UMass Amherst Police Dept. to Host De-escalation Instructor Training Through DOJ Grant

AMHERST, Mass. — The University of Massachusetts Police Department (UMPD) has received a grant from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to host two de-escalation instructor training courses in the coming months. The $130,645 grant will allow

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UMPD to host the course Sept. 12-14, 2022, and Jan. 9-11, 2023, in the UMass Amherst Campus Center.

The DOJ COPS de-escalation grants provide funding to support training, policies and procedures that encourage a de-escalation mindset, and other organizational change efforts that work toward the creation of a culture of de-escalation within an agency.

The course focuses on a real-world approach to communicating tactfully, which allows instructors to provide a baseline for officers in their departments that will reduce liability, promote a professional image, build a rapport and potentially save lives. This training is a hands-on, scenario-based course that gets instructors involved in classroom participation.

After completing the 24-hour course, officers’ de-escalation training certification will be good for two years, with the possibility to renew. The course comes at no cost to officers or departments; local departments are encouraged to send officers for training.

“UMPD is honored to have received this grant and we are eager to host and help get as many officers as possible, from various departments, trained in the most up-to-date de-escalation skills,” says Sgt. Brian J. Green of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Police Department. “We believe this course will provide officers the opportunity to become informed instructors for their own departments, bringing valuable communication techniques and new approaches to their communities.”

For more information, or to register for the course, visit Blue Shield Tactical Training.