What States Require De-Escalation Training

What is de-escalation training?

You’re probably asking yourself, “what is de-escalation training?” De-escalation training teaches officers to slow down, create space, and use communication techniques to defuse a potentially dangerous situation. De-escalation training provides officers with strategies to calmly deal with people who are experiencing mental and emotional crises.

Why is de-escalation training important?

Many larger departments have implemented the training, such as those in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Minneapolis. So far, some of the departments have reported reductions in use-of-force incidents.

For example, the Dallas Police Department, saw an 18 percent drop in use of force the year after it instituted de-escalation training. Since 2010, excessive force complaints there have dropped by 83 percent.

Why should you care about de-escalation training?

There are 34 states that do not require de-escalation training for all officers, according to an analysis by APM Reports, and only eight have done so since Brown was killed three years ago. Although most states have boards that license peace officers and oversee state training requirements, the vast majority have failed to mandate it.

The failure to mandate de-escalation training has left the decision of whether to train up to local chiefs and sheriffs. And many haven’t done it, citing, among other reasons, cost, lack of staff, and a belief that the training is unnecessary or constitutes a rebuke of traditional policing.

Does your state require de-escalation training?

Our team has researched and collected data on de-escalation training requirements for every state across the country. You’ll find the results of our research below:

Alabama

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 12 hours per year, plus firearms proficiency.
Accountable body: Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission

Alaska

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: None, except firearms proficiency.
Accountable body: Legislature

Arizona

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 8 hours per year of electives. 8 hours every 3 years of proficiency training in firearms, emergency vehicle operations, pursuit, first aid, physical conditioning and high risk stops.
Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Board

Arkansas

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 16 hours per year, including firearms proficiency and racial profiling.
Accountable body: Commission on Law Enforcement Standards & Training

California

De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours every 2 years
Other Required training: 24 hours every 2 years. Minimum 4 hours each of arrest and control, driving, firearms or force options simulator. Other required courses: domestic violence every 2 years, first aid/CPR every 2 years, racial profiling/racial diversity every 5 years.
Accountable body: Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training

Colorado

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 24 hours per year, including 12 in arrest control, driving, and firearms.
Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Board

Connecticut

De-escalation training requirement: 3 hours every 3 years
Other Required training: 60 hours hours every 3 years: 9 hours of firearms/use of force, 2 hours rape crisis, 2 hours domestic violence, 3 hours human relations (including serious mental illness), 1 hour juvenile law, 7 hours police and the law, 2 hours patrol procedures, 1 hour gang violence, 1 hour bias/bigotry, 32 hours of electives.
Accountable body: Police Officer Standards and Training Council

Delaware

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 16 hours per year, plus firearms, CPR, defibrillator, Taser and first responder. Additionally, a sexual assault course once every four years and one hour every three years on child sexual abuse.
Accountable body: Council on Police Training

Florida

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 40 hours every 4 years. Stun gun every year. Firearms every 2 years. Human diversity, use of force, domestic violence, juvenile sex offender and racial profiling every 4 years.
Accountable body: Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission

Georgia

De-escalation training requirement: 1 hour per year
Other Required training: 20 hours per year, including 1 hour firearms proficiency, 1 hour use of deadly force, and 2 hours community policing.
Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Council

Hawaii

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: None
Accountable body: Legislature

Idaho

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years.
Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards & Training Council

Illinois

De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
Other Required training: No specific number of hours required, but departments are required to train officers in civil rights, constitutional and proper use of law enforcement authority, cultural competency, human rights, law update, procedural justice or use of force.
Accountable body: Legislature

Indiana

De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
Other Required training: 24 hours per year, including 2 hours in firearms, 2 hours in physical tactics/use of force and 2 hours in police vehicle operation. Officers are also supposed to get periodic training in mental disorders, addiction, missing persons, human trafficking, domestic violence, child abuse, sudden infant death syndrome and various first aid techniques. But the state doesn’t enforce that requirement.
Accountable body: Law Enforcement Academy Board

Iowa

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 36 hours every 3 years, plus firearms proficiency and CPR.
Accountable body: Legislature

Kansas

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 40 hours per year on any policing-related topic, plus biased-based policing every year.
Accountable body: Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training

Kentucky

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 40 hours per year
Accountable body: Legislature

Louisiana

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 20 hours per year: 8 hours of firearms, 4 hours of defensive tactics/officer survival, 2 hours of legal updates, 6 hours of electives.
Accountable body: Council on Peace Officer Standards and Training

