DE-ESCALATION
SIMULATION TRAINING

In the past, police officers usually took an aggressive approach to end incidents like domestic calls, armed suspects, and people having mental breakdowns. The use of force, and even firearms was quite common, which can result in unnecessary escalation and a higher risk of injuries, and even death for both the subjects and the officers.

While this is still a controversial topic in some police circles, a considerable number of police departments all around the US have started to incorporate de-escalation techniques into their training, and have seen a decrease in the use of force incidents, injuries, and complaints against officers.

Though De-escalation training is very important for police officers, it can be quite useful for civilians as well. Allowing them to deal with small conflicts more peacefully, and avoid escalation and violence before the police have to be called.

Now, it is important to understand that de-escalation is more of a philosophy than a process. Every situation, every subject, and every officer is different, and there are no set steps or rules you can follow to de-escalate a situation. Still, there are many skills that a person can develop through experience and training that can help. For instance, officers should learn how to build a connection with their subjects, listen to them, remain calm in stressful situations, and use verbal and non-verbal cues to help the subject calm down rather than approaching them in an aggressive stance with one hand on their firearm.

The best way to develop these skills is through experience, and one of the best ways officers new to de-escalation training can get experience is through simulation training. Police training simulators are more than just a use of force shooting simulator. They allow officers to experience complex scenarios and adapt in real-time to their actions. Officers can use their de-escalation techniques in 1000s of simulated scenarios ranging from a simple traffic stop to dealing with aggressive subjects.

These immersive role-playing simulations have multiple branching decision trees, which allow officers to refine all of their de-escalation skills, like maintaining their authority and presence without agitating an anxious subject, using the right tone of voice and body language, and separating a threatening subject from crowds without aggressive force. Throughout these simulated scenarios, trained and expert instructors can evaluate the performance of trainees, to help them improve their de-escalation skills.

Lastly, de-escalation training simulations can help police officers learn how to remain calm and composed in stressful situations, and use the least aggressive method to control a situation. In many cases, new police officers who haven't had de-escalation training get anxious and pull out their weapons too early. If a police officer, who is trained to enforce the law, can not remain calm, how can a normal civilian be expected to remain calm with the barrels of multiple firearms pointed at them? Therefore, de-escalation training is essential for police officers, and training simulations are a very effective, safe, and cost-efficient way to train for it.