14 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2017 by Jarrad Berkihiser R ecently an investi- gation conducted by the FBI re- vealed to the entire law enforcement community what we already knew – that rhetoric after Officer Darren Wilson’s deadly encounter in Ferguson, Missouri was fueled by sensational media reports, Black Lives Matter, and politicians, who have made law enforcement of- ficers fear for their safety. The FBI found that post- Ferguson officers are second guessing their decisions before they react. The next FBI investigation or study should examine the number of law enforcement leaders and politicians across the country that are willing to throw their officers as chum to the sharks instead of taking ownership of the department’s shortcomings as an organization. There has been a lot of talk from certain leaders and politicians for de-escalation training. I think it’s impor- tant to define what we mean by “de-escalation” and when we should be using it. It’s also important for commanders to tell us about the last time they were faced with a critical incident that evolved rapidly and became more dangerous because they did not take action. Have you tried to use your verbal judo on a subject who may or may not be mentally ill and is self-medicating with PCP, K-2, meth, or some other substance? Street cops deal with mentally ill and violent people regularly and these interactions often end up with some level of force being used. Instead of focusing on de-escalation training, maybe we should approach this problem from a different angle. Our focus should be pro- active. We as leaders need to get in on the ground floor and help develop appropri- ate training that is based upon real world control and arrest techniques. Training should not focus on the tools we carry on the bat belt. Neither should it focus first on reducing the Is d Is de-escalation training leading e-escalation training leading us into a perfect storm? us into a perfect storm? risk of liability before we take control of a suspect to affect the arrest. Will this take some time, research, and funding? Sure, but where is your money better spent? Our training needs to help us recognize pre-assault indicators and deception so we can recognize that the situation is deteriorating. We need to of- fer our officers, deputies and troopers the right training so they have the ability to react before the incident turns into a knock-down drag-out fight where the officer’s safety is threatened. How about a comprehen- sive analysis of incidents within our own agencies and incidents across the country as well. Let’s think about develop- ing training plans to address deficiencies and highlight successes instead of demon- izing an officer’s actions before an investigation is complete. If we don’t stop and turn around this disturbing trend, more and more officers will leave the profession for civil- ian jobs. It will be harder to hire competent people. The only ones who will be left standing will be the bosses and the politicians. Large metropolitan areas have already seen significant drops in proactive policing and increases in homicides. If this trend continues we will experience this nation- wide. Combine this with the push to reduce prison popu- lations and parole/probation supervision being emaciated on the state and local level and we have a serious prob- lem. Parolees are not being sent back to prison for viola- tions. Violent protestors are not being held accountable for their actions. There is a lack of police manpower and the increase among the people we serve to question our authority is combining to create a perfect storm of rising crime rates across the nation. Police leaders and local politicians need to educate themselves about what is going on in their communi- ties. They need a better un- derstanding of real policing and not just when the bad stuff happens. If you are a boss, push for invest- ment for your agency so you can get proper training for your people so they will have the tools to react prop- erly when faced with a critical inci- dent. Be part of the solution, not the problem. If you are too quick to throw an officer to the sharks, you better be pre- pared to follow because ultimately their actions or inactions happened under your watch and you are also responsible. Jarrad Berkihiser, below, is a captain with the Lancaster Bu- reau of Police in Pennsylvania. Have you tried to use your verbal judo on someone who may or may not be mentally ill and is self- medicating with PCP, K-2, meth, or some other substance? “He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” – Confucius