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Police and Citizen De-escalation and Implementation Techniques


ronaldel 1 / -  
Jan 4, 2018   #1

Police and Citizen De-escalation and Implementation Techniques



Ronald Elcock
Rio Salado College English 102
James Palazzolo
30 Dec 2017

Throughout the history of modern policing, there have been opposing thoughts on the level of force exerted by police officers during the execution of their duties. In many jurisdictions, this has caused a rift between law enforcement and the communities they serve. These opposing thoughts span as far back as the early 1800s. Sir Robert Peel is known The Father of Modern Policing. In 1829, Peel developed nine Peelian Principles to help guide officers during the execution of their duties while policing their community in London England. Peelian Principle #2 states, "The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon the public approval of police actions" (Nagle 1). The idea expressed in this principle is the police need to enforce laws appropriately to gain acceptance from the public they serve. Peelian Principle #7 is summarized as, "...the police are the public and the public are the police..." (Nagle 1). In this statement, the police and the public have a civic responsibility for the welfare of their community. This successful relationship can only be accomplished when both are operating in unity. Both of these principles suggest interaction with the community is vital to the success of policing. To maintain and/or regain the trust from the community and provide a safe environment for its citizens, police departments as well as individual communities have the responsibility to introduce de-escalation techniques, strategies and trainings to their respective jurisdictions.

One of the de-escalation type trainings available for police departments to assist with training their employees is Crisis Intervention Team Training. Crisis Intervention Team Training is a curriculum that introduces strategies to police officers when dealing with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis (Browning 1). This training is imperative in providing a holistic approach to mental health call for service instead of a punitive approach. For example, an officer responds to a call for a domestic disturbance. Once on the call, the officer received information that the adult son of the family was upset and kicked a water spigot and broke it. Information is also gained that the son has had mental health issues in the past and recently had a medical change that has affected his demeanor. The parents advise officers they are not looking to have their son arrested, but they do not know what to do to address his mental health episode. Legally, the son can be arrested for Domestic Violence Criminal Damage. This approach has been applied many times in the past. During Crisis Intervention Team Training, officers learn that they have time on their side when coming into contact with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Time gives officers the ability to intake important information that is necessary for the success of that interaction. The more information an officer has available to him/her, the better guidance the officer can provide for the individual in crisis as well as the family. Officers experience how their tone of voice plays a vital role in their success when dealing with subjects in a mental health crisis. Officer's tone of voice can calm the individual experiencing a mental health crisis. Officer's tone of voice can also assist the individual experiencing a mental health crisis comprehend the information they are being given by the police officer. Displaying empathy in mental health situations greatly increases the chance of a successful outcome. Displaying empathy lets the family of the individual know that you are in tune with the difficulties associated with the mental health individual in crisis. The family is more apt to assist the officer with guiding the individual towards the proper assistance they need. Often times, citizens recognize and even request Crisis Intervention trained officers for assistance with family members with mental health issues. mental health family members. Officers also learn the voluntary and involuntary committal process to mental health facilities. The voluntary committal process is used frequently by officers to guide individuals in mental health crisis towards the assistance they need. The involuntary process assists officers in keeping the community safe from subjects unwilling or unable to seek their out their own assistance during a mental health crisis. Crisis Intervention Team Training is a significant de-escalation resource used to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the community.

Fair and Impartial Policing is another de-escalation strategy that introduces officers to the idea of implicit and explicit bias and the effect that it has on officers and the community (Fridell 1). Explicit bias refers to the attitudes and beliefs we have about a person or group on a conscious level (Fridell 10). Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and Skinheads express explicit bias in their rhetoric. The Ku Klux Klan uses clothing to overtly show their dislike towards certain groups. The skinheads use bald heads and tattoos to express their explicit bias towards certain groups. Both groups verbally express their dislike for certain groups. Explicit bias is rarely if ever expressed by law enforcement in recent years and is not tolerated in modern law enforcement. Implicit bias refers to the attitudes and beliefs we have towards a specific group that occurs on an unconscious level (Fridell 11). During this training, officers learn that implicit bias is a normal human attribute. It is developed through one's upbringing through family and life experiences. Understanding implicit bias is crucial lesson for law enforcement as it can influence police actions. Officers may take inappropriate actions based on misunderstanding of a certain group of people or officers may treat a group of citizens differently due to not having exposure to that specific group. Understanding how implicit bias can affect our perception is one of the first steps to reducing and managing our biases (Fridell 4-13). Exposure to a specific group that an officer may have a bias towards helps to diminish the effect of that bias during the contact (Fridell 4-7). Fortunately, I have had the opportunity of serving my community as a police officer for over 19 years. During that time, I have had contacts with citizens from all walks of life including different races, religions, socio-economic statuses, sexes, and sexual orientations. One of these contacts was with an African-American male and female involved in a domestic dispute. I spoke to the female party and was able to get her side of the story that nothing physical occurred during the dispute. My partner spoke to the male party who was speaking very loudly and his physical actions were animated. The officer had trouble communicating with the male party so my partner requested me to assist. The male continued to speak loudly and was animated in his actions when talking to me. After letting him speak about the situation, he apologized for being so loud and stated a phrase similar to the following, "You know how 'we' get when we get mad. We get loud." I took that to mean that based upon the fact that I was an African American male, I would understand that being loud in emotional situations is just something that African-American males do. Though officers should not expect this during every contact with an African-American male, the exposure to this situation may prevent officers from overreacting to the situation. They can then take the time to receive information and make decisions that result in a positive contact.

