16 Dec A New Kind of Police Protection

Tale of the Day:
Flex Cop & The Dork Police

Below is a holiday gift of two stories from my book “Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree.” Just yesterday the second story got a request from Macmillan Learning to be included in a popular text book with an expected print distribution of 175,000 hardcover copies and 25,000 ebooks!

These two stories by Michael Gardner—a former police officer with a 30-year police career—show amazing creativity and outside-the-box thinking, as he was called on to deal with domestic violence and other situations where his own life, and the lives of community members, were on the line. I hope you’ll find these stories as inspirational as I do, at a time when police shootings regularly make the news, and we are struggling as a nation for the best ways to keep our communities safe.

When I interviewed Michael Gardner I was immediately struck not only by his obvious creativity and flexibility in responding to conflicts, but also by his warmth and generosity. He told me story after story of dangerous police calls that he responded to with highly unusual—and just as effective—ways of resolving conflicts. I felt honored to hear these incredible stories straight from the source, and yet Michael was such an appreciative person that he kept thanking me for my small part in recording people’s stories of creative conflict resolution. I think Michael’s humility and obvious caring for others is a large part of what led him to become one of the “Dork Police,” and have no qualms about trying out things that many might pre-judge as “stupid” or “weak” or “unprofessional.” As a police officer, Michael remained focused on the outcome—to increase his own and others’ safety—and by this measurement his methods were not only smart and strong, but also, I hope, a new model for professionalism.

Without further ado, click here for Flex Cop: A Police Officer’s Creative Approach to Conflict free from Amazon.

You can also download it free from Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo and iBooks. This booklet will remain free forever, so you can share these stories with friends and loved ones.

If you’re looking for an inspiring Christmas gift, check out the full book “Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree: 61 stories of creative and compassionate ways out of conflict,” in both paperback and ebook.

Wishing you a great holiday season!

~Mark