To the Denver Police Department and Denver Community leaders:

         Police officers face hardships and dangerous situations every day. Officers must protect themselves and the public, but they also have an ethical responsibility to protect themselves when it's reasonable and necessary per the circumstances. When issues can be resolved through healthy communication, patience, and other de-escalation strategies, officers should be able to identify when to use them; to build that knowledge, they need training opportunities.
     I am asking the Denver Police Department to strengthen and consistently evaluate evidence-based, scenario-based de-escalation and use-of-force training. This training will include communication, critical thinking, crisis recognition, de-escalation strategies, and physical techniques. The department should evaluate whether its training is improving outcomes for both officers and the public.
     The issue matters because the police force can ultimately have great consequences for those involved. Research has found that use of force depends on individual, situational, and other factors, showing that officers should be able to determine whether the situation allows escalation (Han et al., 2026).
Further research provides evidence that training programs can make a difference. Engel et al. (2022) examined the Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) program using a randomized controlled research design and found a 28.1% reduction in use-of-force incidents, a 26.3% reduction in citizen injuries, and a 36.0% reduction in officer injuries. This research shows the benefits of a structured de-escalation program.
     Other research supports using practical training methods. Huff et al. (2024) found that a 120-hour training program combining leverage-based control and de-escalation techniques reduced officers' reliance on pain-compliance techniques and was associated with fewer officer and subject injuries. Lavoie et al. (2023) also found that scenario-based training improved officers' de-escalation skills when responding to mental health situations.
     However, de-escalation training is not always a guaranteed solution. McLean et al. (2026) showed that training improved officers' communication styles but did not reduce reported use-of-force incidents. This is why adopting new ideas is essential for growth and to minimize harm. Police departments should not simply provide training and automatically assume it will work. They need to add their own ideas or do further research to see whether other approaches can help.
     As a criminal justice student, I believe ethical policing requires accountability and evidence-based decision-making skills. Officers should be protected, and one way to do that is to provide training opportunities so they can determine what to do when situations get ugly. This can improve community trust because officers feel protected.
     I am asking the Denver Police Department to strengthen evidence-based, scenario-based de-escalation and use-of-force training and measure its effectiveness. This is not meant to eliminate every use of force. The goal is to help officers recognize when an encounter can be safely analyzed, communicate effectively, and minimize harm.

Please sign this petition to support continued efforts toward safer police encounters and better interactions with the public and officers.

Contact:  Chief Ron Thomas

Police Administration Building
1331 Cherokee Street
Denver, CO 80204

Chief’s Office: (720) 913-6527

 

                                                                                                                       References

Engel, R. S., Corsaro, N., Isaza, G. T., & McManus, H. D. (2022). Assessing the impact of de-escalation training on police behavior: Reducing police use of force in the Louisville, KY Metro Police Department. Criminology & Public Policy, 21(2), 199–233. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12574

Han, S., LaPrade, J., Narvey, C. S., & Jang, Y. (2026). A comprehensive examination on police use of force from individual, situational, and structural perspectives. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21533687251314137

Huff, J., Zauhar, S., & Agniel, D. (2024). From pain compliance to leverage-based control: Evidence of reduced use of force severity and injuries following police training. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 18, paae037. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paae037

Lavoie, J., Álvarez, N., Baker, V., & Kohl, J. (2023). Training police to de-escalate mental health crisis situations: Comparing virtual reality and live-action scenario-based approaches. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paad069

McLean, K., Bussey, P. T., Nix, J., Rojek, J., & Alpert, G. P. (2026). Police de-escalation training and its effects on communication: Evidence from an experimental evaluation. Journal of Criminal Justice, 102, 102598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2026.102598