Keeping communities safe and enhancing officer skills and safety is of paramount importance for law enforcement, thus there is an ever-growing emphasis on the continued need to leverage de-escalation tactics. Understanding how recent research in this domain is informing and transforming police training methodologies is critical.
While the adoption of de-escalation training is frequently advocated, its effect on police officers and their engagement with the community has not been thoroughly examined. Due to this, the influence of de-escalation training on the incidence and intensity of officers’ use of force, along with the ensuing injuries to both citizens and officers, remains unclear. Against this backdrop, the Louisville (Kentucky) Metro Police Department (LMPD) took the initiative to both offer and partake in the evaluation of a de-escalation training program. Specifically, LMPD rolled out the Police Executive Research Forum's (PERF) Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) training program, aimed at equipping officers with de-escalation techniques and critical thinking abilities for handling potentially turbulent interactions between the police and citizens.
In this engaging panel discussion, moderated by NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne, Ph.D., LMPD Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey and Sergeant Justin Witt are joined by Robin Engel, Ph.D., whose team led the research, to discuss the implementation and impact of ICAT training on LMPD officers.
After viewing this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Recognize the challenges and complexities in translating these principles into practical field tactics and techniques.
- Gain a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on de-escalation tactics and techniques, and how this research informs training in law enforcement.
- Identify the gaps between theoretical knowledge and practical application in the field and explore potential strategies for bridging these gaps.
- Develop a deeper understanding of how to incorporate the knowledge gained from research into practical training programs to enhance the efficacy of de-escalation techniques in real-world situations.