I first heard of Chief Jim Band as some of you did, through a video posted to the CrossFit Journal website. You can check out the article here and the video here.
This was long before this podcast was even a shimmer in my eye, but even then I thought that I’d hope that someday I’d have a reason to have a conversation with Chief Band. He just seemed like a genuine, caring leader and someone I could learn from.
Well, then I start my very own podcast and lo and behold, I know have an excuse to get some of these people to talk to me! Chief Band was one of those – and he was a recommended guest by many of you too – so I knew I had to pick this guy’s brain.
Chief Band is also Coach Band. His department, Oregon City PD (in Oregon, duh!) has a CrossFit Affiliate, CrossFit 1850, inside their headquarters. He has, among other things, his L1 and L2 certificates and he programs a weekly workout for the CrossFit classes. You’re more likely to see the chief at the squat rack then in his office – and that’s always a good thing!
It’s easy to say that a leader should “lead from the front” but it’s harder to actually put that into practice. When it comes to the health and wellness of his employees, Chief Band is truly leading the fight against the maladies that afflict law enforcement and he’s setting the example. It’s hard to make excuses when the top cop is sweating out the burpees next to you.
We also talk about the experience of losing an officer in the line of duty in 2013, when he was a new chief. It’s really interesting to get his perspective on that event, and how he had to fortify his own strength to serve the rest of his organization.
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This episode of The Squad Room is sponsored by SB Tactical and the iCombat Training System. The iCombat system is an active shooter response training system that replaces SIMS and other types of training that require site prep, special protective gear and compromised training environments. Check them out at SBtactical.com.
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