Butterflies, Bullets, Bagpipes and Buckets

Within a couple of hours of this post being published, the Met Life Stadium will rock…

Not because of any football game, rock band, or Taylor Swift. It will rock, because the place will be filled with many from throughout New York/New Jersey metropolitan law enforcement community who will be coming to East Rutherford to bid farewell to a law enforcement icon and a different type of “rock star”.  A man on a mission, who has done so much to advance intelligence-led policing, crime gun intelligence, and the culture of police bagpiping across the nation.

Perturbations

In the1960’s, esteemed mathematician and meteorologist, Edward Lorenz, established the theoretical basis for weather forecasting and predictability that is used today to predict storms. The “butterfly effect,” attributed to Lorenz, is a metaphorical example of how weather events – such as hurricanes – are formed. Lorenz described how minor disturbances – classified as perturbations – over time can create a significant weather event.

While Lorenz originally used the fluttering of seagull’s wing to illustrate the agitations in the atmosphere that could result in a storm, the image of a butterfly provided a more whimsical visual example.

The idea of the butterfly effect – wedded to chaos theory – was underpinned by the notion that insignificant happenings in the environment can lead to enormous changes. It has also been used as an allegory to describe how small occurrences in an interconnected world can lead to great changes in systems: small things do matter.

Extrapolating further, the actions of a single person, regardless of how small can in turn lead us to big things in the future.

Paying it Forward

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Joe Brennan of the New Jersey State Police is set to retire on August 1, 2024. Like the thousands of troopers that have come before him, his service time is up, and he will now join the ranks of Former Troopers.

His legacy will be far reaching. Like the flexing and contorting of a butterfly’s wings creates lift and thrust for flight, Joe’s vision and untiring pursuits have led us to major innovations, many of which will continue to provide public safety benefits well into the future.

Joe is the ultimate agent of change. 

As a sergeant, Joe managed the team responsible for crafting the crime analysis for the region known as the Passaic River Corridor. While the region was less than 2% of New Jersey’s real estate, it was responsible for over 55% of the state’s violent crime. Under Joe’s leadership, from sergeant to LTC, the CorrStat initiative expanded to over 70 agencies assembling monthly to share information about crime, terrorism, and public safety issues.

During the pandemic, the platform Joe spearheaded to create – StateStat – was repurposed to share much needed critical information among public safety, law enforcement officers, and first responders. What he created in terms of information sharing practices, not only have showcased the New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center as a model fusion center resulting in him being named the National Fusion Center Association’s Director of the Year in 2022 but have provided a road map for others across the nation to follow.

Joe’s ability to tear down silos and create information-sharing partnerships have been contagious, stimulating those who have followed in his wake.

As a young state police detective assigned to the Irvington Shoot Team, Joe quickly recognized the need for sharing information and intelligence about recidivist shooters, targeted victims, crime guns, the types of bullets used, and hot spot locations. Despite the essential need for a system to aggregate this data, make sense of it, and share it, nothing of the sort existed.

After twenty years of exploring, tinkering, and innovating, Joe has spearheaded the efforts that today have brought the New Jersey law enforcement community a comprehensive info-sharing tool, named CAP5. The system provides analysts, investigators, commanders, technicians, and prosecutors a platform for aggregating, analyzing, and sharing crime gun intelligence. LTC Brennan has travelled the country and overseas sharing his insights regarding those pioneering initiatives aimed at reducing violent crime.

The New Jersey State Police Pipe and Drums of the Blue and Gold has a proud and storied history dedicated to honoring the memory of those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice and performing at events benefitting charitable organizations. As a current member and former Pipe Major, Joe Brennan, has contributed greatly to the rich pride and perseverance of the band dedicated to advancing the art and culture of police bagpiping and the image of professional policing. As a leader in this community, Joe has been seen around the nation donning his kilt playing the sweet sound of the pipes.

Whether as a commander, analyst, trooper, piper or comrade, Joe has left an indelible mark in the great profession of policing. His collaborative nature coupled with his experience and dedication to honor, duty, and fidelity have enabled him to inspire future generations of law enforcement professionals. His accomplishments over the years however small have led to grand innovations to enhance and bolster the law enforcement profession.

Water Buckets and Legacies

In May of 2022, George Belsky wrote a blog post for The RF Factor entitled, Our Legacy’s in the Water Bucket. The gist of the post was to remind us all that we are replaceable, and that the nature of things in any organization is that it will close ranks and keep going forward regardless of when we retire.

As George wrote, come Monday, someone new will occupy “your chair.” He buttressed his point by referencing advice often offered by General Matthew Ridgway.

“When you are beginning to think you’re so important, make a fist and stick your arm into a bucket of water up to your wrist.  When you take it out, the hole you left is the measure of how much you’ll be missed.” 

So why then highlight the accomplishments of LTC Joe Brennan if someone will ultimately fill his seat?

Why?

Because what you do in your “short” career matters if you make it matter.

Joe made it matter. He not only left a legacy of accomplishment, but his career of learning, doing, and leading serves as inspiration for others that will outlast his tenure.

As George Belsky reminds us, each of us can and will be replaced, our organizations will move on, but if you do it right - like “Joe B” - the legacy you leave behind will tighten up the hole left in the proverbial water bucket, and we will be remembered - maybe even missed too.

Surely no one has ever likened Joe, or for that matter any New Jersey State Trooper, to a butterfly, but his “flexing and contorting of his wings” over the years have conjured up great storms that will continue to inspire and influence the law enforcement community well into the future.

Someone once said: “You’ve gotta be a caterpillar before you are a butterfly. Problem is that most people aren’t willing to be a caterpillar.”

Thanks for putting in your time as a caterpillar Joe, so you were able to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!

The result of which has made us all much more intelligence-led when addressing gun crime, and in turn has better equipped us to serve our communities.

Thank you for your service!