Maine

De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year
Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including 10-12 hours specific topics that change every year. 2016 required topics included implicit bias and autism.
Accountable body: Criminal Justice Academy Board

Maryland

De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
Other Required training: 18 hours per year. Firearms every year. Sexual abuse, treatment of victims of crime, victims’ services, and identity fraud victims’ rights every 3 years. CPR every 2 years.
Accountable body: Police Training Commission

Massachusetts

De-escalation training requirement: 4 hours per year
Other Required training: 40 hours per year, including firearms qualification and CPR. Specific course requirements change every year. In 2015 they included four hours on deadling with the mentally ill. In 2016 they included 3 hours of “fair and impartial policing.”
Accountable body: Municipal Police Training Committee

Michigan

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: Only mandatory training is firearms proficiency. The state does set advisory training standards: officer safety, communication, emergency vehicle operations, defensive tactics, legal update and mental disorders.
Accountable body: Commission on Law Enforcement Standards

Minnesota

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 48 hours every three years. Use of force every year. Driving every 5 five years.
Accountable body: Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training

Mississippi

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 24 hours per year.
Accountable body: Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training

Missouri

De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year; Mental health training requirement: 2 hours per year
Other Required training: 24 hours a year, including 1 hour racial profiling, 2 hours mental health, 2 hours officer well being, 2 hours implicit bias recognition, 2 hours de-escalation, 2 hours firearms.
Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission

Montana

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 20 hours every 2 years, including a review of the code of ethics.
Accountable body: Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council

Nebraska

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 20 hours per year.
Accountable body: Legislature

Nevada

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 12 hours a year, plus training in firearms, use of force. Officers must also show proficiency with less-than-lethal weapons if they carry them.
Accountable body: Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training

New Hampshire

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 8 hours per year, plus firearms proficiency, use of force, first aid and CPR certificate renewal and defensive tactics refreshers.
Accountable body: Police Standards and Training Council

New Jersey

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 4 hours on domestic violence every year, plus firearms proficiency, use of force and vehicular pursuit.
Accountable body: Attorney General

New Mexico

De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours every 2 years
Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including amber alert training and pursuit policy training.
Accountable body: Legislature

New York

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: No specific state requirements except that officers must receive annual “instruction in deadly physical force and the use of firearms and other weapons.”
Accountable body: Legislature

North Carolina

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 24 hours a year. For 2016: 6 hours of firearms, 4 hours legal update, 2 hours “juvenile minority sensitivity,” 2 hours human trafficking, 2 hours “citizens and guns” and 8 hours of electives.
Accountable body: Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards Commission

North Dakota

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 60 hours every 3 year; 20 can be online, plus annual firearms proficiency.
Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Board

Ohio

De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year
Other Required training: Training requirements recently increased. 2016 requirement was 11 hours, increasing to 20 hours in 2017. Required subjects for training in 2016 were community-police relations and crisis de-escalation.
Accountable body: Peace Officer Training Commission, Attorney General’s Office

Oklahoma

De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year
Other Required training: 25 hours a year, plus an annual firearms recertification.
Accountable body: Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training

Oregon

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 84 hours every 3 years, including 8 hours of either firearms or use of force, plus CPR.
Accountable body: Board on Public Safety Standards and Training

Pennsylvania

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 12 hours per year, plus annual firearms proficiency, updated CPR and first aid. Legal update required in 2016.
Accountable body: Municipal Police Officers Education & Training Commission (for police); Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (for sheriff’s deputies and constables)

Rhode Island

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: Hate crimes, gangs and domestic violence training required by statute.
Accountable body: Legislature

South Carolina

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 40 hours every 3 years, including one legal update course and one domestic violence course.
Accountable body: Legislature

South Dakota

De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including firearms proficiency.
Accountable body: Legislature

Tennessee

De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
Other Required training: 40 hours per year, including child sexual abus, emergency vehicle operation and 8 hours of firearms proficiency.
Accountable body: Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission

Texas

De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including legal update. A ‘basic peace officer’ must receive cultural diversity and special investigative topics. Additional requirements for those holding ‘intermediate peace officer’ certification.
Accountable body: Commission on Law Enforcement

Utah

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 40 hours per year.
Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Council

Vermont

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: Full time officers need 25 hours per year, including firearms, CPR and biennial domestic violence.
Accountable body: Criminal Justice Training Council

Virginia

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including 2 hours cultural diversity, 4 hours legal training and firearms proficiency.
Accountable body: Criminal Justice Services Board

Washington

De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year
Other Required training: 24 hours per year.
Accountable body: Criminal Justice Training Commission

West Virginia

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 16 hours per year, plus firearms proficiency.
Accountable body: Legislature

Wisconsin

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 24 hours per year, including handgun proficiency, plus 4 hours vehicle pursuit every other year.
Accountable body: Law Enforcement Standards Board

Wyoming

No de-escalation training required
Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years. First two years after certification, officers need 80 hours in 2 years.
Accountable body: Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission

November 19, 2017

How Are New Police Officers Trained?

