“De-escalation” is a term that has been used frequently when talking about law enforcement response to crisis situations. Our Deputies have been training in de-escalation tactics for many years and have employed the skills and abilities learned on numerous occasions in the field.
For example, just two weeks ago KCSO Deputies responded to a domestic violence call in Central Kitsap where the suspect had allegedly killed a family member and then barricaded himself in a residence armed with a rifle. Deputies employed the principles of “time, distance and shielding” while negotiating the suspect’s peaceful surrender and taking him into custody without any further incident.
Earlier this year, a KCSO Sergeant negotiated for several hours with another suspect who had barricaded himself in a home filled with explosives and promised to blow himself up before being arrested and taken to prison. This person also ultimately surrendered and was taken into custody without incident after Deputies on scene de-escalated the situation.
There are numerous additional examples of de-escalation happening every day by KCSO Deputies in the field as we deal more and more frequently with those who are struggling with mental health, substance abuse or other crisis situations.
Recently, our partners at Bremerton-Kitsap Access Television (BKAT) attended one of our “Patrol Tactics” training sessions and created the below video presentation that helps to explain how and why we train in de-escalation tactics.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1229298647610188
