Police training USA

[nigel99 143]

Watching from afar has got me wondering. What is the quality of police training in the USA?

There appears to be a systemic lack of skills with de escalation tactics. I am an avid reader and one of my favourite books is the ‘Gift of Fear’ that I bought a long time ago. He is a world leader on dealing with crisis (has advised many very well known figures) and he talks about the psychology of some high stress situations and how police instinctively started shooting at the perception of danger.

With the riots and protests it is easy to be an armchair critic with how it should be done. Police aren’t responsible for the dysfunction in society and inequality that breeds protest. But they are core to managing the outcomes

[airdvr 197]

I think many LEOs are former military.  The training the military gives doesn't bode well for the civilian effort.

[nigel99 143]

32 minutes ago, airdvr said:

I think many LEOs are former military.  The training the military gives doesn't bode well for the civilian effort.

Thanks. Yes very different skills needed I would imagine.

Although a funny story. I employed an ex special forces Major back in the UK. He was doing ‘hearts and minds’ work in Iraq at some point in his career. He was in the news for being chased down the street by a group of angry Iraqi women. It’s too long ago to remember the specifics

[turtlespeed 212]

12 hours ago, airdvr said:

I think many LEOs are former military.  The training the military gives doesn't bode well for the civilian effort.

I would add that, in the society we have here, it seems that there is a larger draw from certain "types" of people.  Those that crave to be an authoritarian figure.  There is inherent danger in some areas, and the authority that comes along with it is attractive to some.

It may be these individuals, or this group, that are the "problem child".

This is pure assumption, but it is my perception of what I have seen.

 

[SkyDekker 1,121]

5 hours ago, turtlespeed said:

I would add that, in the society we have here, it seems that there is a larger draw from certain "types" of people.  Those that crave to be an authoritarian figure.  There is inherent danger in some areas, and the authority that comes along with it is attractive to some.

It may be these individuals, or this group, that are the "problem child".

This is pure assumption, but it is my perception of what I have seen.

 

One of the things you see in the military is an effort to dehumanize the enemy. Makes it much easier to fight and kill against those you believe to be less than you.

Unfortunately you often see that same mentality creep into law enforcement.The Us vs Them.

[sfzombie13 307]

On 6/5/2020 at 12:28 PM, SkyDekker said:

One of the things you see in the military is an effort to dehumanize the enemy. Makes it much easier to fight and kill against those you believe to be less than you.

Unfortunately you often see that same mentality creep into law enforcement.The Us vs Them.

this is a part of the problem for sure, but the disparity between use of force rules in the military and with law enforcement is outrageous.  when i was in a combat zone, i had to wait until fired on to return fire.  if threatened, i had to perform several warnings before firing at a vehicle trying to run me over.  some of the footage of police reacting to civilians they are supposed to be protecting is sickening.  if i could be held to that high of a standard in a place where i expected to be shot at constantly in a country we were at war with, there is no excuse for the same rules to be applied in a place where it is safe.

[mistercwood 287]

6 hours ago, sfzombie13 said:

this is a part of the problem for sure, but the disparity between use of force rules in the military and with law enforcement is outrageous.  when i was in a combat zone, i had to wait until fired on to return fire.  if threatened, i had to perform several warnings before firing at a vehicle trying to run me over.  some of the footage of police reacting to civilians they are supposed to be protecting is sickening.  if i could be held to that high of a standard in a place where i expected to be shot at constantly in a country we were at war with, there is no excuse for the same rules to be applied in a place where it is safe.

This question got asked a few days ago on Twitter after the cops in Seattle started targeting medics: