In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought anxiety and fear to communities across the globe. It was a year that many of us will remember for the rest of our lives. In the law enforcement community, the impact of the George Floyd incident and the resulting demonstrations and riots across the country added a layer of anxiety and demoralization to police officers already plagued by the effects of the pandemic. By the summer of 2020, I observed an alarming increase in the suffering of many peace officers across the country.

Because of the turmoil in 2020, my—academically formal—journey as a communication scholar began. I asked myself how I could help bridge the growing divide between law enforcement and some in the community. I have a deep connection to the law enforcement community, especially in the state of Washington. I am a law enforcement instructor who provides basic and advanced training in a broad range of disciplines in my organization. I am responsible for researching, developing, and presenting the training curriculum. My experience as an instructor has given me a deep insight into the morale within law enforcement. Furthermore, I am aware of the challenges many peace officers face—both on-duty and off-duty—that impact their overall wellness and their ability to serve their communities.

To improve my ability to serve, I applied to the master’s in Communications and Leadership (COML) program at Gonzaga University. Additionally, I envisioned an entrepreneurial journey that might offer the support and mentorship I am convinced the officers desperately need to not only survive these challenging times but also to thrive. Thriving officers are more capable of effectively serving those who need them most.

To better understand my pursuit, I will reflect on how I got here. The courageous acts of first responders during the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States inspired me to be a police officer because I want to help others. In 2008, I began the process of becoming a peace officer in the state of Washington to serve my community and honor those who have served before me.

While serving as an instructor for my organization, I discovered a profound passion for teaching and instructing within the law enforcement field. My first experience as a full-time instructor occurred at the Washington State Criminal Justice Commission (WSCJTC), where I was the primary traffic instructor and served as a TAC (teacher, administrator, and counselor) officer for multiple Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) classes. I expanded my expertise into other fields with particular interest in crisis intervention so I could serve as a crisis negotiator. During this time, I felt a tremendous responsibility for the recruits that WSCJTC entrusted me to teach and mentor. I realized that I could better serve my community by helping police officers improve their wellness, especially in their off-duty lives.

The culmination of my experience as a peace officer training new police recruits and providing advanced training to officers made me want to better serve my organization by pursuing the Strategic and Organizational Communication concentration in the COML program.

And to advance my entrepreneurial vision and passion project of improving off-duty officer wellness, I expanded my expertise and skills by adding a second concentration to my COML journey—Digital Media Strategies. Boukabou Solutions seeks to provide formal and informal mentoring, training, and consulting services aimed at improving officers’ off-duty wellness so that they may serve more effectively while on-duty. The lessons and experiences gained from the Digital Media Strategies concentration will enhance my ability to provide these services in modern mediums (i.e., blogs, podcasts, online videos).

I hope to leave a legacy that shows I served my community by making a positive and meaningful difference in as many officers’ lives as possible. I am convinced this will impact those officers’ ability to better serve their communities.

The COML journey has revealed to me the importance of storytelling and how to listen to the stories others tell to better understand them. Leadership requires effective communication. Effective communication requires effective storytelling and listening.

The cross section of my experience, expertise, and interest allows me to serve my community more effectively by becoming a better storyteller and listener. The COML program continues to improve my communication abilities and skills, which will be instrumental as I work to better serve my community by improving the off-duty wellness and resilience of law enforcement officers as an instructor in my organization and as an entrepreneur.

- Karim

Chief Consultant, Boukabou Solutions

Personal Essay

Boukabou Solutions