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De-escalation

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Bodycam Videos and Honest Accountability

Following the release of President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Report, body cameras were increasingly touted as a deterrent to unnecessary use of force by police.1 Discussions surrounding the role of police video often ignored video’s most intuitive benefit, that is, capturing evidence of disorderly, resistive, and criminal conduct within the community. Instead, video technology was...
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San Francisco Police Peacefully Resolve 99.9% of Crisis-Related Calls!

If you have read the San Francisco Police Crisis Intervention Team 2020 Police Commission Report, you would be forgiven for thinking there was a misprint. Of the nearly 50,000 annual crisis-related calls for service, the San Francisco Police used force only 51 times. That’s a use of force rate of 00.1%. Even with 2800 people...
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Abolish the Police? What Other Ideas Do You Have?

For the last half-century, the police profession has been defined by its commitment to constant and never-ending improvement. It seems that no matter the source of the latest theory, agencies across the country are willing to give it a try. Although most of us don’t stop to consider it, common police practices, including deterrent patrols,...
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Realistic De-Escalation: Setting Conditions

(Part 2b) “The police officer should have recognized the situation, and instead of confronting the armed suspect, he should have taken the time to back away, be patient, and wait for additional officers.” The shooting review continued, “Instead of escalating the situation, the officer should have de-escalated.” Since officers routinely talk people into handcuffs, there...
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Realistic De-Escalation: Balancing Risk

(Part 2a) After 30 years of crisis counseling, de-escalation, negotiation, and persuasion, I’m convinced few things require as much skill as talking dangerous people into handcuffs. But, regardless of an officer’s skill, when the risk of delay is too great, there may be no time for de-escalation. In those cases, if an officer uses force,...
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“Realistic” De-Escalation

How can officers, courts, and communities recognize the difference between de-escalation and “realistic” de-escalation? It starts by admitting a few realities.  First, officers have been successfully talking people out of fights and into handcuffs for generations. They are good at it. And, no matter what study is reviewed, force (even the threat of force) is...
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You Don’t Have to Shoot First; But You Better Do Something!

“The officer should have waited until he actually saw the suspect’s gun. If the suspect tried to shoot him, he could have shot first.” Anonymous The above quote didn’t come from an angry anti-police protestor or a biased civil rights attorney.  It came from a police legal advisor.  It came from an intelligent, civic-minded, pro-police...
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Recognizing Police Legitimacy

There has been a lot of emphasis on building trust and legitimacy in policing over the years. With some arguing that the public recognizes legitimacy only when they believe the police are acting in a “procedurally just” way. And others explaining that people are more likely to obey the police when they believe that police...
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Unclearly Established Law: When Courts Ignore the Experts

Within hours of publishing The 21-foot “Rule” is Back in the News, readers started asking us to look at Wilson v. Prince George’s County, Maryland.1  Apparently, this 4th Circuit Court of Appeals case has inspired policy revisions, training updates, and questions as to the relevance of the 21-foot principle.  I read the case and immediately...
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Containment and De-Escalation: The Honest Debate Continues

As the case of Estate of Jaime Ceballos v. Husk,[i] winds its way through the courts, the concepts of containment and de-escalation are once again being discussed by police professionals.  In the Ceballos case, officers responded to a high-priority disturbance involving a man “with two bats and acting crazy.”  After parking several houses away, officers...
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