Is empathy in a police officer a strength or liability? “The innate fear reaction is the most important thing police need to learn how to regulate during situations involving people suffering from mental-health issues.”. All police officers know this fact, and all citizens should be aware of it as well. We struggle to maintain the empathy needed to “protect, serve, and keep officers safe. As the community sees the officers showing empathy, it builds a trust between them and the police agency protecting them, he said. The company behind Taser weapons is putting Oculus Go headsets on Chicago police to train them in empathy—and teach them when to keep their weapons holstered. It is called Empathy Training and it is designed to show officers how to de-escalate tense situations. (https://thecrimereport.org/2019/09/25/police-offered-virtual-reality-empathy-training/), When dealing with someone experiencing a mental-health crisis, empathy is one of the most valuable tools a police officer has. “When you’re trying to make that judgment very quickly, that’s where we see mistakes made.” Axon is the latest major organization to harness virtual reality as a means of preparing people for operating in complex, high-pressure environments where there is little room for error. The academy is operated nationwide and open to all police personnel who would like to improve their empathetic and communication skills, improve their mental health, learn personal life skills, and manage their emotions during tense situations. The most trusted source of information on the business of learning. Addressing unconscious bias in officers is one of the fundamental goals of these sorts of VR trainings. “They’re showing up to various scenes with an adrenaline spike,” says Laura Brown of Axon, a company known for making Tasers that has become the biggest U.S. seller of police body cameras. Let’s explore 5 important ways fostering empathy can enhance officer safety, then take a look at some ways to improve empathy on the force. However, issues about self-selection have not been empirically examined. Police academies have often used dashcam and body cam footage to teach about tactics and officer safety. Being able to empathize with the victim is often the first step in de-escalating a crisis before it turns more chaotic or dangerous. You can make a donation to keep this important work moving forward by clicking here. With the current state of unrest across the country due to the George Floyd protests against police brutality, many are touting this measure as a necessity for all police departments to begin implementing immediately. Curricula for the training and retraining of police can provide officers with ways to be more effective and improve community reactions to their efforts. Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News. Your email address will not be published. Let’s explore 5 important ways fostering empathy can enhance officer safety, then take a look at some ways to improve empathy on the force. Another police training program, called Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), suggests it can. Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates get more support. It’s what is driving a program at the University of Maryland’s Lab for Applied Social Science Research. How Do AG Candidates Stand on Justice Reform? Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM™), Managing Learning Technologies Certificate, The Business of Corporate Training Landscape. Axon, which also sells body cameras and software for law enforcement, runs an annual certification program for officers that use Tasers. Take Account of Empathy in Police Training This is one of the most promising areas for improvements. Despite criticism from some about its reliability, its impact on solving cases is hard to deny, writes a forensic scientist. When dealing with someone experiencing a mental-health crisis, one of the most valuable tools a police officer has is empathy. Maintaining compassion and empathy in a law enforcement career can prove challenging. Training can include steps to help officers learn about and show empathy for the concerns of the specific communities and neighborhoods where they work. Still, police agencies continue to experience challenges as individuals sometimes over- and underreact to stimuli and face fallout from officer-involved shootings. “The ability to tell the difference between someone who’s acting in an unusual way that may be due to their autism versus someone who could be a risk to you can be a really fine line,” David Kearon of the group Autism Speaks told the Associated Press. When officers cannot treat those they serve with compassion and respect, they become ineffective and potentially a liability for their agency. Police training should take seriously the importance of empathy and incorporate it into their core curricula. WATCH VIDEO OF 2019 JUSTICE MEDIA TRAILBLAZERS. Officers fall back on instincts and unconscious prejudices … Officers are placed in an immersive virtual world using a VR headset and asked to respond to a call for service. While the below list is focused on police, empathy goes for all of us that interact with police. Dardeen says every Indianapolis police officer goes through an eight-hour mental health first aid course. Curricula for the training and retraining of police can provide officers with ways to be more effective and improve community reactions to their efforts. Many police procedures are intended to maximize the safety of the officer … ‘Breakthrough’ Technology Improves DNA Analysis in Cold Cases, Sex Crimes, Disobeying Parents Can Get Juveniles Locked Up in Michigan, Manafort, Charles Kushner Pardoned by Trump, 2019 John Jay/HF Guggenheim Crime Journalism Award Winners, Bill Moyers The Crime Report’s 2018 Justice Trailblazer, TCR’s 2018 Top Ten Stories and Newsmaker of the Year, 2018 John Jay/HF Guggenheim Crime Journalism Award Winners, CNN’s Van Jones The Crime Report’s 2017 Justice Trailblazer, 2017 John Jay/HF Guggenheim Journalism Award Winners. Training includes techniques on how to de-escalate a situation. 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