Former Central Saanich police chief Les Sylven earned his doctorate at UVic based on his research into meditation, which he began shortly after being the target of a murder-suicide plot during his first year as a police officer.
Les Sylvain never planned on becoming a police officer, but when he became a rookie officer with the RCMP, he knew exactly what kind of officer he wanted to be.
“I wanted to be a police officer who would go out there and make a difference.”
When Sylvain was growing up in Calgary, his brother’s schizophrenia would sometimes manifest itself violently, and police were frequently called to help. “Some officers would come in and make the situation better, but some would make it worse.”
Sylvain later studied psychology at the University of Calgary while working as a corrections officer to make a living, and would occasionally see his brother held in solitary confinement for mental health reasons.
“Throughout my career, I’ve felt like every person I’ve come into contact with was my brother or sister. Not trash or garbage, but like a brother,” Sylven said.
One night in 1988, during his first year on the job, he was nearly killed because of his tactics.
Sylven, who was assigned to Squamish, was asked to check on a depressed but personable older man living in a mobile home who told police he had considered harming himself.
Sylven treated the man like he was a family member. “I was a naive rookie cop in my early 20s,” said the former Central Saanich police chief.
After listening intently for about 30 minutes to the man talking about his failure and feelings of loneliness, Sylvain persuaded him to voluntarily get into the police car and, as they were about to head to the hospital, the man made a request.
He asked Sylvain to go back into the house and retrieve a loaded handgun from under his pillow.
At that point, Sylven realized the man was planning to shoot him inside the home, “believing that I would shoot right back and kill him.”
The incident marked a turning point for Sylven, sparking a 30-year journey to find ways to effectively cope with a profession that “operates in the brightest and darkest parts of human experience.”
Last week, that journey reached a new milestone when Sylvain was awarded a PhD in Leadership Studies from the University of Victoria for his research into how meditation and mindfulness impact the leadership practices of Canadian police leaders.
As Sylvain, a 58-year-old father of two adult children, received his degree at Monday’s commencement ceremony, the emcee said his research is “being considered by police organizations across Canada.”
“In addition to improving officers’ wellbeing, he learned that regularly practicing mindfulness could spark change,” the presenter said.
Searching for a healthy way to cope after that night in 1988, Sylven discovered Transcendental Meditation and began a lifelong meditation practice.
Sylvain published three research papers as part of his doctoral dissertation: the first provides an overview of meditation practices among active duty police officers across Canada, and the last discusses bridges and barriers to implementing meditation programs in police organizations.
During that time a paper was published entitled “Mindful Police Leadership: Opening Important New Paths for 21st Century Police Leadership and Culture.”. “
At its most basic, Transcendental Meditation involves focusing on the silent repetition of a sound or mantra. In Sylvain’s research, mindfulness is generally defined as a state of consciousness characterized by a deeper awareness of present experience and reality.
He said the practice has improved his job performance, professional and personal relationships, leadership style and mental and physical wellbeing over his more than 30 years of service as an RCMP officer, a Victoria police inspector and the chief of Central Saanich police.
Whether he was questioning a sexual assault suspect, responding to a domestic violence call, pulling the trigger of his rifle as a sniper, stopping his heart rate from “exploding” as an undercover officer dealing with a violent gang member, or leading other officers in a crisis situation, Sylvain knew how to calm his mind, stabilize his body and stay focused on the task at hand.
To conduct his research, Sylvain sent out a mass email to 605 officers across Canada.
Thirteen people agreed to take part in the study, of which 11 met the inclusion criteria of having practiced meditation regularly at least three times a week for at least three months.
Respondents cited benefits of meditation including increased calm and self-control, improved clarity and decision-making, improved focus and conflict resolution, increased compassion and empathy, and reduced stress.
Officers also reported improved relationships as a result of meditation, he said.
While the effects of meditation have been well documented in other work environments, “until this study, little was known about how these spiritual practices could benefit police leaders,” said Sylven, who hopes Canadian police leaders will consider incorporating meditation as both a preventive and restorative wellness regime for all officers.
Silven said he has presented his findings to various police leaders and organizations and is contributing to a police leadership textbook due for publication in November.
He next plans to explore spirituality as a coping mechanism – how faith can help people weather crises and “give meaning” to random events.
Police encounter many tragic and mysterious cases, such as a young family killed by a bus while out for a sunny weekend drive, or a drunk driver driving a car with drunk passengers off a cliff, all of whom walk away unharmed.
“Being a police officer is one of those jobs that constantly makes you question how the universe works,” said Sylven, who still wonders why his life was spared in Squamish that night in 1988.
Sylven said he hopes to continue his research and find ways to better prepare officers.
“I think I’m hooked,” he says. “This research has given me so many more questions. I feel like I’ll be turning rocks over for the rest of my life.”
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