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According to a recent CBS survey, hundreds of major police departments across the U.S. have started implementing “de-escalation” training. Sounds good – but there are 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States!
And what actually happens in these trainings may surprise you more than the number of officers that don’t go through them.
De-escalation is often only a few hours of training once a year – or every few years. And the training itself is pretty basic! Insider investigated Baltimore’s police department, which mandated training after its officers brutally killed Freddie Gray.
Officers are taught to talk down suspects with mental illness before shooting, “find cover … instead of reaching for their weapons,” and to stop using force once someone stops resisting.
These are all great, but is this seriously not already a part of police training?
We know the answer. Policing has never prioritized preserving lives, especially Black ones. Only a few years ago, two of the largest police organizations openly disavowed even doing the training!
“That’s the American way,” says community organizer Ray Kelly. “To use force.”
It isn’t that de-escalation training hasn't saved any lives from police officers. But if we’re going to advocate for certain reforms to "fix" policing, everyone should know how they work – and whether they’re even being used.