top of page
Working at Open Space

Train, Assess, Evaluate

Training

The DeTAL Center will work towards use of the COPS Office Tenets for online learning:

  • Officer Communication

  • Self Regulation

  • Decision-making

  • Behavioral Responses

  • Safety in service to community members

Curriculum Development

Experts in the field will guide the training elements to prepare the law enforcement officers with the best, most realistic scenario-based training available. 

​

Updates will be made often based on new, evidence-based practices, and will engage self-evaluation, instructor evaluation, and, potentially, Artificial Intelligence (AI) evaluation to identify the tenets are being addressed and proficiency is being achieved. 

Policy to Practice

Law enforcement officers will have the unique opportunity to participate in virtual training from anywhere they can access the internet. 

​

Courses can be presented with others involved or as stand-alone, self-paced models.  Instructors can be in the same room, across the state, or in different states in the Midwest, allowing access from urban, suburban, and rural agencies to participate in training they might not normally have access to. 

Trauma-Informed Interactions

Responses to being detained and/or questioned by an officer can include anxiety, fear, and anger leading to behaviors like verbal abuse, and non-compliance to officers’ requests. Seeing people in their worst moments can also foster similar reactions in officers. A trauma-informed approach emphasizes the importance of taking time to gather information about a person and respond in ways to reduce reactions.

Person-Perception & Cultural Perspectives

Gathering information about a person and situation is important for deciding what actions to engage in to reduce the use and severity of a force response. Perceiving another person requires cultural intelligence – observing oneself and others in terms of thoughts, expectations, motivation, and behavior for a given person or group and situation or place. Understanding cultural context improves communication to resolve conflicts.

Assessment

Knowledge Checks & Feedback

Throughout every aspect of the training, participants will receive feedback and be checked on the knowledge they have gained during the training sessions.  This can be done through peer and instructor feedback, pre-loaded quizzes and learning activities, and AI generated responses to scenario-based activities. 

The Research Assessments

The overarching assessment strategy focuses on acquiring knowledge to apply and employ de-escalation skills to maintain community member and officer welfare and safety.

Evaluation

Using an integrated curriculum approach to assess the application of knowledge, project success will be evaluated in relation to understanding human reactions to police encounters and demonstrated skills stemming from the curriculum:

​

  • Five learning modules contain different strategies to assess learners’ understanding, use, and benefits of de-escalation strategies:

  • Human reactions to police encounters

  • Managing one’s own responses to an encounter

  • Identifying and managing challenges for others in the encounter

  • Peer interactions and

  • Scenario training threaded throughout the curriculum.

 

Learners will be assessed on their ability to manage common encounters (e.g., traffic stops) prior to reviewing the curriculum and again at the end of the curriculum (pre and post design) to detect improvement in de-escalation knowledge and application. Assessment instruments focus on situation management strategies coinciding with communication skills, emotion and thought regulation, and cultural competencies.  The health and wellness of community members and officers are the priority.  

bottom of page