Law Enforcement Today
Mar 10, 2023
An Interview with API International Consulting Group, President Stephen Komorek
LET: Stephen, it is a pleasure to sit down with you and learn more about API, your mission, vision and services you are providing the 1st responder community.
Stephen: Thank you and we are honored to have this opportunity to share about API.
LET: Straight to the point, what is it you do?
Stephen: We bring professional and discreet solutions and strategies to a broad scope of problems facing businesses, government agencies, litigation firms and high net worth individuals.
One of our primary focuses with respect to law enforcement is bringing timely and comprehensive training solutions to every rank within an agency – this includes civilian and military police.
LET: What specific areas do you focus on?
Stephen: In the training arena, our cadre of instructors is headed by retired Major Pat Welsh. Pat is a former prosecutor, who is admitted to practice law in Ohio since 1982.
He served in law enforcement for 30 years and has taught nationally on a variety of topics.
Pat is our subject matter expert in our training on Strategic Planning and Management, Leadership, Federal and Administrative law, Personnel Development, and Police Community Relations.
Our instructor cadre includes SME’s from tactics, firearms, negotiations and organizational discipline. Our goal is to add value to agencies so that can effectively, efficiently and cooperatively protect and serve their communities.
In addition to training, we also provide direct consulting services to agencies. We can assist in review, development and training on policies/procedures, background investigations on applicants or outside hiring of executives, and even trial preparation on cases of public interest.
LET: Why does this work?
Stephen: Quite frankly it works because of the expertise of our folks. They not only have the knowledge of best practices in their respective areas, they have decades of practical application – including learning from their failures.
One of the guiding principles, our moral compass, is this: We always strive to do the right things, at the right time, the right way and for the right reasons.
We apply that in our personal and professional lives and try to imbed it in all of our training courses. It works because it is a fundamental mindset that defines who you are and what you do on and off the job.
My philosophy is this: When you take care of people and they’re not a revenue stream but they are real people with real problems and you’re there to help them; that breads loyalty.
Pat was teaching a military police squadron of about 400 cops, on leadership, over a period of 5 days. At the end of one day a NCO wrote on their evaluation, “Thank you! You have given me the tools to help save my marriage.”
Time after time we have received feedback on the impact and influence our training has and continues to have in the lives of the folks we are reaching – personally and professionally.
“It” works because the folks we train make it work. We are just honored to have the opportunity to be a part of their journey and success.
LET: I see you’ve also started a philanthropic advisory group. I’ve heard from multiple sources that you have been doing humanitarian aid in Afghanistan for the past seven months and now sources are saying you’re doing the same great work in Ukraine.
Stephen: I can’t comment on that directly. However we find ourselves in a period of time when in these dark hours across the world the greatness of humanity is shown by thousands of individuals coming together to help others in need.
Nothing that has been done to help others and provide humanitarian aid is the work of one person, it is the work of a team great men and women doing great things to help others. I was having a conversation with a colleague of mine and it came up in conversation, asking if I felt if anyone in the world had lost faith in humanity right now?
In this day and age, with all the good men and women coming together, that faith should be restored and that’s powerful, that’s hope.
Our Philanthropy Advisory Group is made of some distinguished leaders in the military and law enforcement communities. At API we are committed to Servant Leadership, and that involves supporting organizations that are serving folks who are sometimes the least, last and lost in the Blue Family, as well as in the military family.