Escape inspired former police chief’s interest in meditation

Les Sylven never planned to become a police officer, but when he became a recruit to the RCMP, he knew exactly what kind of officer he wanted to become.

“I wanted to be the kind of police officer who showed up and made things better.”

When Sylven was growing up in Calgary, the police were often called to help his older brother, whose schizophrenia sometimes presented itself as violence: “some police officers would show up and make things better. Some of them would only make things worse.

Later, while working as a correctional officer in a pretrial detention center to support himself while studying psychology at the University of Calgary, Sylven had to see his inmate brother from time to time. in a cell for reasons related to his mental disorder. health.

“Throughout my career, I felt like everyone I came in contact with could be my brother or sister – not some piece of shit or trash – but my brother,” Sylven said.

One night in 1988, during his first year on the job, his approach nearly killed him.

Sylven, who had been posted to Squamish, was invited to visit a friendly, depressed, elderly man living in a trailer – a man who told police he had thought about harming himself.

Sylven treated the man like he was family. “I was a naive new cop in my early 20s,” said the former Central Saanich police chief.

After half an hour of attentively listening to the man talk about his feelings of failure and isolation, Sylven had convinced him to voluntarily get into his police car and was preparing to leave for the hospital when the The man asked for it.

He asked Sylven to go back inside and retrieve his loaded handgun from under his pillow.

At that point, Sylven realized the man had planned to shoot him inside his house, “hoping I would quickly return fire and kill him.”

The incident was a turning point for Sylven, sparking a three-decade journey to find ways to effectively deal with a profession that “operates in the brightest and darkest places of human experience.”

Last week, that journey took another step as Sylven earned a doctorate in leadership studies from the University of Victoria for his research on how meditation and mindfulness influence the leadership practices of Canadian police leaders.

As the 58-year-old father of two adult children received his diploma at Monday’s graduation ceremony, the master of ceremonies noted that Sylven’s research was being “reviewed by police organizations across Canada “.

“He learned that in addition to improving the well-being of police officers, the regular practice of mindfulness could be a catalyst for reform,” the emcee said.

Looking for a healthy coping strategy after that night in 1988, Sylven turned to transcendental meditation and eventually adopted a lifelong meditation practice.

As part of his thesis, Sylven published three research articles, the first providing insight into the meditation practices of practicing police officers across Canada and a final article on the bridges and barriers to implementing meditation programs. meditation in the police force.

In between was an article titled “Conscious Police Leadership: Opening Critical New Paths to 21st Century Police Leadership and Culture.”.”

At its core, transcendental meditation involves focusing your attention on the silent repetition of a sound or mantra. For Sylven’s research, mindfulness is generally defined as a state of consciousness characterized by greater awareness of present experiences and reality.

This practice would improve his job performance, his professional and personal relationships, his leadership style as well as his physical and mental health throughout his 30 years as an RCMP officer, Victoria Police Inspector and Chief of Central Saanich, he said.

That he was interrogating a sexual assault suspect, responding to a domestic violence call, pulling the trigger on a rifle as a sniper, stopping his heart rate from “exploding” as an undercover cop s occupied unstable members of organized crime or directed other officers. during a crisis, Sylven knew how to clear his mind, stabilize his body, and focus on the task at hand.

For his investigation, Sylven sent requests to 605 commissioned officers across Canada in a mass email.

Thirteen agreed to participate in his study and 11 met the inclusion criteria of practicing meditation regularly – at least three times a week for at least three months.

Respondents noted the benefits of meditation, including improved calm and self-control; better clarity and decision-making; better concentration and better conflict resolution; greater compassion and empathy; and reduced stress.

Police officers also reported better personal relationships through meditation, he said.

Although the impact of meditation is well documented in other workplace settings, “until this study, little was known about how these mental practices might benefit police leaders,” Sylven said. , who wants Canadian police leaders to consider incorporating meditation as both a preventive and preventive measure. recovery health care plan for all officers.

Sylven said he is presenting his research to various police leaders and organizations and contributing to a handbook on police leadership that will be released in November.

He then plans to study spirituality as a coping mechanism – how faith helps us get through crises and “make sense” of random events.

The police are faced with many tragic and inexplicable events – like the young family on a leisurely stroll on a sunny weekend hit and killed by a bus, or the drunk driver who rolls a vehicle full of drunk passengers down off a cliff and they all escape unscathed. .

“Policing is one of those professions that often makes you wonder how the universe works,” said Sylven, who still wonders why his life was spared that night in 1988 in Squamish.

Sylven said he looks forward to continuing to investigate and find tools to better prepare police officers.

“I think I’m addicted,” he said. “This research has made me ask more questions and I feel like I will be turning over stones for the rest of my life.”

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