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Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

Hey, copgoons, quick question. Do any of your departments actually do any practical threat assessment training on the regular? I'm talking about the sort that actually includes practical exercises in when to escalate to violence.

I keep hearing in local political bullshit that part of the problem with any sort of reform is that there "just isn't any budget" for training, and I'm curious as to your experiences.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2015 18:16

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 18:06

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

DrakeriderCa posted:

We do it in our "academy" but we don't have ongoing training in it.

Honestly, we need way more of it - I'd say scenario training provides a huge training value that is necessary for modern law enforcement. The problem is that scenario training doesn't provide value unless you have solid fundamental skills. Fundamental skills are what we usually think of as law enforcement training - defensive tactics, firearms manipulations, positioning and communication. So scenario training can't replace that initial training. It has to follow it. So that means adding weeks of training, which requires roleplayers, props (including vehicles, weapons, and furniture, etc) and locations that provide useful approximations of real life locations. None of that is usually free. The highest value scenario training includes simulated use of force tools (firearms, baton, OC, taser), which are even more expensive. It's a hard sell to convince management of the importance of this kind of training on an ongoing manner.

I tend to think this difference in priorities has something to do with the ease of avoiding wrongful death suits. If it was 'train better or pay out x million in damages every time someone screws up and it costs lives', there'd be reason to make that budget available.

Pipe dream, I know, and on the heads of the people above the officers.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2015 21:22

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

Kiryen posted:

Unfortunately, police work requires a lot of habits that are very bad for you. You eat a lot of bad food because that's all there's time for or because it's 3:00 am and only one or two places are open. You HAVE TO sit in cars, in front of a computer, or waiting around in court for days on end. Few departments offer on-duty time to work out and exercise. It's very easy for citizens to tell the police "get in shape!" when you are not the one that has to do it after getting only 5 hours sleep for days on end because of your work hours - not to mention finding time to spend with your children and spouse.

This is not that I disagree police officers should stay in shape - they should; you are absolutely right in that regard - but the citizenry in this country has a bad habit of forgetting that they cannot simply place additional requirements and demands on the police without paying for it in one way or another.

Okay, so why exactly is this allowed to be the case? I mean, in any other industry, this is a clear consequence of inadequate staffing. Terrible work/life balance, lots of overtime, health consequences due to work. We don't pay cops -that- much.

So what's the motivation to keep things this way?

# ¿ Apr 5, 2015 16:27

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

Smiling Jack posted:

Random drug testing, pop hit you get fired. If you're caught drinking / drunk on the job you take a 30 day unpaid suspension and are then subject to snap breathalyzer tests on and off duty at random times, subject to firing if you blow a BAC over 0.

Hey, beats the guy the local PD didn't fire until he got caught with meth and pot in his cruiser after doing a hit-and-run. Second accident on duty, too, and he's since been picked up from probation methed up high as a kite and is now doing jail time after this happening repeatedly.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/...bation-problems

quote:

A former Des Moines police officer who was caught twice with drugs and a third time when he fled probation and hid in a clothes dryer now is on his way to an Iowa prison.

Polk County District Judge Scott Rosenberg offered little comment this morning when he imposed a 16-year prison sentence on Brandon Singleton.

�Mr. Singleton has demonstrated no desire to be treated� and therefore must be locked up both for his own protection and for the protection of the community, Rosenberg said.

The sentence legally could be reviewed by Rosenberg, upon a defense request, at any point during the next year. But defense attorney F. Montgomery Brown said it�s not yet certain whether a reconsideration request will ever be made.

Singleton, who lost his police job in May after authorities found drugs in his beaten-up squad car, was sentenced last summer to probation stemming from that incident and an unrelated domestic assault � a probation that Singleton quickly violated when he was stopped in a vehicle with drugs and weapons in August.

Singleton was sentenced on the firearms charges Nov. 1 � and warned that there would be no future chances.

Twenty days later, police say Singleton cut off his electronic ankle bracelet and left his parents� Altoona home in violation of his second probation. His father, retired Des Moines police Maj. Rick Singleton, testified this morning that a severely depressed Brandon left to be with a drug-using girlfriend who had said she was pregnant with Singleton�s child.

Must be nice to get literally All The Second Chances and gently caress up that specatacularly.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2015 20:55

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