Chief Thomas Walsh: R2R Training is a Must-Attend for All Officers
/Feature Interview: Chief Thomas Walsh’s R2R Training is a must-attend for all officers
By George Beck, Ph.D.
Chief Thomas Walsh’s course “Rookie to Retirement” (R2R) is a must-attend for all officers. Attendees of R2R will experience an in-depth look at what they should be doing in order to avoid the pitfalls associated with losing the job and steps they should be taking to not just reach the finish line of retirement, but achieve a fulfilling life after your career.
We recently spoke with Chief Walsh about his R2R course, as well as his law enforcement career and tips for officer success on the job and in retirement. Chief Walsh is an energetic, motivated and very talented instructor who helps many officers understand the importance of planning for retirement, avoiding professional issues, and living their best life. Chief Walsh’s class, hosted by the wildly popular Street Cop Training, is scheduled for June 13, 2022 in Deptford, New Jersey. For more information head over to Streetcoptraining.com or you can email Chief Walsh directly at tomwalsh@streetcoptraining.
What was the impetus for developing the Rookie to Retirement class?
I started my full-time law enforcement career on Christmas Eve in 1996. As I was waiting for briefing to start for my very first shift, a salty old sergeant looked at me and snapped a Polaroid picture of me sitting in a chair in the squad room. He shook the photo to expedite the processing, then looked at it and threw it at me. He said to me, “Hold onto that photo, sport, and look back on it when you are about to retire, you’re going to be surprised how quick 25 years goes by.” That sergeant was correct.
Twenty-five years went by really fast. I spent the next three or four years with that sergeant and other than that advice, he didn’t give me much more advice or wisdom that could have helped me navigate this career. As I was cleaning out my desk during my last few days at the agency, I came across that photograph. I looked at the picture of myself and though to myself, “What would I say to the me in that picture now? If I had eight hours to talk with that 23-year-old kid on his first day, what wisdom would I impart to him to help ensure that he would make it to the end, not get jammed up, keep his marriage intact, not burn professional bridges, live a longer life, retire on his terms when the time comes, set himself up financially and so much more.” That is really the impetus for the course. A culmination of personal life lessons coupled with advice provided to me along the way by some great mentors.
The class covers getting to the finish line of this career and getting to retirement. Does the class cover on-duty and off-duty behavior that gets officers jammed up?
Absolutely. And, why wouldn’t it? When I start to go over the importance of proper on duty and off duty behavior, I sometimes see the occasional eye roll from a student. But, it is so critically important to go over the behaviors that I have repeatedly seen end officers’ careers. All too often, these were so preventable. I use funny stories and real-life scenarios that hit home for the students as a wake up call to get their behavior in check.
Do you go over state specific retirement figures?
Yes, 100%. During a certain segment of the course, I cover the state-specific retirement system for the state where I am teaching. Since I am from Jersey, I am well-versed in the PFRS system. I lay out the numbers and figures line by line when contemplating retirement and I show the students exactly what a take-home retirement check looks like as opposed to being employed. It’s really a powerful and mind-blowing portion of the class. The rumble in the audience when I layout that if I remained working, I would be essentially going to work for $2.78/hr is always very satisfying for me.
- The age of retirement for a chief in NJ may be changed to 67. This suggests that many chiefs stick around a long time and want to be around longer. How difficult was it for you decide to retire?
It wasn't a very difficult decision for me. When I ran the numbers, financially it was a "no-brainer." I lay the financial piece all out in the class, line-by-line. When you see the pension payment laid out in black and white, it is hard to justify staying. So, from a financial aspect, the decision was very easy. The pension system, coupled with two outside investment vehicles for a majority of my career, made that the easiest part of the decision-making process. The hardest part was just coming to terms with the change itself. I discuss this in the class as well. Adjusting to change in general, leaving behind a 25-year career doing something you love, walking away from working day-in and day-out with some of the greatest friends and colleagues a guy could ask for; this was the most difficult part of leaving the job.
- Officers who stay beyond 25 years are potentially risking getting jammed up, why do they take this risk?
There are a multitude of reasons why so many officers take this risk and do not retire when eligible. And, it is a huge risk. As you say, they are potentially risking their pension or more if they get jammed up or if someone under their command gets jammed up. While some of the reasons are valid (an impending promotion) many of the reasons are excuses, invalid and completely avoidable. If the officer took the time to prepare for retirement at a very early point in their career and continually evaluated those plans, retirement would have probably been a much easier decision and transition. That's why it is so important for me to get all the course content from R2R to younger officers.
- What is the best advice to avoid what I call the “police identity crisis” where an officer’s identity is defined by their profession?
We see this all too often, and it is one of the biggest contributors to officers having a hard time adjusting in retirement, or having a hard time to even make the decision to "pull the plug." I use a short movie clip in my class from An Officer and a Gentleman where Richard Gere breaks down when the USMC Drill Instructor tells him that he is going to kick him out of US Navy Flight School Boot Camp, and he screams "I got nowhere else to go." So many officers feel like that at the end of a career. They have let the job consume them and they literally have nothing else. My advice is to maintain your friendships outside law enforcement, do not only socialize with police officers outside work, cultivate hobbies, and realize as soon as you can that one day, this job will come to an end and a new chapter will begin.