For law enforcement officers, there are difficulties with implementing de-escalation techniques into police departments. First, an officer's tenure may be a factor when it comes to this type of change in direction (Williams 1). Many officers with significant tenure have been trained to immediately control people when responding to calls for service (Williams 1). This is a warrior type approach does not allow for time to intake as much information as possible to make an informed decision. In an interview with Leesburg, VA. Police Chief Joseph Price in 2015 in response to recent police shootings across the country, Price stated, "...the warrior mentality has a place, but it should not dominate. In today's world, you need the skillset of a warrior and the mindset of a guardian" (Johnson 1). In law enforcement, officers make decisions based on the information they have available to them at the time. Slowing the situation down and allowing more time for the information to unfold, when possible, greatly increases the officer's ability to make the proper decision for that situation. The "immediate need to control people" approach does not allow for empathy in the response. Empathy, we now know, can de-escalate emotional situations among citizens and their families. De-escalation trainings mostly operate in a guardian type mentality. The idea in an officer's mind should be that of the service and protection of their community. Another difficulty to overcome when implementing de-escalation techniques is the personal beliefs that officers may have. Some officers believe that the de-escalation approach can make officers' presence less authoritative. Officer safety is a top priority when it comes to serving and protecting the public. Officers believe they will not be able to verbally and physically control situations, which in turn diminished their officer safety. Officers will begin to interpret de-escalation techniques to mean they should not use physical force in situations where physical force is needed which then places them in increased danger in hostile situations (Landers 1). Though there may be some resistance with implementing of de-escalation techniques in law enforcement, the officer safety and public approval gained through positive interactions greatly outweighs those difficulties.

Citizens also have explicit and implicit biases towards police based on recent high profile officer involved shootings. Based on these shootings, citizens have started to take on the responsibility of teaching de-escalations techniques to their families and communities. One of those police shootings involved a subject named Philando Castile. Several facts of the case are as follows. Castile was shot by a police officer during a vehicle stop in St. Anthony, Minnesota. (M. Lopez G. Garcia 1). Castile was suspected of being involved in a convenient store robbery several days prior to his contact with the St. Anthony officer who shot him (M. Lopez G. Garcia 1). Castile advised police that he had a firearm on his person at the time of the stop (M. Lopez G. Garcia 1). It was reported that when the officer conducting the vehicle stop asked Castile for his license, Castile reached for his license, at which time he was shot by a police officer on the stop (M. Lopez G. Garcia 1). Another high-profile officer involved shooting involved a subject named Alton Sterling. Sterling was shot by a police officer while officers investigated a man threatening with a gun call for service in Baton Rouge Louisiana (The Associated Press 1). Some of the facts documented in this investigation included information that Sterling had a gun on his person at the time police contacted him (The Associated Press 1). Sterling was allegedly selling CDs outside of a convenient store and threatened a customer with a handgun prior to police arrival (The Associated Press 1). Finally, Michael Brown was shot by police in Ferguson Missouri after he was contacted by police during an investigation (Kalin 1). Brown was the suspect of a strong-armed robbery at a nearby convenient store then became involved in a physical altercation with responding officers while they investigated the strong-armed robbery (Kalin 1). Michael Brown fought with the responding officer as Brown was the target of the aforementioned investigation (Kalin 1). In the previous examples, lessons can be learned from both the officers' actions as well as the actions of the individuals that were the target of the investigations. As mentioned earlier, law enforcement organizations have started the process of implementing de-escalation techniques. Recent shootings such as the ones previously mentioned have forced citizens to learn and implement their own de-escalation techniques. In an interesting perspective presented by Dr. Ron Martinelli, he states, "The simple fact is that it is the public who needs de-escalation training. They need to calm down and have a studied response instead of emotionally charged reaction to the police they encounter during pedestrian stops, vehicle pull-overs, and investigative contacts" (Martinelli 1). This is a point of view that can be taken as inconsiderate and unjust, and understandably so. Hopefully the following example can shed a reasonable light on Martinelli's statement. As a police officer, I have had many opportunities to speak with individuals around the country regarding current climate on law enforcement. Members of the African American community, specifically males, have an increased fear of law enforcement officers and are now teaching their sons how to survive interactions with law enforcement. I had a recent conversation regarding interpersonal communication with law enforcement with a citizen named Byron out of Los Angeles California. Byron advised that he, along with several members of his community, have a legitimate fear of law enforcement based on their previous experiences. He is now teaching his son how to interact with law enforcement using de-escalation techniques. He advised that he tells his son during vehicle stops to always show police officers his hands. He advises his son to always address the officer with respect and do exactly what the officer tells him so the situation does not get escalated. These lessons are an example of citizens taking the responsibility of de-escalation into their own hands.

