And you'll want to provide online training content so they can refresh their knowledge, learn new techniques, or even watch body cam videos from other departments to see their own police de-escalation techniques in action.

“As a result, the device has evolved significantly over the years, becoming more effective, accountable and safe,” the spokesperson said. “We offer various pricing models which may span multiple years, with contract renewals often consolidating multiple contracts and a range of products and services … Our pricing strategy balances affordability with the need for continuous innovation and we work closely with agencies to ensure we meet their budgetary needs.”

Law enforcement use-of-force policies and training have focused mainly on officer safety, where officers have been allowed to use a level of force that an officer "reasonably believes necessary."

Active listening means listening attentively to another person, withholding judgment, and paying close attention to what they're saying. There are also nonverbal and verbal components to active listening that serve as signals to the other person that you're listening. We'll discuss those shortly.

The latest proposed increase comes after a 60% increase in Mesa’s contract for cameras and long-range stun guns last year, and it’s at a time when Axon is dealing with accusations of anticompetitive practices that are inflating costs for police departments across the country.

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PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler told The Washington Post, “When we first began this whole journey, the conventional wisdom was: ‘Cops have to make split-second decisions — you’re going to get officers hurt.’ Now here we are in 2020 and you have a study that says not only was there a decline in use of force and citizen injury, but the biggest decline is in officer injuries.”

But Axon is exacting a high price from Mesa PD at a time when city finances are starting to face headwinds. City sales tax revenue leveled off this year, and the city lost rental taxes – a budget hole Mesa is still not sure how it will fill.

And of course, use non-threatening words and statements. Rather than telling a subject to calm down or you'll arrest them, you can say things like, "I understand you're angry. I just want to listen to you and give you some options."

It's important to remember that de-escalation is a philosophy, not a process. However, there are certain de-escalation techniques that can help. De-escalation training teaches police officers to slow things down, create space, ask open-ended questions, build a rapport with subjects, and hold off reaching for their guns.

It also showed that officers who completed eight hours of police de-escalation training received 26% fewer citizen complaints. There were also 28% fewer use-of-force incidents, and 36% fewer officer injuries.

Nonverbal communication includes body language and body movement. Are you standing in a guarded position, hand hovering over your firearm? Or do you appear more relaxed with your hands at your side? Are you closing in aggressively on a subject, or are you backing away and keeping a safe distance between you and the subject?

At Monday’s council meeting, the city will consider a five-year body camera and taser contract with Axon that’s 112% higher than the five-year previous contract, which Mesa is terminating early.

Stun-gun and police body camera maker Axon unveiled a new design of its signature taser device last year, and the Mesa Police Department wants to trade out its existing tasers for the new “Taser 10.”

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Another 2020 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) showed that procedural justice training (which includes de-escalation training) saw a 10% reduction in complaints filed against officers.

In a statement, the Scottsdale-based company said that it invested $100 million in research and development in 2021 and 2022.

Verbal communication during de-escalation includes paraphrasing what a subject is saying. You're repeating what they said, but you're changing up the wording slightly. A subject who says, "No one listens to me!" you could paraphrase and say, "It must be hard to feel like no one is listening to you." This builds trust and rapport between you and the subject, allows for clarification, and forces them to listen as well.

In this article, we'll look at what police de-escalation is, what are the benefits and elements of it, and an explanation of what's involved in police de-escalation training and techniques.

According to a Foster City, California police de-escalation training presentation, de-escalation is "intended to escape escalations of conflict" and "reduce conflict before it develops."

Assistant Chief Ed Wessing told council members that 28% of taser deployments in Mesa fail, when one probe misses or can’t penetrate clothing. In 2023, officers used the tasers 809 times.

De-escalation is still a relatively new philosophy in law enforcement circles. Many officers are still arguing the "guardian versus warrior" model, but societal pressures and a lack of trust from local communities are pushing more departments into adopting the de-escalation mindset.

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One of the biggest benefits of police de-escalation is reducing the need for use of force by police officers, as well as officer-involved shootings. It also greatly reduces the likelihood that officers will be hurt during a confrontation.

De-escalation is a process designed to prevent conflict escalation and, ideally, resolve conflicts peacefully. Some subjects may be committed to escalating the conflict, so specific measures must be taken to avoid that. Ultimately, de-escalation should reduce a person's agitation and the potential for violence.

