De-escalation trainings are increasingly popular in law enforcement, though the actual tactics used can vary. De-escalation techniques focus on slowing down potentially volatile situations and reducing the immediacy of threat during these encounters. The goal of de-escalation is to resolve the situation without using force or with a reduction in the severity of force used.

Promising practices for police de-escalation and use-of-force training are highlighted in a 2020 research review. Communication skills and operational skills are the two major types of de-escalation techniques.

In this post, we are going to describe these different de-escalation techniques, provide you with resources to learn more, and describe how active threat assessment can help your personnel de-escalate situations.

Communication-based De-escalation Techniques

Verbal and non-verbal communication can be helpful for de-escalating certain situations.  Verbal techniques cover things like interpersonal effectiveness, conflict resolution, and empathic listening skills. Non-verbal techniques emphasize things like giving undivided attention or being mindful of tone of voice. Many of these concepts are also covered in procedural justice and social interaction trainings, and have been found to improve citizen and officer satisfaction during LE-citizen encounters.

Communication is especially key when it comes to engaging with persons with mental illness (PMI) or those in crisis. Most PMI are not dangerous, but a special set of skills can help communicate effectively with this population. Skills focus on recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and/or substance abuse and how to communicate effectively in these situations.

Co-Responder Programs

An officer may work alongside specially trained civilian personnel to respond to crises in the form of a mental health response team, or they may rely on a mobile crisis unit, which is a specially-trained entity separate from the police. Research reviews from 2018 and 2020 explain how frameworks of co-responder programs vary greatly, making it difficult to know which framework is the most effective. Nonetheless, the research has shown that co-responder programs can reduce the amount of police time spent on mental health calls, increase access to services for PMI, and decrease repeat calls, benefiting the police and the community.

Crisis Intervention Training

Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is a knowledge- and scenario-based training for officers that teaches them how to recognize and respond to people in crisis. A 2019 research review found mixed results regarding the benefits of CIT on officer/citizen injuries and use of force. However, CIT does appear to improve officers’ perceptions of their interactions with PMI. Similarly, a 2020 study found that CIT improved officers’ confidence in their interactions with PMI. So far, the research on CIT is promising but still inconclusive.  

 You can access the CIT curriculum and other resources below:

·        National Alliance on Mental Illness CIT Program

·        The University of Memphis CIT Program

·        CIT International Best Practice Guide

Disability Awareness Training

Another approach is disability awareness training, such as FRDAT (First Responder Disability Awareness Training) based in New York. FRDAT offers resources on how to recognize and communicate with PMI and people with various disabilities. FRDAT’s resources and trainings have been used in various agencies throughout several states and Canada. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it helps to decrease use of force, increase officer awareness of mental health symptoms, and increase their efficiency and confidence in handling mental health calls. However, it has yet to be rigorously evaluated.

 You can learn more about Mental Health and Mental Illness here:

·        Disability Awareness Training: Disabilities - Definitions, Tips. Etc.

Operational Safety De-escalation Techniques

If communication tactics fail or are not appropriate for the situation, an officer may need to employ operational techniques. Operational techniques include skills such as using distance and cover to create time, tactical positioning/repositioning, and potentially calling additional resources to the scene.

The officer’s goal when using operational techniques is to not only protect himself but also create additional attempts to de-escalate. For example, in a rapidly evolving scenario involving a person with a knife, an officer can use an operational skill such as tactical positioning to create distance between himself and the subject, which may allow for another verbal de-escalation attempt.

Sometimes, an officer will still need to apply force. However, they can still opt for a less-lethal use of force, particularly if the subject does not appear to have a firearm. Should a use of force eventually occur, operational techniques can also help an officer resolve the situation without resorting to lethal force.

Integration Communications, Assessment, and Tactics Training

One increasingly popular de-escalation training is ICAT (Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics), developed by the Police Executive Research Forum. The 40-hour program includes a range of modules that incorporate scenario-based learning and video case studies related to critical decision-making, crisis recognition, communications skills, and operational tactics.

 Critical decision-making skills cover things like knowing whether it is safe to ‘tactically pause’ and engage verbally with a suspect. During the tactical pause, communications and crisis recognition skills (which are oten similar to those emphasized in CIT) can be used to de-escalate emotional responses. Operational tactics can create additional chances for de-escalation that might not otherwise be possible.

ICAT was evaluated in Louisville, Kentucky and Camden, New Jersey, and both studies showed promising results. The Louisville study showed significant reductions in use of force, citizen injuries, and officer injuries, while the Camden study found reductions in serious force events. The ICAT training also seems to increase officer confidence in handling volatile LE-citizen encounters, particularly with PMI. ICAT has been implemented in many agencies throughout the United States, and empirical results are promising so far.

Similar to ICAT, a different de-escalation training specific to LE interactions with trauma-exposed youth appeared to increase officers’ confidence in their abilities to handle these situations, per a 2021 study.

 You can access ICAT resources and request modules here:

·        The Police Executive Research Forum’s Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) Training

Active Threat Assessment

De-escalating a volatile situation requires constant awareness, observation, and assessment of one’s surroundings. Active threat assessment helps an officer gauge both the immediacy and severity of a potential threat even when the threat changes throughout the encounter. The awareness of threat indicators helps an officer more objectively (rather than subjectively) identify the immediacy of a threat. 

Benefits of Active Threat Assessment

During an LE-citizen encounter, threat assessment helps objectively assess demeanor and differentiate behavior-based threats from personality quirks or symptoms of mental illness. An officer also may be able to better recognize when to call for back-up and/or a mental health response team. Assessment of behavior-based threats will also help an officer decide when to use de-escalation techniques and whether doing so might put his or others’ safety in jeopardy.

Sometimes an officer will need to use force, though the force does not need to be lethal. Assessing active threats through behavioral change helps an officer dynamically gauge a potential threat, and might be the reason an officer chooses to use a lower level of force as opposed to lethal force.

Integration of threat assessment training will help your officers assess the immediacy of a threat during even the most dangerous LE-citizen encounters. Being able to differentiate between when to de-escalate and when to use force will encourage your officers to apply de-escalation techniques when able, but not at the risk of their own or others’ safety.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ACTIVE THREAT ASSESSMENT

Want to help your officers become more proficient at identifying behavior-based threats? Check out our active threat course offerings today! We have a free online course for you to learn more about active threat assessment now.