What to know about CMPD’s new ‘state-of-the-art’ de-escalation training facility
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police unveiled a “state of the art” facility this past week that will focus on de-escalation tactics, which department officials hope will help save lives.
Instructors will use “real-life scenarios” at the two-story, 3,400 square-foot facility at CMPD’s academy in southwest Charlotte.
The facility broke ground months before the police shooting of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but the fatal shootings of Keith Lamont Scott and other Black people by CMPD officers in recent years have added to the nationwide conversation about revamping policies and training around de-escalation and police use of force.
In November 2020, CMPD renamed its use of force policy to “Response to Resistance,” and revised its language to emphasize an officers duty to try and defuse potentially violent scenarios through de-escalation. The policy can be enforced if an internal investigation proves an officer missed an opportunity to avoid using force.
“CMPD officers have already addressed more than 7,500 calls for service this year that involved shots being fired, armed individuals and other violent crime reports such as armed robberies and homicides,” CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said during a news conference Tuesday. “This state-of-the-art training facility will serve to continue honing our skills so that lives can be saved.”
During their training, recruits participate in more than 60 hours of de-escalation training. After graduation from the academy, officers receive de-escalation training annually.
Here’s more information about the new facility:
▪ CMPD broke ground on the $2.4 million facility in February 2020, a month before the COVID-19 pandemic.
▪ Twenty-eight cameras will allow instructors in a viewing room to have a comprehensive view of the facility.
▪ An auxiliary room with audio/video capabilities seats up to 50 students and will allow them to watch classmates in training scenarios in real-time.
▪ The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation donated $500,000, and the FBI gifted $1 million, toward the construction of the facility.
