Training Opportunity - ICAT

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) are partnering to bring important new law enforcement training to Minnesota. It’s called ICAT, which stands for Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics. ICAT has four key areas of focus: patrol officer response; non-firearms response; integration of crisis areas recognition-intervention, communications, and tactics; and officer safety and wellness.

In recent months, PERF has hosted four national meetings on how to implement their new ICAT training guide. Approximately 1,100 law enforcement professionals, representing more than 425 agencies, attended the sessions in New Orleans, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Camden County (NJ). Given the continued interest in ICAT, they are now bringing the training to St. Paul.

Here is a description of this training from their materials:

ICAT is an integrated training approach designed to help officers safely and effectively defuse many types of encounters, especially incidents involving persons who are unarmed or are armed with weapons other than firearms and who may be experiencing a mental health or other crisis. Feedback from our sessions has been positive, and many agencies have either implemented ICAT or are in the process of doing so.

The Minnesota meeting will be held on November 15 at the University of St. Thomas campus in St. Paul. Find more information here on ICAT and how to register for the Minnesota implementation meeting.

Here is a news report on the success of ICAT in New Jersey.

Up next: A Look at Public Safety Work Comp Numbers

Stay safe,
Rob

Implicit Bias Training

The Alexandria Police Department recently hosted training sessions on Implicit Bias Training for Law Enforcement Professionals. The course was taught by representatives of the Anti-Defamation League. Captain Scott Kent invited me to attend, and I had no idea what to expect.

The training room was full that morning with officers from Alexandria and from sheriff’s offices and police departments in the region. It was apparent that many of the officers and deputies knew each other well. I saw that Chief Rick Wyffels was sitting in the front row of tables. During the course introduction, Captain Kent told us that parts of the discussions that morning may make us uncomfortable.

The instructors led us through discussions, some personal reflections, and in exercises that helped bring out an understanding of this issue. With colored markers in hand, we moved around the room publicly sharing our backgrounds and thoughts on sheets of paper taped to the walls. There was occasional humor, and then it was back to business.

The final exercise for the class was to work in small groups to review an incident while looking for bias—both implicit and explicit—and develop a plan for how to handle what was happening. With each small group reporting back to the class, it was impressive to see how seriously they took the training, and their level of professionalism.

I thank Chief Wyffels and Captain Kent for allowing me to sit in and attend the class. To sponsor a class of this quality, on this topic, at this time, taught by instructors from the Anti-Defamation League, was impressive. Captain Kent said some of the evaluations from the previous day’s class indicated officers thought the course should have been longer.

Up next: A New Training Opportunity

Stay safe,
Rob