According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the general job description of a police patrol officer is to enforce laws and ordinances, for the protection of life and property in their assigned area. Police officers receive assignments for the protection of a particular area, conducting investigations, and apprehending criminals.

Before police academies were developed in the United States in the early 20th century, a police officer’s training took place on the streets. Aside from following the law, police learned primarily by trial and error from the different encounters they came across. Now, every police officer in the nation goes through a formalized certification course at a police academy.

Each year, an average of 45,000 entry-level officer recruits enter basic training programs at 664 state and local law enforcement training academies. Of the 45,000 recruits, eighty-six percent of the recruits successfully completed their training.

Enrollment Requirements

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that police academy applicants usually need a high school diploma or its equivalent (www.bls.gov). In some cases, at least some college coursework or a degree is necessary. Additional qualifications may include a valid driver’s license, a clean criminal record and a physical fitness report from a doctor. Some academies also require completion of a hearing test and a psychological evaluation.

Education

Students can begin preparing for the police academy while in high school. Electives such as criminology, legal studies, physical education, sociology and psychology are helpful for aspiring police officers. In addition, police academy admissions officers may look for applicants who have completed college coursework in criminal justice or law enforcement. Some academies prefer candidates who hold an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in one of those fields.

Program Requirements

After gaining acceptance into the police academy, recruits participate in classroom and practical instruction. They learn state laws, criminal investigations, patrol procedures, firearms training, traffic control, defensive driving, self-defense, first aid and computer skills. Police academy recruits also undertake physical training and fieldwork that demonstrates their comprehension of classroom instruction. Field exercises include investigating mock criminal scenes, directing traffic, operating police vehicles, arrest techniques, using firearms, fingerprinting and interrogation methods. Police academy training usually takes 22-27 weeks to complete.

Where are new police officers being trained?

From 2011 to 2013, nearly half (47%) of the academies that provided basic training for new recruits were based at an educational institution such as a 2-year college (33%), 4-year college or university (7%), or technical school (7%). Municipal police departments operated 20% of academies, sheriffs’ offices operated 10%, and state police or highway patrol agencies operated 6%. State Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) agencies, which typically certify peace officers, operated 5% of academies.

Nearly all (96%) state and local law enforcement training academies used a class structure for basic training (groups of recruits being trained at the same time). From 2011 to 2013, academies held a median of six training classes, or two classes per year. The median smallest class size was 14 recruits and the median largest class size was 28 recruits. Overall, there was a large range of class sizes. Some academies had classes with 1 graduate and others had classes with more than 1,000 graduates.

What type of training model did they use? Stress vs Non-Stress

Stress-based training is based on the military model and typically involves intensive physical demands and psychological pressure. About half (48%) of recruits were trained by academies using a training model that was more stress than non-stress oriented in its approach.

Non-stress training model emphasizes academic achievement, physical training, and a more relaxed and supportive instructor–trainee relationship. About a fifth (18%) of recruits were trained by academies that maintained more of a non-stress environment.

A third (34%) of recruits were trained in academies that balanced the two approaches.

Who are they training?

A total of 488 (73%) academies provided data on the sex of 91,000 recruits entering basic training programs from 2011 to 2013. Fifteen percent of these recruits were female, down slightly from the estimated 17% in 2005. During the same period, 336 (51%) academies provided data on race and Hispanic origin for 58,000 recruits entering basic training. As in 2005, 70% of these recruits were white, and 30% were members of a racial or ethnic minority. Blacks and Hispanics each accounted for 13% of recruits, and 4% were members of other races.

How long are they training?

Excluding field training, the average length of a basic law enforcement training program in a training academy was about 840 hours, or 21 weeks. This was about 2 weeks longer than was observed in the 2006 CLETA. Academies operated by agencies with special jurisdictions (such as natural resources, parks, or transportation systems) had the longest training programs (an average of 1,075 hours), followed by county police academies (1,029 hours). Academies operated by state POST agencies (650 hours), technical schools (703 hours), and sheriffs’ offices (706 hours) had the shortest training programs on average. Across all types of academies, each recruit spent an average of 806 hours each completing basic training (not shown).

