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“Getting police to write introspective poems was particularly challenging.
“Officers are brave by nature, but it takes a different kind of courage to write a poem for the world to see, Pottenger said.
“‘They’re baring their feelings,’ she said. ‘It’s like
showing off the inside rather than the outside.’
“At first, officers rolled their eyes at the idea. Some even recited lewd poems for a laugh.
“But the attitude changed last spring after a respected sergeant, Rob Johnsey, was killed when his service weapon accidentally discharged while he was cleaning it. At his funeral, mourners learned that Johnsey wrote poetry.”
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