wfn.org | UMNS# 543-Law enforcement leader fights crime with faith, preparation

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Law enforcement leader fights crime with faith, preparation

Sep. 28, 2005

NOTE: Photographs are available with this report at www.UMC.org.

A UMC.org Feature
By Marta W. Aldrich*

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."

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 steps 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.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org