Sylvia Moir, Tempe, Arizona, Police Chief
Chief Sylvia Moir of the Tempe Police Department discusses how her mindfulness practice aids her in high-stress police calls and leadership. She shares how meditation builds resilience, enhances fair policing, and fosters whole-person development among officers.
Deep Dive Analysis
18 Topic Outline
Chief Moir's Introduction to Meditation
Overcoming Initial Skepticism Towards Meditation
The Liberating Power of Non-Judgmental Awareness
Gratitude as a Deeper Practice for Resilience
Mindfulness for Police Officers: Enhancing Performance and Connection
Applying Mindfulness as a Police Executive
The Philosophy of Developing the Whole Person in Policing
Chief Moir's Personal Meditation Practice
The Current Era: Best Time to Be a Police Officer
How Mindfulness Helps Officers in Specific Ways
Mindfulness for Bridging Police-Community Tensions
Common Obstacles to Starting a Meditation Practice
Embracing Feminine Traits in Leadership
Meditation as an Equipment-Free Liberation
Applying Mindfulness in High-Stakes Situations Like Oral Boards
Compassion for Self vs. Others in Practice
The Concept of 'Selfishness' and Service to Others
Challenging the 'Work Harder' Mentality in Policing
5 Key Concepts
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is defined as awareness and nonjudgmental attention to the evolving experience one is having. It gives permission to acknowledge distractions, thank them, and peacefully return to the present moment, rather than fighting against thoughts or external stimuli.
Corrosive Drip of Policing
This concept describes the cumulative negative effect of each stressful event police officers experience. It highlights the need for practices like gratitude and resilience-building to counteract the ongoing suffering and maintain an open heart in the profession.
Developing the Whole Person
This philosophy in policing goes beyond just professional skill development to include the growth of an individual's heart and mind. It encourages officers to be authentic and bring their entire selves, including spiritual and emotional aspects, to their role, fostering a culture of acceptance rather than assimilation.
Withdrawal and Return
This historical pattern observed in great change-makers involves periods of introspection and self-work, followed by a return to engagement with the world. This rhythm is crucial for building capacity and effectiveness, preventing burnout, and allowing for more impactful action.
Tap Out Unplug Time
This initiative within the Tempe Police Department's command staff encourages executives to disengage from constant connectivity and take time for personal care. It aims to counteract the culture of 24/7 availability and foster a shared understanding of the benefits of rejuvenation.
8 Questions Answered
Chief Moir was introduced to meditation while a student at the Naval Postgraduate School and a chief of police in the San Francisco Bay Area, after reading an article by Lieutenant Richard Geerling about mindfulness practices in the military and private sector.
She initially thought meditation meant ceasing to think and found it to be a 'crunchy granola thing,' believing her 'fidgety skeptic' nature and constant internal activity would prevent her from ever being able to do it.
As an executive, she uses mindfulness in static environments, such as meetings with angry or distressed people, to listen, engage with practices, and manage her own triggers, rather than for tactical enhancement in the field.
This philosophy argues for developing officers beyond just their professional skills, encompassing their heart and mind, and creating an inclusive culture where individuals are welcome to be their authentic selves, including their spiritual and personal aspects, without having to assimilate.
Meditation helps officers by increasing their awareness and cognition, allowing them to calm down and see their environment differently for operational and tactical benefits, and by building resilience against the acute, chronic, and cumulative stress of policing, preventing them from closing off their hearts and souls.
Yes, Chief Moir believes mindfulness shows promise by helping officers be present, avoid reacting to triggers, enhance compassion, and see others' perspectives, which can lead to broader applications in fair and impartial policing practices and improved community engagement.
Common obstacles include the belief that one cannot clear their mind, the perception of not having enough time, concerns about looking 'weird' or being made fun of, and the fear of losing one's 'edge' or becoming soft.
Drawing from Eastern thought, she defines a positive form of 'selfishness' as doing for oneself so that one can be of greater service to others, allowing for personal rejuvenation that enhances one's capacity to help.
23 Actionable Insights
1. Acknowledge Distractions, Return Peacefully
When meditating or in daily life, acknowledge distractions without judgment, say ’thank you’ to them as an act of gratitude, and gently return your attention. This fosters a friendly inner climate and enhances concentration.
2. Practice Gratitude for Resilience
Actively practice gratitude, even for difficult experiences or people who evoke anger, as this builds resilience, helps find meaning in suffering, and fosters an open heart, preventing you from fighting against difficult realities.
3. Self-Care for Greater Service
Reframe self-care (e.g., meditation) not as selfish in the negative sense, but as ‘doing for self so I can be of greater service to others,’ enhancing your capacity to help and support those around you.
4. Adopt Withdrawal & Return Rhythm
Regularly take time for self-reflection and personal work (‘withdrawal’) to build capacity and avoid burnout, which then allows you to be more effective and engaged when you re-enter the world (‘return’).