The FTC dismissed the complaint last year after a protracted legal battle over the constitutionality of the adjudication process, but the agency said the move was not due to “the antitrust merits” of the case, but the prospect of many more years of litigation.

Verbal communication is everything we say, but not how we say it. That is, tone of voice, volume, timbre, and so on are all nonverbal elements, but the words you use and what you say, are verbal communication elements.

While online training can save time and money, police de-escalation training should be taught in-person, in real-world hands-on training sessions. Of course, you can supplement your in-person training with additional reading and videos on de-escalation, which can be made available on the PowerDMS training management software.

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Axon has confronted allegations that its prices are rising due to having a monopoly and engaging in anti-competitive practices. In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint after the company bought its largest body camera competitor in 2018.

Now police are being asked to use de-escalation techniques as a way to bring standoffs to a peaceful end without anyone getting hurt or the need for any kind of violence. While it's still a controversial topic within police circles, a large number of departments have begun incorporating police de-escalation training and seeing a major improvement in the number of use-of-force incidents, complaints against officers, and injuries and deaths.

In early 2016, PERF published a report detailing 30 guiding principles on the use of force. The principles teach officers to de-escalate tense situations that involve unarmed people, and it looks like it's paying off.

It also means reflecting back what they seem to be feeling, such as saying, "It feels like you're very angry right now." This shows that you're actually observing their own nonverbal communications.

The $23 million Axon contract value could fund a substantial amount of training for police officers or add behavioral health teams to respond to 911 calls related to mental health – a large percentage of calls.

De-escalation has traditionally been part of police training, but the average recruit only receives eight hours of police de-escalation training, compared to 58 hours of firearms training and 49 hours of defensive tactical training.

Following the number of high-profile officer-involved shootings and deaths, there have been increased calls by cities and citizens for a change in the way police respond to situations, like domestic calls, suspects armed with knives, or people having a mental health crisis.

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Heredia noted the current backlog of public records requests for body cam video, leading to estimated wait times of over two years. The department has blamed the delay in part on difficulty of redacting protected personal information from audio and video.

In response to questions from the Tribune about the latest contract increase, a spokesman for Mesa PD said “the department has engaged in extensive negotiations with Axon to secure the most favorable pricing possible, as we would with any vendor.”

Following the dismissal, three municipal police departments picked up the mantle and filed suits against the company in October, alleging that anti-competitive practices have led to higher prices for police.

Wessing said the technology is not there yet to fix the problem, but the new contract includes three account managers who can assist with reducing the public records backlog.

Wessing said Taser 10 “has a potential to be a game changer for our officers in the field. … It creates more time and space to de-escalate some of these conflicts that our officers face.”

A successful de-escalation starts with your officers and their willingness to follow this philosophy and its techniques. That means they should have high self-awareness of their own emotional state and listening skills. An officer's emotional state will affect their interaction with others. Being able to show a calm, relaxed face and body language will go a long way in defusing a tense situation.

With the right training management software, you should also be able to unify your training to your de-escalation policy, ensuring that everyone is receiving the same information. You can often find third-party content on police de-escalation techniques and ask another city to share their own policy with you on the matter.

According to a 2020 report by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), one form of de-escalation training run by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) reduced the use-of-force incidents for the Louisville Metro Police Department.

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“Oh my gosh, I had no idea those things were so expensive,” Councilwoman Jenn Duff said in a “hot mic” moment as Mesa police commandeers approached the dais earlier this month to give a presentation on the new contract.

“While the department acknowledges the ongoing lawsuits involving Baltimore PD and two other agencies, it’s worth noting that utilizing Axon’s products significantly enhances our officers’ daily functions and provides them with the necessary technology to perform their duties more efficiently and safely,” the spokesman said. “Therefore, while we’re aware of the legal proceedings, our focus remains on ensuring our officers have the tools they need to effectively serve the community.”

Nonverbal communication is everything other than the words we speak – gestures, facial expressions, body language, as well as the tone of voice, volume, and inflections. Nonverbal communication influences the content of how, and how well, we communicate.

At the recent study session, Mesa council members appeared inclined to approve the higher contract, but there were some hints of frustration over escalating costs from Vice Mayor Francisco Heredia.

They said that Axon’s merger with its competitor in 2018, plus tactics like bundling services under long-term contracts, has “led to higher prices than there would have been in competitive markets.”

