The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), working with the National Policing Institute, has released National Standards for Law Enforcement De-escalation Training, establishing requirements for training programs seeking certification under the Law Enforcement De-escalation Training Act of 2022 (LEDTA).
The document establishes 14 national standards – seven addressing training development and delivery and seven covering training content. Requirements include interactive and scenario-based instruction, use of scientific research and real-world examples, participation by crisis response subject matter experts, and trauma informed approaches.
Training content must address de-escalation techniques such as communication, active listening, rapport building, tactical repositioning, and use of time and distance. Other areas include recognizing and responding to people in crisis, relevant use-of-force and disability laws, community crisis resources, decision-making, preservation of human life, and first responder wellness.
Under LEDTA, DOJ funding for de-escalation and crisis response training following release of the standards must support LEDTA certified programs or courses. The standards are currently in a pilot phase and may be revised as guidance and policy considerations evolve. The guide can be downloaded free from the COPS Office Resource Center at https://tinyurl.com/5s7b4wcn