We first met Aram back in February of 2021 while attending the Tools for Tolerance® for Law Enforcement (TFTLE) Program at the Museum of Tolerance. This program is dedicated to equipping law enforcement professionals with the tools they need to best serve their communities in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex society, and it has been an honor to have had the opportunity to work with these men and women in service in this safe space that encourages openness and dialogue. 

Aram shares with us that he comes from a long line of service men and had planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and enter into the military post-college, until a recruiter approached him and informed him of the opportunity to join the police force. Aram highlights the importance of remembering that police officers are human just like the rest of us, when he reminds us that police officers have to make split second decisions based on the “first 15 seconds of meeting a person.” He notes that we actually do the same thing when we see a police officer, too, and comments, “Everyone looks at a guy in a uniform and thinks, well, this guy...doesn't look friendly, so he's not going to be friendly.” 

This is why Aram argues that it is particularly important for officers to remember how they are coming across in their interactions. “I would argue that if an officer would smile more and be more approachable, it would make everybody less guarded because now you've just kind of taken the wind out of those sails by smiling...A smile can be very disarming,” he said. 

Check out the full episode on Umuco Podcast on all platforms and feel free to follow Aram on his Instagram, @911strong Podcast.

Written by Isabella Harnick