- What’s your take on officers using retirement countdown clocks to track the months, days, hours, minutes until they are eligible to retire? I often tell officers to be careful with these apps because they are counting down the days of their lives and now’s the time to live and enjoy. Waiting for retirement to come to start enjoying life is a sad mindset in my humble opinion.
Wow! I feel like you have already taken the course. This is another topic discussed in the class. I installed one of those apps on my phone about two months out from my retirement date. I solely did it as a joke so that when someone asked me how long I had left, I could look at it and respond, "Five days, two hours and fifty some-odd minutes.” While I did this for entertainment purposes more than anything else, I know officers who have those countdown apps on their phones two weeks out of the academy. I just find that terribly sad. If a career is so bad that you need to count down the days like a prison sentence, then that is exactly how it will feel ... like a prison sentence. Time is the most valuable commodity that we have. Life is short; it shouldn't be spent wishing it away. This career has provided me some of the best experiences in my life, officers should embrace the opportunity to live life in the moment and enjoy the ride.
-You mentioned keeping your marriage intact while surviving a 25-year career in policing, what are some tips for this?
I'm not a marriage counselor or relationship expert, so I don't feel qualified to give out too much advice on this topic. This career really has the propensity to take a toll on relationships. This includes all relationships including; personal, professional and marital. I don't think there is any easy fix or simple words of advice that would ensure anyone makes a whole career with their marriage intact. I think it really says something about the spouse of a police officer, if the marriage is still together. I guess that would be my one piece of advice; make sure that your potential spouse has a very clear understanding of what they are getting into. Your partner needs to fully understand all that comes with this job such as the added stress, the tolls associated with shift work, the late-night callouts, the overtime and working weekends and holidays. All of that takes a toll on a relationship and a family. My advice would be to have that discussion with a potential life partner before marriage, or to discuss it at length before taking on this career if you are already in a committed relationship.
- How marketable are officers in the private sector post-retirement from law enforcement?
This is a critical component of the course. It is so important that officers realize that they are extremely marketable in the private sector after retirement. Whether you want to work part-time or full-time in retirement, a retired police officer is seen as a desirable candidate to employers. Being groomed in a quasi-military organization where showing up on time, handling tasks, following directions and adhering to uniform policies, make police officers great employees in any field. Whether it is a part-time job stocking shelves in a hardware store, to being the head of a private security division of a Fortune 500 company, these qualities that are ingrained in us as police officers put us ahead of the competition when it comes to other candidates.
A lot of times, officers don't think they have a lot to offer in retirement because they didn't achieve a high enough rank, worked in a smaller agency or didn't get any specialized training. I am here to tell you that just fulfilling a career in law enforcement is a huge resume builder that puts you on an employer's radar. Additionally, the younger you are, the more marketable you are to an employer. The ability to retire in your late 40s or 50s is a blessing for those that want to retire from the law enforcement field, but transition into the private sector.
- Can you offer some advice for success in retirement so officers can ease concerns about only being underemployed or in a job they may consider menial?
Start thinking about something you can do in retirement that you will enjoy. For some people, working as a tow truck driver, or security guard may be exactly what they are looking for. Start thinking about what is most important to you; flexibility, time off, working for yourself, working outdoors, etc. Start thinking about what you really like to do and think about crafting a new chapter around that. I know officers that are working in the private sector making a good living off of their hobbies. Training dogs, maintaining fish tanks, interior decoration, selling homes, handyman services, there are a lot of retired people making great money which is supplementing or surpassing their pension payments. No matter how far away you are from retirement, start thinking about it.
- As a chief of police, what was your greatest responsibility to the men and women who worked for you?
I think a lot of chiefs get a bad rap. I have been a patrolman. I have been a supervisor. I have been an administrator. I have been a union delegate. I have seen this profession from many perspectives. While it is easy for others in the agency to criticize the administrative leader of an organization, the position comes with a great deal of responsibility. I felt an overwhelming amount of responsibility to care for all my fellow officers. This included a vested interest in their professional development as an individual, as well as their personal development both in and outside the workplace. Of course, keeping your officers safe is of paramount importance with proper training and equipment, but for real, empathetic leaders, it doesn't just stop there. Looking out for their mental well being, helping them through tough times and getting them the help and giving them the support they needed was always on my mind.
- What’s your greatest regret during your police career?
One of my biggest regrets as chief of police, and I discuss this in the class, was my decision to wear a white uniform shirt for my official agency photograph. While that seems like such a small and insignificant issue, it is a big regret of mine. I joke about it in the class and say that I regretted ever wearing a white uniform shirt because a white shirt adds 15 pounds, and because whenever I wore it I inevitably would spill Italian food or Chinese food all over it. But, the truth of the matter is that I felt like a white uniform shirt separated me too much from my fellow officers. I enjoyed working the road. While the administrative positions provided new challenges for me, I truly missed the real police work in the trenches. I hardly ever wore a white shirt, and most of my officers wouldn't even recognize me in one. For that reason, I regret that I am immortalized in a photograph that still hangs in my agency with me wearing a white uniform shirt. If I could do it all over again, I would have bucked the trend and worn a blue uniform shirt in that photo.
