Marana Police Department hosts de-escalation course for southern Arizona law enforcement - KOLD
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - The Marana Police Department is working to help southern Arizona police end each call peacefully by hosting a de-escalation course for local law enforcement.
The course, De-escalation: Strategies for Best Possible Outcomes, is run by the company Command Presence Training.
Sgt. Abel Samano, Marana Police Department public information officer, said the department likes to provide as many training opportunities as possible, so law enforcement officers can continue their education throughout the course of their career.
Samano said the goal is to keep both officers and the community safe.
“We would prefer not to hurt people. We would prefer not to fight somebody,” Samano said. “Talk people into handcuffs, instead of having to force them into them.”
Command Presence Training President John Bostain said de-escalation is a result, not a specific tool or tactic. He said the goal is to help police officers learn how to have someone de-escalate, and learn when that outcome is unlikely.
“The basic premise for us is how do we increase the officer’s individual safety but also simultaneously, not in lieu of, increase the safety of who we’re trying to deal with and increase the quality of contacts that we have with the community in general,” Bostain said. “I think this really focuses on that.”
Officers will learn about emotional intelligence, which includes how to communicate while being empathetic to people in crisis. Bostain said another important portion of the course is teaching officers to never let their guard down while trying to help someone de-escalate.
“There’s this misunderstanding that if someone is suffering mental illness then you should never use force,” Bostain said. “Unfortunately, a lot of times these people are armed, they have super-human-strength if they’re experiencing something called excited delirium, and sometimes there’s just no other way to get them under control,” Bostain said.
Bostain said it’s common for people to believe there was no de-escalation if force wasn’t used, which he said isn’t true. Bostain said de-escalation is a range of strategies, so teaching officers how to change tactics based on the thoughts, emotions and behaviors of whoever is in crisis is critical.
“We’re constantly looking at tactics to create discretionary time. That simply means, if I can artificially slow down time, I can get more options here, I can get more resources. I might be able to get a family member. I might be able to do a lot of things, but just because they’re mentally ill they may not be capable of that,” Bostain said.
The course has a goal of keeping the community and officers as safe as possible.
Enrollment is open for all sworn law enforcement officers in the area. The course is on May 24 and will be held at the Marana Police Department. Bostain said it’s useful for all officers, despite how long they’ve been on patrol.
You can register online. Each officer will be required to pay $179.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved.
source: https://www.kold.com/2022/03/28/marana-police-department-hosts-de-escalation-course-southern-arizona-law-enforcement/
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