A local police department is undertaking specialized training in order to enhance safely and reduce human error during the course of duty.
The Saxonburg Borough Police Department is engaged in psychological and physical officer training through the Community One Public Safety Training Initiative at Makowski’s Martial Arts and Fitness.
Lieutenant Kevin Stiles explains what the program involves.
This is primarily hand-to-hand situations. We’ll use some baton strikes, but its mainly blocking, striking, handcuff techniques, takedowns, and a little bit of ground fighting,” Stiles said.
“We also are doing threat recognition,” Stiles added. “So we’re reading a person’s body language. We look at which shoulder is back, and which one is forward. That gives us an idea of if they’re looking to attack, and which way it may come from.”
The Saxonburg Borough Council recently mandated that the entire department will attend eight hour sessions four times a year that include classroom learning as well as physical technique.
Stiles has been attending the training for over a year and had the opportunity to put it into use several months ago.
“I was dealing with a drunk individual, and he started threatening to beat me up. I tried to back out of his apartment,” Stiles said. “Knowing that I’ve gone through the classes as much as I’ve done, I felt a extra sense of calmness, that I was still in control of the situation and didn’t need to take a course of action at that point.”
“I was able to talk my way out of it and calm him down. He ended going back into his apartment,” Stiles said. “But all the techniques they taught me, I felt like I was prepared.”
Stiles emphasized the importance of police knowing as many different techniques as possible in order to have options to protect themselves and the public during stressful situations.