Townsend told WLS he does not believe Avarius has been charged with any crime. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office told ABC News they have not been contacted by police for charges related to the incident.

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The De-escalation training for police offered by us at Resolution Education will help the officers to incorporate effective strategies that will reduce aggressive and dangerous encounters by introducing them to alternative ways to handle stressful events.

Police receive a substantial amount of training to prepare for the risks of being on the job, many self-control skills they learn in the academy cannot be effectively applied to real-life situations, which results in them acting on impulsive instincts.

"He's a 14-year-old kid, and having officers rush toward you with what we know are Tasers but could be perceived as guns is scary," Townsend told WLS. "Then you add the autistic aspect. Again, it's very confusing."

Our programs take into account human emotions and likely reactions and set out a guideline on how an officer should conduct themselves when faced with a disruptive yet non-threatening individual.

In recent times, the need for de-escalation training for police has increased significantly as people have started to hold law enforcement to a higher moral standard of behaviour. The police are not judged solely based on whether their actions were lawful, but also for their cultural sensitivity, display of respect and trust, and their regard for the sanctity of human life.

"Mayor Tiffany A. Henyard demands that the police department adheres to the highest standards and has ordered a full review of the facts regarding this incident and has requested that the Village of Riverdale provide any documents [and/or] relevant information related to the matter to the Village of Dolton Police department," the statement said. "Our dedication to serving and protecting our community remains unwavering, and we will take all necessary steps to prevent such incidents in the future."

Contact us at 1300 884 589 to get more information regarding our various training programs and see which one best fits the needs of your police departments.

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Since police officers are held to a higher standard as compared to the general public, they need to behave with patience and possess high levels of tolerance in their dealings with the public. They oversee the safety of the people, and they need to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects this. They are trained to protect, and they instinctively do so by disarming the threat by any means necessary.

The methods of de-escalation taught by the Resolution Education have been derived from psychology and help to accurately appeal to the aggressor in a way that releases his tension and keeps you in control of the situation. Successful de-escalation is achieved through a combination of emotional intelligence and empathy, effective communication skills, and timely application of conflict management techniques.

This approach is often seen as counter-productive since, through small but effective changes made in their code of conduct, they can significantly minimise dangerous outcomes of interactions with non-compliant individuals. Training in de-escalation strategies will help officers improve the quality of their interactions with individuals that are non-compliant by equipping them with simple, yet significantly effective techniques such as empathy.

An Illinois family said they are still reeling weeks after their 14-year-old son who has autism was tased by police in what they contend was a case of mistaken identity.

According to the incident report, a Riverdale officer "positively identified" Avarius as one of the offenders. Though the family's attorney, Calvin Townsend II, told WLS he believes this was a case of mistaken identity, and that the teen's clothing was similar to the suspect's description.

After being seen by a doctor at the hospital, Avarius was released to the custody of Riverdale police, according to the incident report. He was released from custody later that day, his family told WLS.

If the aggressor is behaving in a manner that is not an immediate threat to anyone, an officer trained in de-escalation techniques will engage them in talking and help them vent out their frustrations and use verbal communication techniques to diffuse the situation.

"You see so many stories of stuff like this happening to kids, and they go to jail and they don't come out. Something happens, they end up dying," his father told the station. "That happens every day in this world, and I don't want to see that happen to my son or anybody's kid."

The point of employing de-escalation techniques is to effectively diffuse tension to allow for a constructive discussion to take place. However, these strategies are most effective when put into place even before the conflict arises. Officers can learn to do this by understanding how to recognise signs of aggression and resolve them by intervening and using their verbal communication skills.

Avarius was transported to a hospital, where his mother, Gwendolyn Toran, can be heard telling the officers he is autistic.

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Gaining a vital skillset of de-escalating situations from Resolution Education Training programs can prove to be very beneficial for the police.

Police officers receive extensive training in combat and handling weaponry, but when it comes to non-confrontational de-escalation training, barely any is offered to them. This training is perhaps as important as the skills they learn in combat training because it is a vital step between mild conflicts and violent interactions. If a possibly aggressive perpetrator is subdued in time, it can minimise the adverse outcomes and even potentially save lives.

The process is designed to show officers the importance of diffusing a situation at any stage they might encounter, rather than using excessive force that will further aggravate the situation. When situations with erratic perpetrators intensify, they can easily turn violent and even deadly. Such disasters can be easily avoided through tactful handling of the situation by using de-escalation strategies.

"Hands up! Hands up!" a Dolton police officer can be heard yelling in the body-camera footage as he runs toward Avarius with his Taser extended. After the teen jumps over a fence, the officer deploys the taser, the footage shows.

Dolton officers spotted two subjects -- one of whom matched the description of a suspect sought in the incident -- in a nearby backyard and pursued them, according to the incident report.

The family told ABC Chicago station WLS that the teen -- Avarius Thompson -- suffered injuries including a fractured hip during an encounter with Dolton police on the morning of Nov. 20, 2023.

The village of Dolton said in a statement to WLS on Wednesday that this "regrettable event" is under investigation, and that they are "committed to a thorough and transparent investigation with external reviews."

Officers will be able to apply the strategies of de-escalation in their daily interactions and keep many otherwise potentially dangerous situations from occurring, thereby also reducing the chance of being assaulted or even sued for assault.

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Avarius' parents said they are still shocked by what happened. Townsend told ABC News earlier Wednesday he is planning to pursue legal action.

Resolution Education’s training techniques are designed to: improve observational skills and increase efficiency in decision making, resulting in an outcome that is in the best interests of everyone. We provide many different programs, such as physical and non-physical Occupational Violence and Aggression training, Conflict Resolution Training, and De-escalation Training.

According to the Dolton Police Department's incident report, Dolton police were assisting police in the nearby village of Riverdale in the search for four Black males who had fled from a crashed, stolen vehicle -- two of whom were allegedly carrying rifles and a handgun.