County police chiefs’ association to provide de-escalation training to area law enforcement

The Police Chiefs’ Association of Orange County (PCAOC) Police Academy, with the support of the Middletown Police Department and Niki Jones Agency, Inc., will be bringing de-escalation training to Orange County law enforcement.

Aided by Niki Jones Agency, Inc. of Port Jervis, the association applied for and was awarded a $250,000 Law Enforcement Agency De-Escalation Grant by the US Department of Justice. This funding supports whole-agency efforts to provide de-escalation training and allows training officers to attend nationally certified “train-the-trainer” programs.

According to the PCAOC, funding from this grant supports implementation of Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) training, which provides police officers with the tools, skills, and options they need to defuse a range of critical incidents successfully and safely. ICAT takes the essential building blocks of critical thinking, crisis intervention, communications, and tactics, and puts them together in an integrated approach to training.

On May 1, trainers from Orange County municipal police agencies, including the Warwick Police Department, Wallkill Police Department, Village of Monroe Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, City of Port Jervis Police Department and the City of Middletown Police Department completed the 12-hour ICAT Train-the-Trainer program, held at the Orange County Fire Training Center from April 30 through May 1. Those trained will, in turn, train officers from Orange County law enforcement agencies in the ICAT curriculum during ICAT training courses administered by the newly certified trainers through the Police Chiefs Association of Orange County Police Academy. Grant funds will be utilized to offset overtime-related costs incurred for sending instructors and officers to these trainings. Officers will be trained using ICAT-provided lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, scenario-based reality training, and the ICAT Training Guide for Defusing Critical Incidents.

ICAT is designed for situations involving people who are unarmed or are armed with weapons other than firearms, and who may be experiencing a mental health crisis or other episode.

PCAOC claims that such training “strengthens officers’ knowledge, confidence, and decision-making skills; better prepares them to safely engage with individuals under the influence of substances or experiencing a mental health crisis; and bolsters law enforcement relationships with mental health professionals who assist in response to such crises.”

According to PCAOC President Chief Dominick Blasko, “The Police Chiefs Association of Orange County has a proud history of providing meaningful training opportunities that engage officers and provide them with the growth and professional development that they need to be successful in our communities. Our executive board and training committee conducted extensive research, analyzing a number of different programs and curricula within the realm of de-escalation, procedural, justice and evidence-based use-of-force concepts. The ICAT program quickly emerged as the leading method for effectively instilling the proper values and decision-making skills within our local police officers. Our association is very excited to have completed the first step in delivering instruction to our training staff, and we look forward to the positive impact the program will have in strengthening the bond between law enforcement and the people of Orange County. We offer our sincere appreciation to the city of Middletown, the police chiefs and political leaders, and the staff at the Niki Jones Agency, Inc., who have come together to make this very important partnership possible.”