Law enforcement officers train on diversity and crisis de-escalation

Law enforcement has increasingly been under a microscope lately, partly for having to deal with more potentially confrontational crowd situations.

Training seminar last Thursday for law enforcement officers

Officers from several northeast Mississippi counties learned Thursday, July 30, how to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations, improve their communications with the public, and avoid force except whenever it can be safely avoided.

They also learned about what causes people to act and believe as they do.

The training event was at the Magnolia Civic Center in New Albany.

District Attorney Ben Creekmore talks about the challenges facing law enforcement.

District Attorney Ben Creekmore sponsored the event

Ben Creekmore, district attorney for the Third Circuit Court District that includes Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah and Union counties, sponsored a program on cultural diversity and de-escalation led by retired FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Artis.

Artis worked at the FBI for more than 20 years and now operates his own consulting firm in Madison.

“We are living and having to work in a very different time in law enforcement,” New Albany Police Chief Chris Robertson told the approximately 60 officers. The New Albany Police Department hosted the event.

“What I see from national media and sometimes from local media it feels like law and order is being attacked from all sides,” Creekmore said.

Creekmore says law enforcement has not gotten the respect it deserves

Creekmore told an anecdote about former New Albany police officers Tommy Smithey and Sammy Pickens, noting how things have changed over the years. “What they did back then allows our communities to be safe,” he said. “Law enforcement has not gotten the respect that each and every one of you deserve.”

“When I saw what happened across the nation with rioters destroying communities it was very upsetting. It’s almost as if all our communities are being indoctrinated against law enforcement,” Creekmore said.

NA Police Chief Chris Robertson welcomes officers.

“And then comes the slogan, ‘Defund the police.’ That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard,” he said.

Creekmore said he hopes that the training will help start a conversation that will improve relations between the public and law enforcement and give officers the respect they deserve.

“I am convinced that whatever you do today is going to have an effect on everybody 100 years from now,” he said.

Creekmore said every encounter with the public contributes to a cumulative impression. “I promise you we are being judged by the worst of us,” he said.

Law officers play complex roles

“Lawmen are expected to be lawmen, psychiatrists, doctors,” he said. “You are held to a very high standard and you have to make those decisions very quickly. Just know that if you make a mistake it does have consequences.”

“It’s not law enforcement’s duty or job to fix racism, but it is our job to keep our communities that are different from other places. We need to rise to a higher level.”

The first part of Artis’ program was about diversity, noting that most communities are far more diverse than they were 40 or 50 years ago.

“I’m not here to beat you up,” Artis said. “I’m here to talk about differences. It’s not personal.”

He told the group that diversity is, at its heart, a mindset.

“Why do we think the way we think? Because somebody told us,” he said.

Information on diverse traits readily available

The community may be diverse in terms of race, religion or even sexual identity, but it doesn’t take much effort to learn about other races and cultures, Artis said. People essentially have access to the information they need in their phones.

He warned against officers being too mechanical in carrying out their duties.

“You are police, but before that you are human,” he said.

“Can you serve your community if you don’t know your community?” he asked. “Getting to know people, they are so much fun. If you listen to people they will tell you everything about them. We all want to tell our story.”

Officers sometimes need to be flexible, he said. “You can’t fight every battle; you will lose the war,” he said.

Professional appearance, deportment encourages respect

“If you want to be treated professionally you need to act and look professional,” he said. “How many guys in suits have you seen getting cussed out?”

Artis noted that while in the bureau he wore a suit every day when some of the agents dressed more casually. That aided him professionally in terms of respect and career as well.

He demonstrated a variety of techniques to help de-escalate tense situations but the basics were slowing things down and really listening to people and responding accordingly. Officers also need to be aware of the difference between perception and reality, that what one intends on saying may not be what the other person hears.

Diversity can lead to problems through lack of common language, non-verbal miscommunication, preconceptions and stereotypes, fear or a lack of respect.

Most people respect law enforcement

Artis said a 2018 Gallup Poll found that 72 percent of people love law enforcement. “Only seven percent say ‘screw the police,’” he said. “So why is our image so bad? Because most of the time you only deal with the seven percent.”

“Law enforcement is not worse, but everybody today has a recording device,” he said. It’s the seven percent you hear from. “Social media is where we are today.”

“I want to show them (officers) how best to react and respond,” he said. “Not that they need it but they can benefit from it.

“Does law enforcement need adjustment? Of course,” he said. “Everything is changing, but we don’t just shut everything down.”

Officers from eight counties attended training seminar

Officers came to the program from all Third District counties as well as from Pontotoc County and included various branches of law enforcement.

Robertson and Creekmore said they probably will continue to offer training like this again.

“The mindset has to change as to what the community is,” Robertson said. “We have to start changing or we won’t be able to survive.”

“There is a lot of talk about what is law enforcement’s role,” Creekmore added. “It’s to make sure they are safe and the community is safe.”

The New Albany Police Department hosted the event at the Magnolia Civic Center.