In
a crime-fighting age darkened by terrorism and cultural rage, Connie
Patrick is a tough-minded optimist who oversees the nation’s largest law
enforcement training program with her faith in God and humanity intact.
A
veteran of almost three decades in law enforcement, she says Americans
must face today’s criminal, terrorist and biological threats with
prayer, preparation and courage. The worst thing people can do, she
says, is live in fear.
“Fear
and faith are opposites,” says Patrick, a United Methodist who says her
faith has prepared her for her task as director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, headquartered near Brunswick, Ga.
“Terrorists
win if you create fear in people’s minds. But faith helps eliminate or
alleviate fear. It’s important for citizens to hold onto their faith in
God, faith in democracy, government and humanity—and to teach those
values to their children. All of that contributes to combating
terrorism.”
Increased
incidents of terrorism—peaking with 9/11 in 2001 and including
subsequent high-profile strikes in Russia, Spain, Indonesia, Iraq and
most recently London—contribute to a sense of hopelessness and
instability in the world. But Patrick offers up a message of hope,
composure, purpose and preparedness when discussing today’s real-world
challenges to national security and law enforcement.
“You
have to stay calm,” she says of her sweeping responsibilities under the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “When you get worried or nervous
or upset, your brain shuts down. That doesn’t help anything.”
Patrick
knows about the power of fear. She saw it firsthand while working with
the public as a uniformed deputy when she began her career in 1976 with
the Sheriff’s Department in Brevard County, Fla.,
including a stint as a homicide detective. She has also experienced it
as a special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement from
1981 to 1996, dealing with criminal elements ranging from drug
traffickers to organized crime.
“Fear
is paralyzing,” she says. “It’s destructive. You can’t quit doing
things because you’re afraid of crime or terrorism. You can’t quit
sending your kids to school, or working, or traveling. Life must go on.
If it doesn’t, then evil wins. The more prepared people are mentally,
physically and spiritually, the more they can put fear into context and
deal with these issues in a healthy emotional way.”
|
Courtesy of Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Instructors
present the latest law enforcement techniques at the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center, headquartered near Brunswick, Ga., the
nation's largest law enforcement training program.
|
Instructors
present the latest law enforcement techniques at the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center, headquartered near Brunswick, Ga., the
nation's largest law enforcement training program. Director Connie
Patrick says many classes have been added since 9/11 to teach
anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism strategies. Patrick, who is a
United Methodist, oversees the program that includes four domestic and
two international training sites. Photo courtesy of the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center. Photo courtesy of the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center. Photo #05651. Accompanies UMNS story #543.
9/28/05 |
She
believes citizen preparation and awareness are critical for fighting
the elements of crime, terrorism and fear. “It’s important to always
have a plan,” says Patrick, citing measures as simple as
designating a family meeting spot outside of the home or neighborhood in
the event of a disaster. “The more people know and the more contingency
planning they do, the more they are in control. There are certainly
things we can’t control, and those we shouldn’t worry about. But the
issues we can control, I encourage people to make preparations.”
Those
who know Patrick describe her as a strong leader with solid law
enforcement credentials, great people skills and a vibrant Christian
faith.
“Connie is a classic servant leader,” says the Rev. Tim Steffen, her pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church in Frederica, Ga.
“I’ve been in her world and watched her relating to everybody from Vice
President (Dick) Cheney to students at the training center. She treats
them all with the same respect and appreciation.”
Merle Manzi worked beside Patrick as a special agent in Florida and calls her “a really good cop” who has “earned what she has.”
“Connie
doesn’t try to witness or preach to people. She’s the embodiment of the
Golden Rule working in an environment that has its rough edges. She
just lives out her faith,” says Manzi.
Despite
a career centered on fighting crime and preparing for worst-case
scenarios, Patrick says faith in God helps her maintain a healthy
balance and optimism.
“Being
in law enforcement, you constantly size up situations and look for
things that don’t’ seem right,” she says. “But early on, I made a
conscious decision that I wouldn’t let the work make me negative or
suspicious-minded. And within the law enforcement network, I also
noticed that the ones who were optimistic and happy tended to have a
Christian foundation.…
“I
try to put God first, my family second, and my job third,” says
Patrick, 49, who with her husband, John, has a blended family of four
children and one grandchild. “When I get that out of sequence, I notice
that my life just doesn’t work as well. Making decisions based on this
trilogy seems to help me keep perspective.”
*Aldrich is a freelance journalist in Franklin, Tenn.
News media contact: Matt Carlisle, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5153 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
This feature was developed by UMC.org, the official online ministry of The United Methodist Church.