The People, Process, & Progress Podcast - Tribute to a Teammate | FF08

Episode Date: March 5, 2021

Hello, People Process Progress podcast listeners. Thank you for coming back to the show for this Foundation's Friday 8 Tribute to a Teammate. This episode is dedicated to my former Incident Management Team teammate, colleague and friend, Captain Don Lambert, who was killed last weekend in a hit-and-run accident and who will be laid to rest today. Don spent over 30 years as a police officer providing service to those who called to me, helping out when I was a public health emergency coordinator both at the local and regional level with planned events and unfortunately saw him in

a few critical incidents we both responded to together. He was the voice of reason, stern-looking but then big to smile. Don, we miss you. We wish your family the best. And I thought, how can I pay tribute to this man who put so much time and effort into his work, into the people he helped, into his department, into his family? And I turned to Paul Harvey, who seems to have words for just about every situation and many occupations. So I'm going to read Paul Harvey's What is a Policeman that I think encapsulates the service, the over three decades of service that Don put in. And though it's written policeman, of course, we also

pay tribute to the policemen and women, to the brothers and sisters in blue out there, to those that I know are doing the deed, the majority of them, the best that they can do on people's worst day when they show up when people do or don't like them. And well, let me let Paul Harvey say it. Policeman. A policeman is a composite of what all men are, mingling of saint and sinner, dust and deity. Gold statistics wave the fan over the stinkers underscore instances of dishonesty and brutality because they are new. What they really mean is that they are exceptional, unusual, not commonplace. Buried under the frost is the fact less than one half of one percent of policemen misfit the uniform. That's a better average than you'd find

among clergy. What is a policeman made of? He of all men is once the most needed and the most unwanted. He's a strangely nameless creature who is sir to his face and fuzz to his back. He must be such a diplomat that he can settle differences between individuals so that each will think he won. But if a policeman is neat, he's conceited. If he's careless, he's a bum. If he's pleasant, he's flirting. If not, he's a grouch. He must make an instant decision which would require months for a lawyer to make. But if he hurries, he's careless. If he's deliberate, he's lazy. He must be first to an accident and infallible with his diagnosis.

He must be able to start breathing, stop bleeding, tie splints, and above all be sure the victim goes home without a limp or expect to be sued. The police officer must know every gun, draw on the run, and hit where it doesn't hurt. He must be able to whip two men twice his size and half his age without damaging his uniform and without being brutal. If you hit him, he's a coward. If he hits you, he's a bully. A policeman must know everything and not tell. He must know where all the sin is and not partake. A policeman must, from a single strand of hair, be able to describe the crime, the weapon, and the criminal, and tell you where the criminal is hiding. But, if he catches the criminal, he's lucky. If he doesn't, he's a dunce. If he gets promoted,

he has political pull. If he doesn't, he's a dullard. The policeman must chase a bum, lead to a dead end, stake out ten nights to tag one witness Who saw it happen but refused to remember The policeman must be a minister A social worker A diplomat A tough guy And a gentleman

And of course He'd have to be a genius For he will have to feed a family On a policeman's salary Godspeed to all of you out there Especially those in blue Who are holding the line for he will have to feed a family on a policeman's salary. Godspeed to all of you out there, especially those in blue, who are holding the line, keeping our society safe, doing the right thing. And Godspeed to Don Lambert, his family, and those mourning.

Stay safe out there, everyone. Wash those hands. And Godspeed.