Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis) has sponsored federal legislation that would require police “to be trained on de-escalation techniques that focus on preserving life.” We strongly support this bill and her efforts and will track it’s progress at the federal level.
The legislation builds on recommendations from the Police Executive Research Forum which has issued a report entitled “Guiding Principles on Use of Force.”
The bill requires jurisdictions receiving federal Byrne grants to provide training in:
- the use of alternative non-lethal methods;
- verbal and physical tactics to minimize the need for the use of force, with an emphasis on communication, negotiation, de-escalation techniques, providing the time needed to resolve the incident safely for everyone;
- the use of the lowest level of force;
- techniques that provide all officers with awareness and recognition of mental health and substance abuse issue
- principles of using distance, cover and time when approaching and managing critical incidents;
- crisis intervention strategies