Promising safer policing, CMPD breaks ground on de-escalation training facility
In the latest step to reduce the use of deadly force, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers will soon have a new training facility for practicing tactics aimed at diffusing dangerous situations.
The goal, CMPD Chief Kerr Putney says, is de-escalation.
On Tuesday morning — in view of the shooting ranges where police officers practice using rifles and pistols — city officials gathered to break ground on the new facility, where officers will learn to manage potentially violent situations without using their guns.
The planned 3,400-square-foot facility, located at the Charlotte Police and Fire Training Academy on Shopton Road, will include a classroom as well as a two-story space for de-escalation training.
Tuesday’s ground breaking comes on the heels of a recent change to CMPD policy governing how police officers are permitted to use their weapons. Many police departments nationwide have revamped policies and training around de-escalation and police use of force. Nationally, as well as locally after the 2016 fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, there have been calls for police reforms and more de-escalation training, sparked by the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police.
In November, CMPD renamed its use of force policy to “Response to Resistance” and revised the language to emphasize that officers have a duty to attempt to defuse a potentially violent scenarios through de-escalation.
While the new policy does not affect the legal threshold for when a police officer is considered justified in shooting and killing someone, the new policy can be enforced if an internal investigation shows an officer missed an opportunity to avoid using force.
The goal is that officers will be able to resolve a situation verbally and with “time, distance and cover” tactics, said CMPD Director of Training Lt. Sean Mitchell. If officers need to use force during an arrest or encounter, he said, ideally they use “low level control,” such as non-lethal methods like Tasers.
Putney said that last year CMPD officers had around 9,000 encounters with people who were carrying guns or other weapons. All but a few, he’s said, were handled without the use of deadly force. The new training facility gives officers an opportunity to prepare for those situations, Putney said.
“This investment is not only going to save lives ... but also return pride to all our officers,” said David Dooley, chair of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation.
To demonstrate the need for a new training space, Putney pointed to an existing structure nearby where officers practice clearing a building and other drills. The open-air structure called an “active shoot house” is made up of red painted wood, sliding wooden panels and blue barrels. Trainers watch from above on a raised platform.
“It was the best we had at the time,” Putney said of the existing facility. “This (new building) is going to give us an opportunity to really update (and) come into the 21st century.”
The new facility will include adjustable features and cameras that will record an officers’ performance, Mitchell said. As for de-escalation training for traffic stops, Putney said those exercises continue to take place at a nearby driving facility.
Construction for the facility — which will total $2.4 million — will be paid for by a $1 million contribution from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, a $500,000 donation from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation and taxpayers funds from the city that were approved by City Council last November. Officials anticipate the training facility will open by June.
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
