De-escalation Education for Officers: Presentation, Precepts and Power
De-escalation for CPD Officers: Our Goals
4CS would like to introduce a compiled presentation of teachings and precepts on nonviolence and de-escalation training. Collected over five weeks of study, we as a group aim to dissect the motivations and causes of police violence, and more importantly, how to amend violence, teach de-escalation training for officers and take action against it to edify our communities as well as ourselves as individuals.
4CS is brought to you by the Youth Violence Prevention Ambassadors of the #ChangeChi campaign hosted by True Star Media.
Violence is defined as a great destructive force or something meant to harm.
There are three primary kinds of violence: Physical, Mental, and Emotional.
Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability. Under the umbrella of the term falls police. The police were created to “protect and serve,” however, throughout history and the present we can see that many have failed to be a beacon of protection and began to represent one of terrorism through brutality, violence and racial profiling. To circumvent this cycle, we’ve created a strategy and campaign that aims to bring awareness and tries to alleviate the deaths caused by police. This will be done by educating officers and elected officials to bring change to our justice systems.
Introducing: The Beloved Community Model
Within the entire Community:
- Educate members on the Wealths of the Earth; Educate & Discuss about things affecting the community and people.
- Sustain the community by holding each other accountable for actions.
- Console, help, and respect each member of the community; help them when needed.
- Celebrate the progress you have all made together, even if it is something small. Acknowledge all the work everyone’s put in to better the community.
SO: What does this have to do with CPD officers?
A violent conflict involves at least two parties using physical force to resolve competing claims or interests.
There are five main causes of conflict, many displayed in altercations between police and citizens:
- information conflicts
- values conflicts
- interest conflicts
- relationship conflicts
- structural conflicts
The definition of de-escalating a situation is: to decrease violence in extent, volume, or scope. In our own words, this means bringing down a heated situation and trying to peacefully solve an issue, without having to result to violence.
Sounds good? Here’s how we do it:
- Petition for a comprehensive curriculum surrounding nonviolence and de-escalation tactics (such as that taught by expert Ashley Perkins, who educated our team this spring) to be required of all CPD police officers.
- Spread awareness of the necessity of this training via social media using the #ChangeChi campaign platform.
- Enact legislation that enforces said requirements, ensuring that a lasting legacy of proper training will aid police and community altercations in the future.
Our beliefs
- We believe all officers should always prioritize stating a sensible reason as to why they are pulling over any person.
- We believe that All officers should have proper education on de-escalating.
- We believe that racial profiling when being pulled over should be eradicated through police accountability and proper training.
- We believe that members of the community deserve hospitality instead of hostility.
- We believe all officers should always prioritize the lives of citizens.
- We believe being able to use race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense is abhorrent, and should be stopped immediately.
- We believe that all police staff should be held accountable.