No National Police Reform? No Problem. Police2Peace announces new partnership for grassroots 'do no harm' police reform

NEW YORK, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With no national police reform legislation in sight, the 501 (c)(3) organization Police2Peace announces a new partnership with Con10gency and Atlas Performance Management for grassroots "do no harm" police reform. 

Since 2018, Police2Peace has delivered solutions to systemic community-police tensions and mistrust by reframing police officers as "Peace Officers" who, like doctors, take an oath to, "Do no harm".

Called the C.A.L.M Approach, the Peace Officer de-escalation training by Con10gency is how police officers can remain Peace Officers when they need to restrain someone.   

"De-escalation techniques should be taught to, and used by, every American police officer," said Rick Smith, founder of Con10gency and a retired Peace Officer with nearly three decades of experience with the San Antonio Police Department.  "But de-escalation works, until it doesn't. The C.A.L.M. Approach gives officers another tool to use to control violent interactions without harming the person they must arrest. In this way, it is completely consistent with being Peace Officers."

Recently, the C.A.L.M. Approach by Con10gency was taught to the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office as part of work performed there by Police2Peace and Con10gency following a high profile shooting in 2021.

"A day after the training, our deputy used the C.A.L.M. approach to resolve a dangerous situation peacefully," said Sparty Hammett, the Pasquotank County Manager.  "Without the Peace Officer de-escalation training, the situation could have turned out very differently."

ATLAS (Assessment Training Liability & Accountability Software), the Peace Officer body worn camera system, is being used in conjunction with the C.A.L.M Approach. 

"ATLAS is a part of the Peace Officer approach because it allows police trainers and supervisors to review their officers' actions in the real world," said ATLAS founder Jonathan Parham a retired Chief of Police and CEO of 360AOR LLC.  It enables them to critique officer performance, separate mistakes from misconduct and ensure the agency is providing the officer with all the tools needed to perform their job well."  

"The operational mindset of 'Peace Officer,' where officers seek to 'do no harm' may be the most powerful concept in policing today", said Jim Bueermann, a 40+ year veteran of policing, retired police chief and past president of the National Police Foundation.  "Peace Officer represents smart, rightful policing in action.  Smart, because it is using the evidence about what works to control crime and build community trust and confidence in the police.  And rightful, because it aims to control crime with without causing harm to the people the police are paid to protect."  

Police2Peace addresses community dissatisfaction with the police to create "Peace Officer" cultural change that is fundamental to police reform.  It is a trusted source of programs and policies for departments, municipalities and communities throughout the U.S. 

Visit https://police2peace.com/

SOURCE Police2Peace