The point of police de-escalation training is to teach officers to favor a guardian mindset over a warrior mindset, shifting police philosophy to protector instead of fighter. The training teaches officers to rely on communication and negotiation tactics over physical force as a way to convince a subject to avoid physical violence or self-harm. Here are a few elements of de-escalation that are taught in departments all over the U.S.

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(Keeping a safe distance is one of the techniques they teach in de-escalation training so officers still have time to react if a subject lunges with a knife or a fist.)

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Year 1 of the contract for the 900 updated tasers and 720 body cameras includes $1 million in start-up costs, for a total of $23.5 million over five years.

In essence, active listening means you're paying attention to what the other person is saying and not thinking about what you're going to say in response. Don't argue or interrupt, or convince them that they're wrong. Very often, angry people only want to feel listened to and be taken seriously.

Access expert guidance on police de-escalation training and techniques. We empower law enforcement agencies to prioritize peaceful conflict resolution.

You can also ask open-ended questions rather than yes-or-no questions. "How did you feel about that?" or "What happened next?"

They should also practice regular self-care. A healthy lifestyle impacts a person's mental health, emotional state, and personal confidence. Your officers should already be practicing self-care and living healthy, as it will only help their de-escalation technique.

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Your nonverbal communication also shows you're engaging in active listening because you're making eye contact, you're nodding and leaning forward a little, you're sitting or standing still, and you're letting the other person speak without interrupting or rushing to fill gaps in the conversation.

You can manage your police policy and training program with PowerDMS software. Visit our website to learn more about implementing your own online police training program, including de-escalation training.

Referring to Mesa as “a major client,” Heredia asked, “are there any leverage points based on these contract extensions to have those conversations with Axon, to improve their systems, to be able for us to improve our backlog of requests on public records requests?”

Based on the different cities implementing police de-escalation training, there is a significant reduction in use-of-force complaints, officer-involved shootings, and injuries to police officers or citizens. These results can go a long way to improving community relations, but can also reduce the risk of lawsuits, liability claims, and insurance payouts.

Taser 10 fires each probe individually. An officer just needs any two out of the 10 shots in the cartridge to land to stun the subject.

As with the existing contract, the deal also includes unlimited video storage and access to the evidence.com file organization system.

Taser 10, Mesa PD’s main justification for ending the existing multi-year contract early and adopting the higher contract, works slightly differently than the department’s existing tasers, which fire two probes simultaneously at a subject when the officer pulls the trigger – one straight and one at a slight downward angle.

An Axon spokesperson said that the suit “misguidedly attempts to revive antitrust claims abandoned by the FTC without condition or consent decree after full discovery and expert reports. The body worn camera market is more competitive today than ever and Axon must compete for every contract win.”

In the past, officers have taken an aggressive approach to ending those incidents—usually involving the use of force and sometimes firearms. This can result in injury or death to the subject or the officer.

Regarding body cameras, Wessing said the new contract would enable live streaming from the body cameras into Mesa’s Real Time Crime Center, so commanders could see what officers are seeing as an incident is taking place.

Axon claims the individual probes fly more accurately, penetrate clothes more effectively and reach greater distances than previous iterations of the device.

The San Francisco police department created a police de-escalation training program that saw a 24% decrease in the use of force in 2019 compared with 2018. And before that, there was a 35% decline from 2015 - 2018. And in 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law that required police de-escalation training, something the Berkeley and San Diego police departments had already implemented.

Of course, your department should have a de-escalation policy that states when an officer should and should not attempt to de-escalate a situation. For example, most police departments will not attempt to de-escalate when a subject has a gun of any kind. But it should also have a decision tree that lets officers decide when they should de-escalate a situation rather than use force as the first resort.

Wessing said department tests found an effective range of 45 feet for Taser 10, versus 11 to 15 feet for the current tasers.

Of course, once your officers have reviewed the new police and completed the training, you'll want to capture and track all their signatures on the matter, just like you do with your other policies and training modules.

The goal is to defuse a situation and get subjects to make smart choices because they recognize that their incidents can end in a way other than being shot or taking the life of an officer. By writing your own department policy, training on the different techniques we've discussed, and continuing to promote this philosophy, your department could also see a dramatic reduction in use-of-force incidents, police complaints, and even lawsuits and insurance claims.