CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department opened its new De-Escalation Training Facility at the academy on Tuesday.
The facility is the first of its kind in the Southeast, and will aid in continuing de-escalation training efforts for officers that will enhance communication skills and increase opportunities for better outcomes through real-life scenarios, according to a news release.
"CMPD officers have already addressed more than 7,500 calls for service this year that involved shots being fired, armed individuals and other violent crime reports such as armed robberies and homicides," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said in a statement. "This state-of-the-art training facility will serve to continue honing our skills so that lives can be saved. This effort would not have been possible without the FBI and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation, so I am very thankful for these incredible partnerships that helped bring this new facility to fruition and allows us to continue serving the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community at the highest level."
De-escalation involves methods that reduce volatile circumstances to voluntary compliance and is essential in safeguarding the sanctity of human life. During their training in the police academy, recruits participate in more than 60 hours of training directly related to de-escalation. Following the academy, all officers receive annual training specifically for de-escalation.
The facility is a two-story, 3,400 square-foot structure with modular and remote-controllable capabilities that allow the structure to create unique scenarios for each student. Technology was also leveraged to enhance the training experience. Twenty-eight cameras feed into a viewing room to enable instructors to have a comprehensive view of the facility. An auxiliary room with audio and video capabilities can seat up to 50 students to watch in real-time as they learn alongside their peers.
This facility is the only one of its kind between San Marcos, Texas, and the Washington, D.C. area, and is also one of the few law-enforcement, multi-story de-escalation training facility structures in the entire country.
The construction of this new facility was funded in partnership with The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation ($500,000), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation ($1 million). The total cost of the project was $2.4 million.
Information from the City of Charlotte