5. Process Emotions, Don’t Suppress
Instead of suppressing emotions or using external means to numb them after difficult experiences, practice observing them clearly through mindfulness to process them effectively and prevent them from controlling you.
6. Model Authentic Leadership
As a leader, implicitly teach and influence others by consistently embodying and modeling the practices and values you advocate through your demeanor, body language, and authentic self, as this is often the most impactful form of teaching.
7. Develop the Whole Person
Foster an environment that supports the development of the ‘whole person’ (heart and mind), encouraging individuals to respond thoughtfully rather than react, and to be authentic without needing to assimilate or hide parts of themselves.
8. Mindfulness for Tactical Clarity
Use mindfulness to calm down, increase cognitive ability, and enhance awareness in high-stress situations, thereby improving tactical soundness and overall performance.
9. Compassionate Community Engagement
Apply mindfulness to remain present, avoid reacting to triggers, and cultivate compassion and understanding for others’ perspectives, especially in tense community interactions, to bridge divides.
10. Master Meditation as a Skill
Approach meditation as a skill to be practiced and mastered, adapting the tools to fit your personal and professional needs, rather than adhering to a rigid ideal or feeling you must achieve perfection immediately.
11. Integrate Short Meditation Breaks
Incorporate short ’tune-up’ meditation breaks (1-10 minutes) into your busy day, such as by closing your office door or using a guided app, to maintain clarity and focus.
12. Overcome Meditation Obstacles
Challenge perceived obstacles to meditation by finding short pockets of time (1-5 minutes) throughout your day (e.g., before bed, before entering a building) and by refuting the notion that it makes you ‘weird’ or ’lose your edge.’
13. Fluid Leadership: Compassion & Courage
Embrace a fluid approach to leadership by integrating traditionally ‘feminine’ traits like compassion and emotional strength with ‘masculine’ traits like courage, allowing for authenticity and responsiveness to individual needs.
14. Remember Your Professional ‘Why’
Use mindfulness to reconnect with the original purpose and ‘why’ you entered your profession, helping you stay true to your noble endeavor and return to a place of gratitude, especially when facing challenges.
15. Avoid ‘Bear Down Harder’ Mentality
Resist the urge to ‘bear down harder’ when facing challenges; instead, recognize that taking breaks or stepping back can lead to greater productivity and fresh perspectives, rather than deepening negative feedback loops.
16. Institute ‘Tap Out Unplug Time’
Encourage yourself and your team to institute ’tap out unplug time’ to disengage from constant connectivity for self-care, fostering a shared understanding that others can cover responsibilities.
17. Breathe for Clarity and Presence
Utilize breathing techniques, like ‘combat breathing,’ to calm yourself, achieve clarity, and be fully present in high-stress professional or athletic environments.
18. Shift ‘70 Percenter’ Culture
Challenge and shift organizational cultures that equate constant presence with dedication (‘70 percenter’ mentality) by building trust and demonstrating that self-care and disengagement are genuinely supported and valued.
19. Embrace Moment’s Completeness
Cultivate an awareness that each moment is inherently complete and satisfying, and challenge the idea that something is ‘wrong’ with the present moment, which often creates unnecessary problems.
20. Investigate New Practices Systematically
When exploring new practices, inquire, connect with experts, dive into the science, and then become a practitioner, focusing on potential benefits beyond personal preconceived notions.
21. Practice Self-Compassion
Extend the same compassion and understanding to yourself that you offer to others, recognizing that everyone, including yourself, has moments of struggle and imperfection.
22. Mindfulness in High-Stakes Meetings
In high-stakes meetings, especially when dealing with angry or suffering individuals, use mindfulness to remain engaged, listen effectively, and manage personal triggers, being aware that others observe your micro-cues.
23. Pronounce Tempe Correctly
If referring to Tempe, Arizona, pronounce it ‘Tem-pee’ rather than ‘Tem-pay,’ as it is the correct local pronunciation.
7 Key Quotes
Mindfulness is awareness and this nonjudgmental attention to the kind of evolving experience that we're having.
Chief Sylvia Moir
We view our responsibility, our duty in this call as we are guardians always and warriors when we need to be.
Chief Sylvia Moir
I offer that it makes us more tactically sound.
Chief Sylvia Moir
It's medicate or meditate.
Chief Sylvia Moir
One doesn't have to give up compassion to be courageous. One doesn't give up one to achieve the other.
Chief Sylvia Moir
But meditation really offers you this equipment free liberation, this equipment free kind of practice that enriches your life.
Chief Sylvia Moir
To do for self so I can be of greater service to others.
Chief Sylvia Moir
1 Protocols
Chief Moir's Personal Meditation Practice
Chief Sylvia Moir- Run in the early morning to get juices flowing.
- Sit in a chair (cannot do cross-legged position).
- Follow a guided meditation app.
- Give permission for distractions, acknowledging them with 'thank you'.
- Peacefully return attention to the unfolding experience.
- Center the practice around an expression of gratitude for health, clarity, and the position held.