Page 20 - February 2017

Training programs need an upgrade
Recently, I found myself with a Saturday af- ternoon all to myself. The wife and kids were busy with various activities and the dog and I were home alone. All those who are mar- ried with kids understand how rare it is
that it will lead to changes which will benefit the individ- ual officers and the communities as a whole.
I hope that training gets the most immediate atten- tion and upgrade. The DOJ found that CPD utilized training videos which were decades old and in some cases, contained outdated laws. This can’t happen, now more than ever. The stakes are too high. Every use of force situation is analyzed on a level never seen before. Criminal and civil penal- ties are lurking every time an officer uses force of any kind. Once officers completed the training academy, they rarely, if ever, received further instruction on use of force. This is particularly troubling considering the fluid nature of the law and the relatively rapid pace at which the law
changes in this area.
Those of you who subscribe to my monthly newsletter
(which can be done on my website or by texting LEGAL UPDATES to 22828) know that every month the courts are shifting the parameters of what is considered appropri- ate and inappropriate levels of force used by law enforce- ment. Officers simply don’t know what the courts consid- er acceptable levels of force at any given time. This has
to have an entire afternoon free to do whatever I wanted. How was my time spent, you ask? I poured a glass of scotch, and then another, and read the
FOP
Legal Rep t
DANIEL HERBERT
DOJ report. I hate to burst the bubble of the 20-year- olds reading, but this was about as good as it gets for this 48-year-old.
After completing the report, I made the decision to judge it with a glass-half-full view, which was ironic con- sidering my glass had been empty for the reading of the final quarter of the report. I was somewhat surprised to find myself in agreement with many of the points and conclusions raised in the report. The promotional pro- cess is flawed. Agreed. Training facilities are inadequate. Agreed. Training, when given, was flawed. Agreed. Lack of supervision. Agreed.
The DOJ raised valid points on these issues and I hope
20 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ FEBRUARY 2017