Meet Jason Lehman
Jason Lehman was born and raised in New York City. He began down the wrong path by hanging out with the wrong kind of people, whom his mom quickly recognized as “toxic.”
At the young age of 13, Jason’s mom moved both of them to the Los Angeles suburb community of Glendale, California. As Jason continued to grow, so did his love for the game of football, which would pay huge dividends in his future.
The University of South Florida
Jason excelled at football and, because of this, was awarded a Division 1 Football Scholarship to the University of South Florida. While not on the field, Jason was studying hard toward the degrees he would eventually earn in the subjects of communications and criminology.
Not Fond of The Cops
Looking back on his childhood, Jason had some poor experiences with police officers in New York City. However, he did a summer internship with the Temple Terrace Police Department in Florida. There, he formed a new opinion of police officers as he watched them make a positive difference in people’s lives.
Jason wanted to be part of what these officers were doing, and he began considering law enforcement as his future profession.
A Pivotal Moment For A Police Officer
Jason did in fact go on to become a police officer for the Long Beach Police Department in Southern California. Towards the latter part of his 20-year career, the concept of “Why’d You Stop Me,” was born out of a tragic incident, and the words of a brave teenager.
A Drug Dealer’s Death
Jason became the subject of an investigation involving his deadly use of force on a suspected drug dealer. Though Jason was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, another human lost their life. The irony was both Jason and the dealer were only doing what they knew to do. They did not understand each other or could understand “the other side.”
Powerful Words by A Teenager
After returning to duty, Jason spoke to a group of students at a school about the law enforcement profession. Toward the end of his presentation, a student was in the back of the classroom and had some not-so-pleasant words for Jason. It turned out Jason had arrested the student for possession of a loaded stolen firearm.
Jason had an intimate discussion with the teen in which he learned the teen had planned on hurting Jason. However, because they both took a moment to learn from each other, more tragedies were averted.
The Mission
Jason wants law enforcement officers and community members to understand and embrace the value of wanting to understand each other. Law enforcement officers must understand where people are “coming from” regarding their perceptions and what they hear and see when encountering officers.
On the community’s side, Jason wants people to understand what the police officer on the street hears and sees when speaking or dealing with the people they serve. Regardless of the personal feelings anyone holds for the police and vice-versa, success can be had if both sides come to the table to understand one another. Most importantly, everyone learns to challenge their bias.
It takes training to control ego, balance energy, and see the value in truly operating from a place of increased empathy and vulnerability (without jeopardizing safety). When we focus on the root cause of conflict, we see a reduction in conflict, and ultimately, we see safer police and community contacts. It’s simple for us to preach “equity” in police and public interactions, but it’s not easy.
It becomes easier when we know how to explain fairness and when we operate from a place of “desire” over “duty.”
Our belief systems have either improved future relationships or broken down our ability to build affinity with one another. What we see, hear, and learn over time leads us to understand better the “root cause” of police and community violence.
Whether you are a law enforcement officer or a community member, everyone has struggled to learn the “real” value that those who think, act, and operate differently have.
When we begin to seek to understand those we don’t “like,” we come from a place of curiosity, where leaders act as strategic communicators who desire to take their actions from “duty” (where we follow policy) to “desire” (where we care for all community members as “family” and as “partners”).
The Mission
Jason wants law enforcement officers and community members to understand and embrace the value of wanting to understand each other. Law enforcement officers must understand where people are “coming from” regarding their perceptions and what they hear and see when encountering officers.
On the community’s side, Jason wants people to understand what the police officer on the street hears and sees when speaking or dealing with the people they serve. Regardless of the personal feelings anyone holds for the police and vice-versa, success can be had if both sides come to the table to understand one another. Most importantly, everyone learns to challenge their bias.
It takes training to control ego, balance energy, and see the value in truly operating from a place of increased empathy and vulnerability (without jeopardizing safety). When we focus on the root cause of conflict, we see a reduction in conflict, and ultimately, we see safer police and community contacts. It’s simple for us to preach “equity” in police and public interactions, but it’s not easy.
It becomes easier when we know how to explain fairness and when we operate from a place of “desire” over “duty.”
Our belief systems have either improved future relationships or broken down our ability to build affinity with one another. What we see, hear, and learn over time leads us to understand better the “root cause” of police and community violence.
Whether you are a law enforcement officer or a community member, everyone has struggled to learn the “real” value that those who think, act, and operate differently have.
When we begin to seek to understand those we don’t “like,” we come from a place of curiosity, where leaders act as strategic communicators who desire to take their actions from “duty” (where we follow policy) to “desire” (where we care for all community members as “family” and as “partners”).
It took a serious suspension for me to realize that ethical policing is vital for all of our safety.”
The Movement
The Assistant Principal in the classroom I spoke at(my old college football teammate) explained why we need empowerment training to change behaviors. He said: “You just ensured a police officer won‘t kill these kids and they won‘t ever hurt or kill a police officer!”
This was the foundation for my naming the program “Why‘d You Stop Me?” (WYSM). WYSM teaches community members how to cooperate with authority systems and report misconduct.
A Non-Profit Begins
After providing brief training to youth in Long Beach for two years, I founded a nonprofit to meet the need for training in the community. I earned the trust of local leaders from 2012–2014, enabling them to form our first Board of Directors. These included a pastor, police chief, attorney, psychologist, and school principal.
In 2014, WYSM became a nonprofit endorsed by the National Fraternal Order of Police and the NAACP.
WYSM is Endorsed by
Our Core Beliefs
I couldn‘t find a training system that explained why it was essential to improve law enforcement and community cooperation. I was disregarding the impact of my actions on future encounters with law enforcement and not considering the collective benefit of treating people respectfully. I founded WYSM to focus on the root causes of police and community violence and conflict.
Proximate causes of force usually involve a failure to comply with orders, warnings, etc., resulting in the need to take control. Reports often have statements such as…
Jason’s Promise
Jason and his team of master instructors promise to offer exemplary training courses that will provide opportunities for enhanced communication techniques, intellectual growth, improved morale, increased wellness, and endless opportunities for daily growth as leaders of departments and leaders in the community.