What subject areas do police academies focus on during training?

Among the major topical training areas in the CLETA survey, the most required training hours were in the area of operations (more than 200 hours per recruit). Major topics covered in operations training included patrol procedures (52 hours), investigations (42 hours), emergency vehicle operations (38 hours), and report writing (25 hours).

An average of 168 hours per recruit were required for training on weapons, defensive tactics, and the use of force. Recruits spent most of this time on firearms (71 hours) and self-defense (60 hours) training. Recruits also spent an average of 21 hours on the use of force, which may have included training on agency policies, de-escalation tactics, and crisis intervention strategies.

Recruits were typically also required to take training classes in self-improvement (89 hours per recruit) and legal education (86 hours). On average, more than half of self-improvement training hours were related to health and fitness (49 hours). A majority of the legal training focused on criminal and constitutional law (53 hours) and traffic law (23 hours). Nearly a third (29%) of academies required basic foreign language training with an average of 9 hours per recruit.

Firearms Training

Between 2006 and 2013, the average amount of instruction required per recruit increased the most for firearms skills, from 63 hours in 2006 to 71 hours in 2013.

About 9 in 10 recruits received training on the use of firearms under night-time or reduced-light conditions (93%) or simulated stressful conditions (89%). Most recruits also received firearms training under nonlethal live fire (75%) and in computerized firearms training systems (64%).
Nearly all recruits received training on weapon retention (99%), verbal command presence (99%), and ground fighting (94%). Most of recruits were also trained on pressure-point control (85%) and speed cuffing (77%).

Reality-Based Scenario Training

Nearly all recruits (99%) were trained at academies that incorporated reality-based (mock) scenarios into their use-of-force training. Such training allows recruits to practice critical decision making, execute standard operating procedures, and employ potentially life-preserving tactics under the duress of realistic conditions. About 9 in 10 recruits received reality-based training on arrest control tactics (91%), verbal tactics (88%), and self-defense (87%), and about 8 in 10 received this type of training on the use of firearms (80%) and the use-of-force continuum (77%). More than 7 in 10 recruits (74%) received reality-based training on the use of nonlethal weapons.

All high-stress (defined as all or mostly stress) academies and nearly all low-stress (defined as all or mostly nonstress) academies (94%) used one or more types of reality-based scenario training. On average, high-stress academies used this type of training for eight of the nine training areas identified in the 2013 CLETA survey instrument, compared to an average of six areas for the low-stress academies. A higher percentage of high-stress academies than low-stress academies used each type of reality-based training. The difference was greatest for threat assessment (65% compared to 41%), nonlethal weapons (87% compared to 63%), and firearms training simulators (71% compared to 50%).

Community Policing Training

Community policing continued to be an important component of basic law enforcement training in 2013. Academies required an average of more than 40 hours of community policing training. Nearly all (97%) of academies (which trained 98% of recruits) provided training in this area, up from the 92% observed in 2006. In 2013, recruits were required to complete an average of more than 40 hours of training in community policing.
A majority received training on how to identify community problems (77%), the history of community-oriented policing (75%), interacting with youth (62%), using problem-solving models (61%), environmental causes of crime (57%), and prioritizing crime and disorder problems (51%).

Social Issues Training

Nearly all basic training programs addressed social issues such as domestic violence and mental illness. More than 90% of academies included training on domestic violence (an average of 13 hours per recruit), mental illness (10 hours), and sexual assault (6 hours). More than 80% provided training on domestic preparedness and terrorism (9 hours), crimes against children (6 hours), victim response (5 hours), and gangs (4 hours).

Terrorism-Related Training

In 2013, 95% of academies (which trained 95% of recruits) provided basic training on terrorism-related topics, an increase from 2006 (90%). A majority of recruits received training on the National Incident Management System/ Incident Command System (78%); understanding the nature of terrorism (69%); response to weapons of mass destruction (68%); relevant federal, state, and local agencies (60%); disaster response and recovery (56%); and intelligence gathering (53%).

How are new police recruits tested?

Academies used a variety of tests to evaluate recruits. Nearly all academies evaluated recruits with written tests (95%) and skills proficiency tests (93%), and they administered a median of 16 written tests and 5 skills proficiency tests to each recruit (table 14).

Eighty-eight percent of academies used physical fitness tests with a median of three tests, and 76% used scenario-based tests with a median of seven tests. Competency exams constructed by a state POST commission or other state level agency were used by 70% of academies.

