The typical police officer is trained and prepared to mitigate physical threats, but studies indicate that only about 2% of police-civilian interactions result in physical encounters. The vast majority of conflict events involving officers consist of interpersonal disputes with little actual violence. To successfully navigate the complexities associated with these disputes, officers must have a clear understanding of conflict, must appreciate how their presence changes the conflict dynamic, and must be able to apply various communication and conflict management techniques. Teaching officers how to employ these techniques results in positive safety and enforcement outcomes, including increased officer safety, reduced repeat calls, lower costs, and higher officer satisfaction rates.

The Conflict Engagement for Law Enforcement facilitation system includes all of the training resources necessary to help law enforcement personnel learn and apply critical communication and conflict management skills. The system includes a facilitator guide with conflict information, lesson plans and exercises, presentations ready for roll call or training day delivery, and additional training resources. The system also includes an individual consultation to help you shape the material to fit your own department’s needs, ensuring you identify and teach the most applicable techniques. In total, the system includes enough resources for you to immediately conduct at least fifteen hours of conflict engagement training, and focuses on the following subject matter areas:

  • The effectiveness of conflict engagement techniques

  • Conflict engagement and use of force

  • Officer-specific conflict issues

  • Communication and conflict management skills for officers

  • Law enforcement-specific mediation and arbitration strategies

  • The conflict engagement cycle

Creating an organizational culture of conflict management will increase officer safety, improve enforcement outcomes, and positively impact officer retention efforts. This product is designed for law enforcement trainers and other personnel who are interested in building conflict management skills within their departments.