Identifying and supporting effective law enforcement responses to situations involving conflict and crisis are a priority of the department of justice (DOJ)

Under a Cooperative Agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, the National Policing Institute (NPI) and the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) are developing, implementing, and piloting a standards-based approval and tracking process for law enforcement de-escalation training programs. This project, funded at $2,000,000 and commencing on December 1, 2024, supports the ongoing maintenance, administration, and revision of this process by implementing additional activities to expand and further market the process and online platform. The goal is to sustain the impacts of the Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act of 2022 by promoting strategies to assess and enhance de-escalation training over time under CFDA program #16.710 - Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants.

These efforts are reinforced by the law enforcement DE-escalation training act of 2022, which directs the DOJ to develop and/or identify effective training for law enforcement officers and covered mental health professionals in DE-escalation, alternatives to the use of force, and behavioral health- and disability-related crisis response. Key to these efforts is the establishment of a process to assess training curricula offered by public and private entities guided by clear standards for DE-escalation training programs. Under cops award #15JCOPS-24-GK-01371-detx, the national policing institute (NPI) is partnering with the institute for intergovernmental research (IIR) to develop, implement, and pilot test a standards-based approach and online platform for the approval and tracking of DE-escalation training programs. This project, in partnership with the NPI and IIR, will support the ongoing maintenance, administration, and revision of this process by implementing additional activities to expand upon and further market the process and platform. Through this work, NPI and IIR aim to sustain the impacts of ledta by promoting strategies to assess and enhance DE-escalation training over time.