Fort hays state university (FHSU), through its criminal justice program will use FY24 safer outcomes funding to enhance public safety and community trust by expanding the delivery of specialized…

The Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) awarded a $800,000 Cooperative Agreement to Fort Hays State University (FHSU) under the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants (CFDA 16.710) program. Through this funding, FHSU's Criminal Justice Program will expand the delivery of specialized de-escalation training for law enforcement personnel across 7 states, including Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Wyoming. The initiative will develop regional training hubs to provide this curriculum, titled "De-Escalation: Principles & Practice," which has demonstrated promise for improving officer response to escalated subjects and attitudes towards de-escalation training. FHSU will also expand the training to mental health professionals who work alongside law enforcement as part of crisis intervention teams, in order to enhance response to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The award period is from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026.

Fort hays state university (FHSU), through its criminal justice program will use FY24 safer outcomes funding to enhance public safety and community trust by expanding the delivery of specialized training in DE-escalation techniques for law enforcement personnel. This initiative will expand the current training region, which includes colorado, iowa, kansas, missouri, oklahoma, nebraska, and wyoming, through development of training hubs to deliver training to agencies in states east, south, west, and potentially north of the existing region. Evaluation of the training curriculum DE-escalation: principles & practice facilitated by three cops funded regional training centers, shows promise for improving officer response to escalated subjects, and improving attitudes about DE-escalation training. We will also expand delivery of the training to mental health professionals who work alongside law enforcement as members of a crisis intervention team or other agreement to improve response to subjects experiencing a mental health crisis, which requires more time, space, and understanding to manage the situation and potentially referring a subject for a mental health evaluation.