How to reduce police shootings? Experts tout training that mimics wild, panicked stress

Things can spiral in moments. And a police officer’s split-second decision during that frantic dance can set a nation ablaze.

As the country reels yet again from police shootings in Chicago and Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, the same refrain rises from an exhausted populace: Why does this keep happening, and how do we stop it?

Activists, experts and scholars have myriad ideas. Some chart moderate courses — calling for programs that would send mental health professionals out on some calls with officers. Others urge more extreme measures, like abolishing police departments.

There are no clear answers. But experts who have devoted their lives to the study of violence say one thing might help: more intense, more frequent hand-to-hand training designed to build officers’ confidence that they can control situations without reaching for their handgun.

If, during such training, the officers experience the wild, panicked stress that follows a massive adrenaline dump, they may be less likely to make rash decisions that have fatal consequences, experts say.

Best in Moderation

Article URL : https://eu.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2021/04/19/police-shootings-training-daunte-wright-chicago-minneapolis/7223094002/