Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood recently revealed plans to potentially incorporate jiu-jitsu training into North Carolina’s Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET).
In an interview with CBS 17 on February 7, Blackwood cited the potential lifesaving benefits of the martial art in law enforcement and referred to successful implementations mixed martial arts in other states across the nation.
The initiative, spearheaded by Orange County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Jonathan Daniel, aims to equip officers with essential skills to safely apprehend suspects without resorting to lethal force.
Daniel noted the difficulty of restraining individuals and called for comprehensive training to effectively handle such situations.
“I learned very quickly upon putting our hands on people and trying to take them into custody that it wasn’t just so easy,” Daniel said.
While the training is not currently mandatory, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office encourages deputies to undergo jiu-jitsu training voluntarily.
Blackwood further explained the importance of providing officers with adequate training to de-escalate situations and gain compliance without resorting to deadly force.
“We want to be able to control and gain compliance and situations without having to resort to deadly force,” Blackwood told CBS 17. “I’d hate to think of anyone having to lose a family member just because somebody didn’t want to comply with an arrest. So this gives us another option.”
Despite the initial cost of approximately $1,700 per officer for the Gracie Survival Tactics (GST) jiu-jitsu training, Blackwood believes the investment is worthwhile, pointing to the potential cost savings compared to legal ramifications resulting from the use of lethal force.
“You can’t find an argument not to do this,” Blackwood continued. “Especially if you’re one of the people yelling as loudly as you can, ‘We’ve got officers killing too many folks out on the street.’”
The training, conducted by Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Durham, focuses on teaching officers leverage techniques rather than striking or punching.
Sunny Yu, director of operations at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, described how using leverage can allow one to control situations effectively.
Daniel also shared one of the techniques taught in the training called the “100-second rule.”
“If you can just maintain control and stay on for 100 seconds, they will wear out and then they will begin to comply. So you don’t have to resort to strikes or other things that might be more forceful and instead you beat them mentally,” Daniel explained.
Attorney General Josh Stein has shown support for implementing jiu-jitsu training in North Carolina’s BLET, indicating a potential shift in law enforcement training practices in the state.
Meanwhile, the Wilmington Police Department has already taken proactive steps to integrate jiu-jitsu into their training curriculum. Corporal Christian Marshall, a jiu-jitsu instructor within the department, also affirmed the importance of equipping officers with nonlethal techniques to efficiently handle threatening scenarios.
Marshall touted the positive impact of jiu-jitsu training on reducing the use of force by officers, noting a decrease in incidents since its introduction.
All new officers are now required to undergo jiu-jitsu courses at the police academy, with voluntary “open mat” days offered to refresh their skills.
