Which Wolf Are You Feeding?

By Don G. Archer

On Nov. 10, 2016, the wolves were at the door in Lake County, Ind., for Sheriff John Buncich. FBI Agents were raiding his office over concerns of corruption charges centered on allegations of bribery for contracts for towing companies; a pay-to-play scheme.

Little more than a month later, Lake County Police Chief Timothy Downs (Buncich's boss) plead guilty to charges that he solicited campaign donations from tow operators in exchange for more territory. Downs said he did it to keep his job, so that he would continue to receive a salary. Buncich has yet to come clean.

We condemn corruption from all quarters; but when it emanates from positions of authority like law enforcement it's especially heinous.

How and why did it happen?

Another story might help us understand:

A wise grandmother was tucking her grandson into bed when he begged her to tell him a story. She agreed and decided to tell him the one about the two wolves who battle.

She starts by describing how everyone in the world has two wolves that live inside. These wolves are constantly battling for dominance over us.

One of the wolves is jealous and full of envy. He's malicious and has a fixed mindset. He believes that the world is cold and full of bad people, and that he must do whatever it takes, right or wrong, to get and stay on top. He's very negative and nothing good ever happens for him.

Then there's the other wolf who's completely the opposite. He's very powerful and operates out of empathy, love and positivity. He believes that anything can be accomplished if you give it your all and put your heart into it. Many good things happen for him.

At this point in the story the grandson begins to drift off to sleep but doesn't want to miss out on the ending. He stops his grandmother and looks up at her and asks, "Grandmother, which wolf wins the battle?" The grandmother smiles and leans in close to the boy's face, and says, "The one you feed."

It's apparent that these law enforcement officials were feeding the wrong wolf. It would be a mistake to just let the story lie there.

What about the towing companies involved? It takes two to tango.

Although other towing companies were involved, only William Szarmach, of CSA Towing was indicted. He faces charges of wire fraud and bribery. "Individual A," the owner of another towing company involved, cooperated with prosecutors and will, seemingly, avoid further litigation.

Before this sting occurred, both towing company owners, and law enforcement officials alike, probably believed what they were doing was justified. It was for the furtherance of their businesses and their careers. The towers were looking for more territory, which meant more money. The officers needed to be re-elected so they could maintain status and power.

Could it be that the desire for these things was wrong?

Rather than blaming the result of their actions on the want for more, maybe we should look elsewhere. We all want to do the best we can in any endeavor; there's nothing wrong with that. What was wrong was their method of getting there.

For the towers involved, it probably didn't start on day one. They didn't intend to go down that road. Most likely it was a slow erosion of the soul through months and years of seeing all that is wrong with the world—and then letting it seep inside. A continuous feeding of the jealous and envious wolf, while starving the good wolf. Then, like a bolt of lightning, an opportunity presents itself, a way to move forward.

Though it was against the law, they succumbed ... because the bad wolf was stronger.

In the case of the officers involved, it was probably the same story. Pride, and fear of loss overrode what was instinctively wrong and outside the law—and they fell.

It could be argued that the officers involved should face a higher degree of punishment than the towers. If the door weren't opened there would be no case.

But does placing a higher degree of blame do any of us any good?

When we point to people and circumstances outside ourselves as reasons why we are where we are, rather than accepting responsibility for what we've become, we're feeding the wrong wolf.

American Towman Field Editor-Midwest Don G. Archer is also a multi-published author, educator and speaker helping others to build and start successful towing businesses around the country at TheTowAcademy.com. Don and his wife, Brenda, formerly owned and operated Broadway Wrecker in Jefferson City, Mo. E-mail him direct at don@thetowacademy.com.