Citizens should also use exposure to minimize their biases towards law enforcement. Citizen's Police Academies provide this opportunity for exposure to law enforcement activities. Citizens learn police operations such as vehicle stops, search warrants, search and seizure, and officer safety techniques. Community meetings offer the chance for citizens to interact with law enforcement officers reference possible police issues occurring in their community and how officers may handle those issues. Ride-alongs with patrol officers also give a unique perspective to the rigors law enforcement officers experience on a daily basis. These examples give the citizens some opportunity and responsibility to enhance the relationship between law enforcement and the community they reside and work in.

De-escalation trainings and techniques must be implemented in law enforcement as well as the communities they serve throughout the country. It needs to be implemented in the law enforcement community to diminish the mindset of applying the "warrior" mentality in every situation. It teaches officers that the guardian mindset has shown to be a very successful approach with the community. Officers have the opportunity to show empathy to the citizens they serve. It allows for the warrior approach when and if it is needed. Lastly, it gains the approval of the community which is needed for law enforcement to guard their community. De-escalation also needs to be implemented within the community. It educates the community on how officers respond to certain situations. It informs the community on why officers respond to certain situations in the manner they do. Furthermore, it familiarizes the community on how to best verbally communicate with officers when officers arrive on scene. It causes the community to understand the physical barriers and dangers officers face during vehicle and pedestrian stops. It also promotes positive interaction between law enforcement and the community they serve. Addressing an issue of this magnitude will have negative consequences if it is only addressed by law enforcement. There must be a combined effort from leaders in law enforcement as well as leaders within the community to implement de-escalation techniques, training and education in order to rebuilt the trust in law enforcement that has been lost in recent years.

Works Cited

Browning, Samuel L., Van Hasselt, Vincent B., Tucker, Abigail S., Vecchi, Gregory M. "Dealing with Individuals Who have Mental Illness: The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in Law Enforcement." The British Journal of Forensic Practice

Fridell, Lorie. "Fair and Impartial Policing." Fair and Impartial Policing

Johnson, Kevin. "In Face of Criticism, Police Officials Preach Tactics of De- Escalation." Arizona Republic

Kalin, Curtis. "10 Key Facts Ferguson Grand Jury Discovered." CNS News

Landers, Brian. "Are De-Escalation Policies Dangerous." Police The Law Enforcement Magazine

Lopez, Michelle and Garcia, German. "The dash-Cam footage the jury saw before clearing the cop who shot Philando Castile was released." Vox

Martinelli, Ron M.D. "Editorial: It's Citizens, Not Police Who Need De-Escalation Training."

Nagle, Michael. "Sir Robert Peel's Nine Principles of Policing." The New York Times.

Press, The Associated. "Key facts in the shooting death of Alton Sterling." WTOP

Williams, Timothy. "Long Taught to use Force, Police Warily Learn to De-Escalate." US Major Dailies. ProQuest.

Suggested improvements

1.The first area where I think my paper can be stronger is with more examples to provide as proof to my thesis. I think there might be enough proof, but more would strengthen my argument further.

2.The second area my paper could be stronger would be examples besides my own. A counter argument could be that my paper could see biased based on my personal experiences.

3.The third area my paper could be stronger is a few more interviews with the public to show more points of view from the community aspect. Hearing responses from the public as opposed to just knowing how the public feels about law enforcement could also strengthen my argument.

Looking to see if my suggested improvements are agreed upon by a more experienced eye. Thank you in advance for your time.
Holt  Educational Consultant - / 14,767 4773  
Jan 4, 2018   #2
Ronald, I don't think that you need to address more examples in your research paper. You have more than enough presented to prove your point. What you don't have enough of, is the historical relationship between the police and the suspects. Your paper immediately starts off with information about the present issues that prove the need for de-escalation and implementation techniques. What it lacks is the early history of police brutality that led to these changes. In order for the reader to understand the necessity of these techniques today, you first have to show how the early instances of police brutality were dealt with in early times. Inform the reader as to when these cases were first documented and what the local law enforcement and judicial responses were. I believe, that if you have had any experience with a Stop and Frisk situation or Hands Up, Don't Shoot scenario, then that will also work as an effective and engaging opening anecdote before you present the information in your current opening paragraph. Remember, personal experiences give the research paper a stronger sense of motivation and authority, which is what this paper could use more of because it is too research based.

Try to be fair in your presentation though. Remember, there are also times when the police try to de-escalate a situation to no avail because the other party is already set on creating a violent situation with the police having to react and then get accused of using extreme force when the body and dash cam footage shows the opposite evidence. If you would like to, you could pull back on some examples and instead discuss these sort of failed de-escalation situations and why the techniques failed in these instances.

I am not really in the know when it comes to the motivation you have for this research paper. My suggestions above are solely based on what I think can be presented to help further polish your research and make it more authoritative in approach. Good luck with this paper. It is highly informative and useful in these times.


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