The current training regime for police officers fails to effectively teach them how to interact with our communities in a way that protects and preserves life. For example, police recruits spend 58 hours learning how to shoot firearms and only 8 hours learning how to de-escalate situations. An intensive training regime is needed to help police officers learn the behaviors and skills to interact appropriately with communities.
Policy Solutions
Invest in Rigorous and Sustained Training
⚠️The existing research literature is inconclusive on the effectiveness of training at reducing police violence. While some trainings - like procedural justice training - have some research support, other trainings like implicit bias and mental health training have not been found to be effective. As such, we caution cities against emphasizing more training as a solution. Rather, existing training programs should be replaced with programs that de-emphasize firearms and use of force and that empower communities to design and implement new training paradigms for first responders including, but not limited to, the following topics:
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Procedural justice
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Relationship-based policing
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Crisis intervention, mediation, and conflict resolution
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Appropriate engagement with youth
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Appropriate engagement with LGBTQ, transgender and gender nonconforming individuals
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Appropriate engagement with individuals who are english language learners
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Appropriate engagement with individuals from different religious affiliations
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Appropriate engagement with individuals who are differently abled
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De-escalation and minimizing the use of force
Intentionally consider 'unconscious' or 'implicit' racial bias
Require current and prospective police officers to undergo mandatory anti-bias testing, including testing for bias in shoot/don't shoot decision-making, and develop a clear policy for considering an officer's level of bias in:
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law enforcement certification
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the hiring process
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performance evaluations
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decisions about where officers are deployed
Read the Research Below to Learn More About This Issue: