Mindset Force Management LLC
Use of Force Assessment and Risk Management for Supervisors (Managing Risks in Use of Force Encounters Supervisor) - 1 day
Who should attend: Field Training Officers, Instructors, Professional Standards/Internal Affairs, Sergeants, Lieutenants, or managers who assess use of force
This course focuses on individual use of force assessment by instructors and supervisors. Understanding and applying the four elements of reasonable force (Knowledge, Skills, Decision Making, Documentation) are given. "Root Cause" analysis skills are developed to differentiate between symptoms and causes. This course breaks down decision making and documentation into processes that can be evaluated objectively. Understanding how to request additional clarity and detail from officers/deputies without corrupting the process is an important skill to understand and practice. This assessment process can be applied to evaluate performance in all use of force training (BLET, in-service, remedial) as well. The design of this course also improves instructor and supervisor risk management for failing to train and/or supervise in both the training and field environment. De-escalation is a part of the use of force assessment. This course provides an assessment process for de-escalation knowledge, skills, decision-making, and documentation. This course provides the basis for evaluating force incident risk in the following areas: Criminal/Civil, employment, decision making, and stress management. Accurate force risk assessment of incidents and training allow for better management and predictability of future incidents as well as managing on-going incidents. This allows instructors/supervisors to be proactive in their duties and provide command staff a more accurate understanding of not just individual force risk, but agency force risk management.
Upcoming Classes:
February 24, 2022 Carthage, NC (reserved for Moore County Law Enforcement Officer Association)
Use of Force Risk Management for Officers (Managing Risks in Use of Force Encounters for Officers) - 1 day
This course is part of the Use of Force Risk Management series and is designed for the frontline officer. Use of Force Risk Management requires an understanding of many factors. Training for officers in Use of Force Risk Management is not provided in Basic Law Enforcement Training. This course provides a clear understanding individual of use of force risk. With the use of force, risk cannot be eliminated. It can only be minimized and managed. Understanding and applying the four elements of reasonable force (Knowledge, Skills, Decision Making, Documentation) are given in this course. This allows officers to assess their current risk and know how to improve it. Skills in overcoming resistance from non-compliant persons and when to safely attempt, continue, or stop de-escalation skills are provided. Reasonable force knowledge and skills are not enough to minimize risk. Officers must be proficient in decision-making under threat. This course breaks down decision-making into a process that can be done quickly in rapidly evolving circumstances and does not need to be changed depending upon the level of threat. A duty to intervene to stop potential excessive force must also be trained and not merely a statement in policy. Force documentation continues to be a high-risk area for officers. This course provides a process for officers to assess their narratives and ensure it contains all relevant information and be able to confidently testify years later.
Upcoming Classes:
TBA
Advanced Conducted Electrical Weapons Instructor Risk Management Course (1 day)
Who should attend: Conducted Electrical Weapon Instructors/Master Instructors
Conducted Electrical Weapons (CEW) can be an effective tool for dealing with Active Resisters. When used reasonably CEWs have prevented or reduced injuries to both officers and actively resisting subjects. Unfortunately, large jury awards, settlements, and officers being charged and convicted criminally have been increasing every year. This course is designed to be supplemental to manufacturers' Instructor and Master Instructor courses and greatly improve attendee assessment and risk management of their agency's training, policy, and supervision.
This advanced instructor course provides technical, medical, legal, and training risk management of conducted electrical weapons not provided by any manufacturers' instructor courses. This course is the result of over 15 years of research on CEWs and over twenty years of law enforcement use of force training experience. Training considerations specific to Conducted Electrical Weapons (CEW) and their liability are provided. Detailed Circuit Court of Appeals cases are reviewed well beyond the manufacturer's curriculum as well as medical research, and selected cases of misuse and abuse of CEWs highlight current risks. Training research that affects the instruction of CEWs and policy/training risk management are covered.
Have you upgraded to the TASER X26P, X2 or TASER 7 models? There is a difference in the pain and incapacitation ratings compared to the TASER X26. Weapon retention, weapons confusion, curriculum design and in-service training are part of this course.
Exposure training is not included in this course. It is recommended that attendees have completed voluntary exposure training to improve comprehension of information provided in this course. This course is detailed and technical and requires a strong knowledge of CEWs and the reasonable use of force. Manufacturer's instructor or master instructor certification are recommended.
Upcoming Classes:
TBA
Use of Force Risk Management for Managers (1 day)
Use of Force Risk Management requires an understanding of many factors. Training for managers in the skill of assessing and evaluating use of force risk management is often not provided in management training because this is a profession specific function. With the use of force, risk cannot be eliminated. It can only be minimized and managed. Defending an officer's/deputy’s actions goes beyond the facts of the incident. Also, an officer/deputy at some point will make a mistake in the use of force. Is you agency prepared at all levels to manage this risk?
There are four elements that must be performed at a minimum level for an officer/deputy to have a reasonable use of force with low risk management. These are force knowledge, force skills, force decision making, and force documentation. Weak ability in any one of these increases risk management greatly. Supervision, assessment, and management of these four elements requires additional skills than simply being able to perform them as an officer/deputy in the field. How does your training, policy, and supervision integrate de-escalation and duty to intervene with use of force? Assessing and managing use of force risk across all units and divisions must have a comprehensive process that identifies key root causes of success and errors and is predictive of future use of force risk. Proactive risk management of elected officials (city council, county commissioners, district attorney, etc.), police-community relationship, and labor-management relationship are important and should have a process. An officer/deputy can use force reasonably by legal standards but still have high risk management because of other controllable factors not performed well. This course provides the skills to assess current risk in your agency's use of force management process.
Upcoming Classes:
TBA
Use of Force: Knowledge, Skills, Decision Making, and Evaluation (Instructor) - 2 day
Who should attend: Use of Force Instructors for the following: firearms, defensive tactics, subject control, conducted electrical weapons, pepper spray, reality-based training, subject matter experts
There are four elements that must be present at a minimum level in order to have a use of force to be reasonable. 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.). Understanding and being able to assess common physical skills used in law enforcement improves practical effectiveness and prevents training scars.
Knowledge and Physical skills are not enough for officers to have the ability to use force reasonably. Research indicates our brains want to make decisions differently under stress than without it. All law enforcement decision-making models do not address this key factor. Also, current models are too broad and are not brought down to the process level. In other words, they are not practical for field use and fail under rapidly evolving circumstances. We have designed "Branched Force Decision Making" specifically for law enforcement. This is a binary decision-making process that works with the stress response. It improves decision-making speed while managing stress. It gives officers the ability to act reasonably, assess, and critically think in the moment. It is simple and does not need to be changed for different levels of threat. This process integrates de-escalation skills without compromising safety or the need to act immediately. It allows for improved recall of critical thinking and decision making for documentation. Since this is a process it can be objectively evaluated and assessed.
The final element skill that must be present is documentation and evaluation of force. For this element we have created the 5-Step Clarity/Detail Loop. This documentation process organizes the "who, what, where, when, why, and how" of a use of force in a logical, simple process. It provides a platform that prevents leading or corrupting questions by managers and subject matter experts. These "loops" provide easy locating points for ease of recall and testimony. This process is universal for officers, supervisors, Professional Standards, instructors, and Command Staff.
This course provides instructors the basis to evaluate training, curriculum, force policies, and procedures in order to identify instructor risks in use of force training and how to manage it.
Prerequisite: Firearms Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Subject Control Instructor, Internal Affairs/Professional Standards, or in a position that requires the assessment/evaluation of force.
Upcoming Classes:
TBA