When a deputy walks into my office, he or she cannot miss the Teddy Roosevelt quote I have hanging in my office.

"In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

I tell them it is my reminder that police officers hardly ever even get the choice to do nothing. We come to the crisis when someone calls 911. We come as fast as we can and in my agency we come to solve the problem. I am extremely proud of the men and women I work for as a legal advisor, as I find that they do not meet the sterotypical portrayal of cops on TV who want to catch bad guys and make cases. Instead our people listen and solve problems. Making the case or ensuring someone goes to jail is not the main focus. We have no trouble doing it when the time comes, to be sure. However, our primary goal is leaving the people we contact with the feeling that they are glad they called as we came to solve their problem and we helped. More police agencies and officers should look for ways to encourage that ideal in order to stave off critiscm that their use of force is out of control, their officers are acting as thugs, or as I recently heard having a police department be described as "the worst gang in town." Developing your officers via leadership porograms to instill in them a sense of accomplishment in peacefully resolving an issue is something we as a nation could do more of. That is the right thing to do for both the department and the citizens they serve. And it proves Teddy Roosevelt was correct, the right thing is the best thing and the worst thing you can do is nothing.