De-escalation entails avoiding forceful methods to stabilize violent scenes and calm down any form of riot by the use of communication, resources, and other amicable options to address the conflict between two parties. I believe that police officers should only use a reasonable amount of force to control a rowdy group of people while keeping injuries minimal. Furthermore, security officers ought to only employ forceful methods when no other alternative means seems to work (Obasogie & Newman, 2017). They should apply a certain level of force which a prudent officer uses under the same or similar circumstances.
In my opinion, the decision to use force should be arrived at after a careful analysis of facts and circumstances revolving a particular incident. As a police officer, I would examine whether the subject poses a severe threat to the society before confronting with a lethal force. Additionally, I would determine the form of resistance or reiteration from the subject, and whether the target suspects are armed to decide how to approach them. Careful assessment would be needed to decide on the necessary use of force while resolving conflict. Reasonableness of the type of force that I would use if I was a police officer would be determined by the underlying circumstances of the rowdy situation.
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The public may know little about de-escalation policies and whether police receive adequate training on how to maintain law and order without using excessive force. In the recent past, people have witnessed aggressive public reaction and countrywide demonstrations due to brutal police treatment towards civilians in the United States. Members of the public, especially minority groups, have voiced concerns in what they are referring to as brutal, aggressive tactics and use of force against unarmed citizens by American police (Engel, McManus & Herold, 2019). Killings by police are no longer treated as singular events but rather as a common behavior of police nationally.
On the other hand, a debate about police officers' safety is attracting national attention since there have been assassinations of police officers by armed criminals. There is an incident that occurred in Texas, where five police officers were killed in ambush attacks. Obasogie and Newman (2017) asserted that the scenes of conflict between police and the public have led to widespread adoption of the slogan stating that "all lives matter" whether black or white. Nevertheless, meaningful reforms are needed in policing to protect both the public and the police officers who serve them. As citizens, we are concerned about the emerging crisis in which people endeavor to look for solutions to minimize violent encounters with the police.
I would recommend de-escalation policies and training to be implemented as possible police reforms to counter violent scenes with citizens. De-escalation training would be more often preferred by citizens, civil rights activists, policymakers, and police executives to address the problem of police use of force against civilians. Presidential Task Force has also endorsed it as the only action needed for police to de-escalate potentially violent situations. Todak and James (2018) emphasized that police officers should examine a range of options before applying full force to calm down rowdy demonstrations. However, critics argue that failure to use quick, decisive action against volatile situations would increase the risk of officers’ injury.
I understand that the police are defined by their ability to use force; however, it is the public expectation that they can only do so when circumstances demand so. The use of force separates policing from other occupations. The police have missed their true vocational calling as service providers by defining themselves as crime fighters (Obasogie & Newman, 2017). Nevertheless, unnecessary force continues to be a controversial defining role of the police. The task force should teach the best practices to simultaneously reduce crime while building public trust in de-escalation training programs.
I would support implementation of de-escalation approaches across all faculties of the police force. I advocate the urgent need of researchers to work closely with police executives and disseminate knowledge concerning de-escalation policies and training. The program should be a combined effort along with practitioner colleagues, federal state, and local agencies to advance scientific inquiry on the appropriate use of de-escalation policies and training.
References
Engel, R. S., McManus, H. D., & Herold, T. D. (2019). The deafening demand for de-escalation training: a systematic review and call for evidence in police use of force reform. Unpublished manuscript, IACP/UC Center for Police Research and Policy, Cincinnati, OH .
Obasogie, O. K., & Newman, Z. (2017). Police violence, use of force policies, and public health. American journal of law & medicine , 43 (2-3), 279-295.
Todak, N., & James, L. (2018). A systematic social observation study of police de-escalation tactics. Police Quarterly , 21 (4), 509-543.
