Richard Goerling: Mindful Policing

Richard Goerling, a police lieutenant, talks about how mindful and empathic policing will help police, and the people they have sworn to serve and protect.

Richard Goerling, a police lieutenant is Hillsboro, Oregon, works with fellow police officers to increase their well-being through mindfulness. Goerling found mindfulness as a response to what he calls “the asshole factor,” in which many cops lack empathy and seem to live in a black and white world, while in reality it is a spectrum of gray. He uses mindfulness to increase self-awareness, and bring more attentiveness and empathy to the policing world.

Goerling tells a story from his policing experience in which he notes how judgmental he would have been in the situation if not for mindfulness, and because of that he was reminded to be empathic and non-judgmental, which was a tactic that was much more effective and rewarding.