Field Training Component

More than a third of academies included a mandatory field training component in their basic program. Overall, 37% of academies (which trained 31% of all recruits) required recruits to complete a mandatory field segment after graduating from the basic academy training program. Field training provides recruits with the opportunity to work with a field training officer in order to learn the practical aspects of law enforcement and community service, and to assimilate into the professional culture of a particular agency. More than two thirds of state police or highway patrol (76%), county police (76%), municipal police (71%), and special jurisdiction (69%) academies had a field training requirement.

An additional 44% of academies (which trained 45% of all recruits) reported that there was a field training requirement, but the hiring agency oversaw it. When agency-specific requirements were included, there was a field training requirement for recruits at all county police and special jurisdiction academies and at nearly all municipal police (97%), multiagency or regional (96%), state police or highway patrol (94%), and sheriff ’s office (90%) academies.

Among academies that oversaw a mandatory field training component, the average program was about 500 hours. Municipal police academies (630 hours) had the longest field training programs on average.

November 19, 2017November 19, 2017

Why We Built A Mixed Reality Studio

GOVRED-Mixed-Reality-Green-Screen-VR-Studio

Since we started working with virtual reality over a year ago, we constantly ran into one main problem. It’s hard to share with others just how incredible virtual reality is without them experiencing it for themselves.

Every day, someone would ask me about what we’re working on. I could describe the experience and what it feels like for hours, but it wouldn’t do it justice. I know this sounds cliché, but when it comes to virtual reality, seeing is believing. Unless you experience TRUE, fully-immersive, room scale virtual reality for yourself, you won’t fully appreciate just how incredible the technology is.

So, we asked ourselves, how do you show someone what virtual reality is all about without actually giving them a demo? We brainstormed solutions to this problem for hours. Creating a video where you’re showcasing first-person footage from the head mounted display is the traditional method people have been using, and it gets you part way there. However, it doesn’t provide the viewer with a sense of scale or sense of immersion of room scale virtual reality.

We researched a lot of different options, but we weren’t happy with the outcome of most of the options. However, we did find one solution that was pretty close. The best solution that we could come up with is creating mixed reality content.

Why mixed reality?

Because it’s the best way to convey what it is actually like to be in virtual reality on a 2D screen. Translating the feeling of being in a fully interactive virtual environment onto a 4.7″ screen on your iPhone is a difficult problem.

When you see someone immersed in the virtual reality headset and interacting with their virtual environment, something clicks in your brain and the viewer understands it in a way that just isn’t same with first-person footage.

How do you create mixed reality content?

Once we were sold on the idea of creating mixed reality content, we had to figure out how to turn our crazy idea into reality. Our hyper-focus was set on this idea, so we had to make it happen.

The next problem that we ran into is that like most people, we didn’t have access to a green screen studio. Nor, did we know of anyone with a green screen studio available to use. We did a little bit of research online and didn’t have any luck. This is the point where most people would just give up, but not us. We were determined to create mixed reality content.

Since we didn’t have access to a studio with a functional green screen room, our only option was to build our own mixed reality studio.

We spent the next couple of days researching, how to build a green screen studio. We watched probably 15 different tutorials on how to build a green screen. Some of the videos were helpful, others offered contradicting advice. At that point, we decided to just go for it. We were basically winging it. Yeah, we absorbed some of the advice, but we’re two smart guys so we figured that we should just do it. What’s the worst that could happen?

We hopped in TJ’s Audi S4, drove to Menards, and purchased all of the materials (that we thought we needed). However, we severely underestimated how much time and resources were needed to make this a reality. We had to make at least four additional trips back to Menards.

Mixed Reality Studio Transformation

Before – Black walls and limited play space.

Middle – Applying second coat of green paint.

End – Paint dried, but still need to finish up the trim.

Building A Mixed Reality Studio Conclusion

We went through six gallons of paint in the process and had to repaint a few areas (twice).

It was a lot of work.

After many long hours and a lot of paint, the mixed reality studio is operational. The studio isn’t completely finished, but it is at least 90% done.

Looking back at it, I never thought that it would take this much time and effort, but seeing the finished project justifies all of the extra work.

If you’re in the Cedar Rapids area and you’d like to see what all the hype is about, reach out to us or just stop by. We’d love to give you a demo.

If you made it this far, I want to say thank you for reading the whole thing, I’m considering making a build guide for anyone looking to create a similar setup. Let me know in the comments, if you’d like to see that!