U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NIJ 2023 Research Conference plenary "De-escalation Training: What Works, Implementation Lessons, and Taking it to Scale" with Justin Witt, Chuck Wexler, Maris Herold, Dr. Robin Engel, and Karhlton Moore

Description

Police use of force, while infrequently used, is a tremendous  concern to public safety in the United States when officers employ it excessively or inappropriately, causing injury or death and eroding public trust in law enforcement. This plenary,  "De-escalation Training: What Works, Implementation Lessons, and Taking it to Scale," described the Integrating, Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) de-escalation training program developed by the Police Executive Research Forum to guide officers in defusing critical incidents. A rigorous evaluation of ICAT found it reduced overall use of force as well as injuries to both officers and members of the public. 

Left to right: Justin Witt, Chuck Wexler, Maris Herold, Dr. Robin Engel, and Karhlton Moore.