PW_2_2019

Professional Development

Arthur Troop Scholarship

Simon Hensley - Arthur Troop Scholarship Recipient 2019 In February 2018 I applied for the 2019 Arthur Troop Scholarship and I was delighted to learn in September 2018 that I had been successful.

I did a lot of research before submitting my application and noticed that there was a discrepancy in the United States between the number of law enforcement employees (third largest in the world) and the number of IPA members (only 1% of members). My application was to attend an FBI LEEDA Command leadership institute, which is an intensive and challenging week long programme to prepare law enforcement officers for command positions. FBI LEEDA is attended by law enforcement professionals from across America, so I thought it was ideal for my own development and also to promote the IPA to as many organisations as possible.

the streets were relatively empty and the normally fast flowing Chicago River was frozen over. Prior to leaving the UK I sent a travel form to Chicago IPA, via Section UK. I had arranged to meet them on the following day but had no idea what they had planned for me. I was met at my hotel by Cook County Sheriff Officer and IPA member Rob Moon. Rob picked me up and drove me to the lovely Gayle Street Restaurant, where we met Mary O’Connor, the local Chair, Arcee Cain, one of the Vice Chairs, Greg Bronsberg and another 12 members of Chicago IPA. We had a

lovely meal and a few drinks; their hospitality was outstanding. They made a real fuss of me and were most generous with gifts, I only wish I had taken more items to trade but my suitcase was filled with thermals. A lovely touch was the flag display on the table, it featured the Chicago flag, the Illinois flag, the USA flag

As the date approached I was concerned about the US Government shutdown and how it might affect my trip. As I was not US Law Enforcement I had to undergo a rigorous vetting process to access federal buildings. All appeared to be going well until I received an email two weeks before the course, telling me that the vetting department was affected by the shutdown and it was unlikely that my application would be processed in time. A few tentative days passed

and the Union Jack. During the meal I noticed one of the Chicago members had brought a taxidermy friend along, affectionately called ‘Woodstock Willie’ her Groundhog. Curious; I asked the obvious question. It turns out that 2nd February is Groundhog Day, which is a slightly quirky American tradition from their agricultural past, marking the halfway point to the Spring Equinox. The groundhog forecasts whether spring will be early or not by

until I received the news that I had been cleared to access the building. I then started to consider what to pack for the trip. The weather forecast for Chicago and Milwaukee anticipated extreme weather, due to a Polar vortex. In the days before my flight, temperatures plummeted to minus 60°C and 1500 flights to Chicago were cancelled. People were told not to go out unless absolutely necessary, as frostbite could set in within five minutes. I started to feel like my trip was doomed. However, as I drove to Heathrow, the temperature warmed slightly and everything was scheduled to depart as planned. After a nine hour flight, I arrived in Chicago and the cold hit me; it was still minus 30°C. Descending over Lake Michigan, I could see it was frozen and looked like a Polar landscape. I had some time to explore Chicago, where

whether they see their own shadow. This year the groundhog did not see his shadow, which predicts an early spring. What was apparent however, was that bringing a stuffed groundhog to a restaurant is not the norm, but it certainly attracted some attention.

POLICE WORLD Vol 64 No.2, 2019

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