In 2020, approximately 53.8 million people aged 16 or older had one or more contacts with police. Approximately 2% (or just over 1 million) result in some level of force. The most dramatic change to policing, specifically use of police force, came after the events of 2020. We now find a collision between the demand to use less force while increasing number of officers and their pay. Police leaders need to create a gold standard to ensure the use of force culture within our departments do not react to the narrative but rather create the narrative. Concepts covered include:
- Awareness of the use of force culture
- Knowledge of attitudes held by officers (patrol, specialty teams, & training)
- Ensuring there is a high level of competency and knowledge surrounding use of force.
- Professionalism increasing with experience.
- Tabletop exercises with city managers, PIO’s, DOJ, elected officials, trusted partners within the media, and public interest groups.