US police departments clamoring for de-escalation training

By DAVID SHARP
Associated Press

SACO, Maine (AP) — Since the death of George Floyd and the protests that followed, police departments around the country are increasingly pushing for de-escalation training. The Police Executive Research Forum, the foremost policing think tank in the country, offers such training, and requests have skyrocketed. It’s a mix of classroom training and scenarios played out with actors to give officers time to work through what they’ve learned. Officers are taught to keep a safe distance and slow things down. One trainer says: “The most common mistake is rushing a situation that you don’t need to rush.”