Will Kennedy Goes Inside CMPD’s Use of Force Training

CHARLOTTE, NC — CMPD officers have the right to use force on the job. But when is that use of force appropriate? And how much is too much?

Split-second decisions, dangerous scenarios, life and death situations; the results of which can bring intense scrutiny from the public, the media and community activists. Everyone has an opinion.

I had the chance to go inside the use of force training at the CMPD Training Academy, where officers learn to use their voices, fists, pepper spray, a taser or a firearm to defend themselves and the community.

“Every time that we do the training we are teaching them a skill, but then always talking about when to use that,” says Lt. Sean Mitchell. “You know always making them think about the appropriate circumstances or situations they would need to employ that technique. ”

Lieutenant Mitchell and the training staff teach recruits what the department demands when it comes to officer use of force.

“The way this drill is designed is to limit the amount of space the officer has to make that decision,” says Mitchell.

We worked the “box drill”, which forces an officer to make quick decisions, in limited space, based on the level of threat you are facing.
So many things run through your mind in a matter of seconds. What am I authorized to do in this situation? What tool can I use, and should I use it?
The tools are not limited to the belt at your waist. There are many times when officers use communication, use their physical presence, to avoid using force.

“What’s my initial response?” asks Lt. Mitchell. “Is it going to be OC? Is it going to be to step back? Engage you with verbal dialogue? What’s my initial response.”

It comes down to environment, and level of threat faced. No two situations, and no two officers, are the same.

“The pendulum has swung so far that any amount of force now is too much, automatically too much force,” says Mitchell. “And that’s just not reasonable.”

What is reasonable?

Any force beyond what is necessary to subdue a suspect, while keeping the officer and bystanders safe, is considered excessive. The goal is to get the suspect to comply voluntarily, but that’s a judgement call.

We left the training room and went outside to go through simulated, live traffic stops. It was intense. The adrenaline pumping. Everything seemed to move faster in the heat of the moment.

These exercises demonstrate how difficult it is to make a judgment on use of force when situations are fluid and rapidly deteriorating. Repetition is the only way to walk the fine line between quick, appropriate decision; or hesitation that could be fatal in the real world.

“No matter how much training you do, you know you’re not going to die here,” says Lt. Mitchell. “You know you’re not going to get punched in the mouth very hard here. In reality, you don’t always get that safety net there.”

Officers also work on the firearms training simulator, or FATS, a video system that can present scenarios that change based on response.

CMPD focuses on training and techniques to de-escalate volatile situations, both for cadets and veteran officers, who must be re-certified each year.
They have to know and understand the department’s Use of Force Continuum, which sets guidelines for the appropriate response to a suspect’s level of resistance.

Any use of force incident is investigated and reviewed internally, then used as a learning tool. The reality is that more than 95% of citizen-police contacts are handled without rising above the level of dialogue. But CMPD officers have to be ready to properly handle the exceptions.

“I mean people still shoot at us,” says Mitchell. “People still fight us. People still run from us.”

The next crop of CMPD officers, the men and women you saw training in the story, will graduate from the Academy in June.