing I could do the job, because I had the background and experience needed. I knew that I could help fix the department's policy and work with the chief to re-organize the department. I also knew that for six months of hard work, I would be able to earn enough money to build myself a new studio and have a good environment to paint in. That was a goal worth going back to work for, as well as the opportunity to be involved in helping to restore the department and its image.

My task was to completely rewrite the police department's policy manual, using an excellent software from a company called Lexipol that specializes in automated police policy online. One of the founders of the company, Gordon Graham, was a California Highway Patrol Captain and also an attorney.  He is very respected in the law enforcement field, and he and his partners have built a company that serves law enforcement needs all over the state with up to date policy, written in best practice language, and citing California and Federal law. The policy is continually updated in accordance with Legislative changes to California's laws.

I was familiar with the software, and had to conform the various policies to the UC Davis Police Department's practices and in accordance with the University Policy system. I was given six months to accomplish this task, and set to work quickly interviewing various officers, supervisors and new command staff persons on the police department in order to get the policy in sync with the departments operations.  The new Chief Matthew Carmichael, was a tremendous positive change agent for the department and he was driving himself with long hours to rebuild the department and bolster its sagging morale. He was a pleasure to work with and often told me that I was the reason he could sleep nights, with the work I was doing crafting the new policy for the department.

Police department staff accepted me as one of their own, and I enjoyed the camaraderie with the men and women of this progressive university police department that really do take their jobs seriously. It has taken me a little over three months to learn what I needed to complete the task I was assigned. We are now going through every section I have edited and rewritten to make sure that it is accurate and there are no typos. It will be reviewed by the University's Provost as well as the police union before it is adopted. 

Just as I finished the final chapter of the manual, I had a life changing event occur again, with a recurrence of my Atrial Fibrillation on a Sunday morning. Once again I was taken to hospital in an ambulance because of my erratic heart. I was released after five days and am on leave for a while in order to get my health back and my heart fixed. The medication I am on in the meantime may keep my heart in line, but it is detrimental to my energy and sense of well-being. I praise my God for saving me, and am thankful for the care I received not only at the hospital, but from my wife when I came home. It is great to be alive, and I am going to enjoy painting again!