The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) has just announced that they will begin training Jiu-Jitsu in an effort to reduce the amount of harmful use of force. It’s only been a matter of weeks since local law enforcement released a study of their existing practices that was conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and they’re already attempting to make positive changes. The report looked at an incredibly wide range of elements around the topic of use of force, but one of the key sections looks at what other police departments have been doing with Jiu-Jitsu and it seems like that’s where CSPD have taken some of the biggest lessons from.
They looked at multiple police departments from all across the US, including the Marietta police department that was one of the first to statistically demonstrate the benefits of officers training Jiu-Jitsu. Although there have since been several positive reports, PERF were still somewhat cautious about the benefits that Jiu-Jitsu could have for the Colorado Springs Police Department. Although they were clear that more data would be needed before being certain of the degree to which Jiu-Jitsu helps decrease officer and suspect injuries, the report also raised a very solid point:
“Even if Jiu-Jitsu only increases officers’ confidence levels so they are comfortable knowing they have the skills to go hands-on with subjects, if need be, this confidence may reduce situational tension and allow for better communication. A subject may be less likely to become aggressive with an officer who remains calmer and appears more confident.”
Although it’s a difficult point to prove with data, it’s also one that’s hard to argue against from a ‘common sense’ point-of-view. It stands to reason that an officer who is calmer will be better equipped to diffuse a difficult situation or, at the very least, they wouldn’t escalate it unnecessarily. According to the report, this is one of many positive outcomes that the departments already engaging in Jiu-Jitsu training have found:
“Every agency PERF contacted that has integrated some form of Jiu-Jitsu into its DT program was pleased at the positive outcomes it experienced: lower injury rates for officers and subjects, reductions in UOF, recognizable changes in officer confidence levels, and an increase in efforts to use communication to de-escalate situations that would otherwise have been hands-on events, likely with a tool or instrument. No agency expressed regret or shared anything negative about implementing Jiu-Jitsu.”
Although the initial report finished with the suggestion that “CSPD should create an exploratory committee to determine how to integrate Jiu-Jitsu training into its defensive tactics curriculum”, the department has wasted no time in setting up the training. Fox 21 News has reported that the Colorado Springs Police Department has already started receiving funding to begin training, and that’s excellent news. Big names in the sport like Rener Gracie have been pushing for national police reform and every department that takes the leap on their own is another data-point that can be used to make that argument in the future.
