The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Jay F. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Interview with William Armstrong
Interviewing a local leader is an amazing opportunity for both the interviewer and the one being interviewed. The interviewer has the chance to have his questions answered concerning the position the leader serves in, while the leader is able to re-examine whether or not he is making the kind of difference in the community that he should be. However, before you attend your interview, you need to make sure that you are prepared for it. This way you do not appear to be an irresponsible kid, but a conscientious young adult who is ready to interview this individual who was kind enough to set aside time in their busy schedule to meet with you. I’m glad that I remembered these things when I went to my first interview with William Armstrong, the Police Chief of Lathrup Village. I had the questions and, thankfully, the Chief had the answers.
I started by asking him about his career, including how he started out, how he became police chief, what a typical day looked like for the police department, and other things that I felt would help me glimpse the "man behind the badge." When asked, Chief Armstrong told me that his job was "to lead the police department in a direction that the city administration would view as providing proper safety for the public." He told me what a typical work day looked like for Him, including everything from collecting the mail to keeping a log for the next shift of officers, paying the bills, and, if time permits, going out on patrol. His experience included eighteen years of service as an officer, after which he felt he had the necessary training and leadership experience to apply for the position of police chief. When asked what motivated him to become Chief, he said "I felt that I could lead the department in a direction that would be beneficial to the city." He saw being Chief of Police as a good opportunity to pursue this goal. Chief Armstrong said that in order to serve as police chief, you should have experience in not only law enforcement, but also in public administration as well as finance. He believes that these areas are key to the police chief’s role, and should therefore be explored. When asked about what some of the greatest rewards of his job were, he said that he was satisfied to be in the position "to help and defend others because they are very often unable to so." When asked about some of the greatest challenges that his job offered, he said that, because of the economic state of the nation, he often found himself trying to stretch the department’s resources to ensure that everything continued to run smoothly, despite the financial challenges they faced.
Chief Armstrong is a member of the Lutheran denomination, and when asked what role his faith played in his career, he openly stated that it is the reason he wants to help others, to treat them the way he wants to be treated.
Chief Armstrong answered each of my questions in a way that I really appreciated. Instead of simply giving me a long speech about how staying in school and avoiding drugs was the key to his success, he told me that it’s who you are on the inside that really makes the difference. I learned that the most effective law officers are those who not only do things "by the book," but those that have a genuine desire to serve the community. Hearing the Chief say these things helped reassure me that he was capable of leading our law officers in the right direction. I proceeded to ask him several more questions, all of which he answered directly, and when my interview was over, I left knowing that it had been a success.
Meeting with Chief Armstrong was an experience that I am privileged to have had. I was not only able to fulfill one of my requirements, which was also nice, but I was able to meet a man who seems to genuinely care about the community he serves. Chief Armstrong reminded me that what you do on the outside is a clear reflection of who you are on the inside, something I pray all Americans will one day realize.
