If you work in law enforcement and you haven’t heard of de-escalation, you must have been out on extended leave. It’s the new buzzword coming from the mouths of politicians, reporters, teachers, and worst of all, departmental brass. When it comes to de-escalation, these are the five things you need to know.
1. De-escalation is not just verbal.
Commonly referred to as verbal de-escalation, true de-escalation is not that simple. If you attempt to de-escalate someone using only your verbal skills, you will have a very low success rate. Studies have shown that most communications between humans are non-verbal.
The standard is the 7-38-55 rule, which corresponds to how humans communicate their emotions: 7 percent through speaking, 38 percent through tone of voice, and 55 percent through body language. You can read more about the 7-38-55 rule on MasterClass here.
2. Not everyone can be de-escalated.
I know – I know that no one wants to hear this, but it’s an absolute fact. We need to know this from the beginning. Failure to understand this could cause you to overestimate your ability or underestimate the need for another plan of action, resulting in officer and citizen safety concerns.
How do I know this? Simple. Because I have had to carry a toddler in the middle of a tantrum out of a grocery store. If anyone can be de-escalated with my significant educational advantage, superior intellect and greater maturity and patience, why couldn’t I de-escalate a toddler?
If a person does not have the mental capacity to regulate their emotions or has no desire to de-escalate, all the training in the world will not fix it. The good news is most people do not fit into that category.
3. Do not make it worse.
The first goal in every de-escalation strategy should be doing your best to not make it worse. I know, that sounds so simplistic, but ask yourself on the way to the scene, “what could make this worse?” Then, begin to take steps to prevent that from happening.
Some things that can make situations worse are large audiences, loud noises, or a backup officer with a bad attitude. Remember, you will not be held accountable for things that took place prior to your arrival.
4. Gain control of the environment.
Do not start the process by immediately trying to control the person that is out of control. The first thing we teach our students how to do is control the environment. Cops hate it when someone is not listening or is a perceived threat. Whenever this happens, we go straight to asserting authority over that person in hopes of them acquiescing.
The truth is, they are the hardest, most unpredictable thing to control. Calm your workspace first: compliant bystanders, shut down traffic, empty out businesses. Start with the easy stuff. Once that is done, you can focus on the more difficult stuff.
5. De-escalation is not a noun or a verb.
Ok grammatically speaking it is a verb but I'm speaking of mindset. De-escalation is a desired outcome. It is not something you can actually hold or a specific thing that you alone can do. It takes, at an absolute minimum, two people to de-escalate a situation. One person is there to set the stage and direct the participant (you), and another to begin to self-regulate and make the choice to bring the tone down (person in crisis).
Clearing Up
In conclusion, de-escalation training is crucial for officer safety and public trust. However, this training needs to be realistic and practically applicable on the street. You cannot successfully train cops to be psychiatrists, and then expect them to perform at that level alone at 3AM when they haven’t used the skills in the last six months.
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