“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing … and the worst thing you can do is NOTHING.” —Theodore Roosevelt

The very efficacy of law enforcement, including its duty to prevent harm, requires agencies to instill a culture that empowers officers to intervene to prevent colleagues from being physically injured, engaging in misconduct, or committing policy and procedural mistakes that can have long-lasting consequences. Shifting officers’ mindset to positive intervention keeps fellow officers safe—physically, emotionally, and professionally—and is essential for public trust. Creating a healthy organization gives officers the confidence and tools to effectively intervene and maintain, or even strengthen, existing relationships. Intervening is one of the most courageous acts an officer can ever do to protect a colleague, themselves, and the future integrity of the law enforcement profession.

“Everything rises and falls on the training and education you give yourself and your agency.” —Chief Gina Hawkins, Fayetteville, NC, Police Department

Active intervention training has not been systematically taught to law enforcement officers as it has in many other professions (e.g., medical, military, and airline pilots). Until recently, few law enforcement agencies have taught and reinforced peer intervention as a foundational skill. Training officers when and how to intervene safely is both the prudent and right action for law enforcement agencies to take. “Peer intervention training teaches, in a practical and positive way, the powerful influence that officers have on the conduct and behavior of their fellow officers.”¹ Fortunately for communities and officers, these skills can be trained and learned.

In 2020, the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST) identified the need to provide additional tools and critical skills for successful intervention, meeting the diverse needs of law enforcement agencies across the United States. In consultation with retired Sergeant Michael Quinn of the Minneapolis, Minnesota, Police Department—a pioneer in peer intervention training—IADLEST partnered with the IACP through the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC) to revamp Sergeant Quinn’s early work and customize the content for delivery across the United States.² FORCE Concepts CEO, Jon Blum, and IADLEST project manager, Peggy Schaefer led the development of this critical training program.

The resulting Take Action: Make the R.I.G.H.T. Choice & Intervene training was launched in January 2022 with the Fayetteville, North Carolina, Police Department serving as a pilot site. It was delivered to 33 attendees.

The relevance and timeliness of this training has never been more important. Recent events throughout the United States underscore the need for more formalized training on active intervention in law enforcement. Officers deserve the tools to intervene effectively, safely, and without repercussions; having support from their agency and their peers is imperative in taking the R.I.G.H.T. action and intervening—for officer safety and wellness and for community trust.

“This intervention training will help create organizational and cultural change and serves as a foundation for the direction in which FPD is heading.” —Deputy Chief James Nolette, Fayetteville, NC, Police Department

Take Action: Make the R.I.G.H.T. Choice & Intervene is designed as a one-day, no-cost training, emphasizing the need to Recognize, Intervene, Get Help, and Talk through it. The training is built on the foundation that the R.I.G.H.T. model can be integrated throughout any basic or in-service training topic and infused throughout the employment lifecycle. It focuses on bolstering confidence in needed skills and reducing inhibitors that prevent officers from intervening, regardless of rank or experience. The training integrates adult learning theory through a combination of facilitated discussions, small group exercises, participant-led activities, and case studies. Scripted and realistic role-play scenarios allow officers to practice intervening with colleagues of all ranks when they are about to or are in the process of making a mistake.

During this highly interactive course, participants will receive information and instruction on how to

• • identify key benefits of an effective intervention;
  • analyze how human inhibitors and specific industry barriers can prevent officers from intervening;
  • identify duty to intervene legal standards for law enforcement officers; and
  • apply the R.I.G.H.T. steps during scenario-based exercises, such as officer safety, policy violation, unprofessional conduct, use of force, and unethical conduct.

In addition to the one-day training, a “train-the-trainer” course is also available.

As peer bystander intervention becomes institutionalized as part of a department’s culture, benefits may include fewer citizen complaints, fewer instances of misconduct, a decrease in the use of excessive force, and fewer disciplinary issues. There may also be a noticeable increase in officer safety and wellness, retention of employees, and trust from the community.³

Agencies interested in receiving this training may visit CRI-TAC (www.collaborativereform.org) to submit a request.d

“Officers should want to do the right thing. This course helps push officers who may be hesitant or not confident in what they are doing to intervene.” —Participant, Take Action: Make the R.I.G.H.T. Choice & Intervene, January 2022

Notes:

¹The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing: Independent Oversight and Police Peer Intervention Training Programs That Build Trust and Bring Positive Change, 114th Congress (2015) (appended to written testimony of Barbara Attard, past-president, National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement).

²Michael Quinn, Walking with the Devil: The Police Code of Silence, 3rd ed. (Minneapolis, MN: Quinn & Associates, 2016).

³The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing: Independent Oversight and Police Peer Intervention Training Programs That Build Trust and Bring Positive Change.