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Use of Force Assessment and Risk Management for Instructors

Use of Force Assessment and Risk Management for Instructors

Prerequisite:  Firearms Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Subject Control Instructor, Internal Affairs/Professional Standards, or in a position that requires the assessment/evaluation of force.

This course is part of the Use of Force Risk Management Series. Knowledge and skills needed by force instructors are different than what officers need in the field. Using force is different that instructing it. This is an advanced course for use of force instructors in identifying and managing training risks.

There are four elements that must be present at a minimum level in order to have a use of force to be reasonable. These elements are: Force Knowledge, Force Skills, Decision-Making under Threat, and Force Documentation. Training in all four elements for each type of force is needed to show reasonable training. This course provides instructor level knowledge in all four. Selected Supreme Court and Circuit Courts of Appeals cases are covered to provide a comprehensive understanding of use of force assessment and risk management. Applied use of force concepts reduce the likelihood of the "silo" effect between use of force areas (firearms, defensive tactics, communication, etc.) that can lead to conflicting training. Root Cause analysis basics are provided so instructor can address the causes and not merely symptoms of use of force mistakes. Understanding and being able to assess common use of force skills, tools, and techniques are provided. This course breaks down decision-making under threat into a process. This allows instructors to train and assess decision-making independent of knowledge and skills. It also provides a template if an agency does not have a decision-making process (BLET does not provide one). Documentation of force continues to be a major risk factor for liability. This course provides a process for evaluating use of force reports for clarity and detail in critical areas. Force documentation is one of the least trained and understood elements by instructors. How valid and reliable was you last force documentation training?

This course provides instructors the basis to design and evaluate: training, curriculum, policies, procedures, and supervision in order to identify risks in use of force training and how to manage it. This course provides instructor’s legal and training research that allows for targeted training with the required documentation necessary to prove training was reasonable.

Instructor:  Gerald Takano is a Use of Force specialist with over 25 years in Use of Force training and experience. He possesses numerous instructor level certifications to include: Firearms, SCAT, Master TASER, Pepper Spray, Edged Weapons, Advanced Ground Defense, Pepper Spray, Baton, Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths to name a few. He is a graduate of the Force Science Institute. Gerald also has over 30 years of martial arts instructing experience. He retired from the Raleigh Police Department in 2017. Gerald has conducted extensive legal, technical, and training research on the use of force. He designs and implements Use of Force Risk Management courses for officers, supervisors, instructors, and managers. He is an expert witness and consultant in the use of force. Gerald is a partner at Mindset Force Management, LLC.

Cost/Multi-Day (8:00 am - 5:00 pm): Free for members of the NCLM Workers’ Compensation & Property & Liability Trust; $60 for others

Location:
Richmond Community College
142 West Hamlet Avenue
Hamlet, NC  28245