Training… why is it still an issue?

I’m going to state the obvious… training is important in law enforcement. SO, the question is, why in the year 2025, do departments still struggle to make it a priority? It could be argued that most departments “do the best they can” given budget constraints, personnel issues like being short staffed, scheduling, and resources like access to certain types of training. I’ve often heard this “do the best they can” statement from people who oversee training units and in most cases, they aren’t wrong. At the end of the day, they answer to someone above them in rank and if training is not a priority to that person, others beneath them are forced to “make do”. The problem is that simply making do creates a larger problem overall. The public constantly expects more from law enforcement and often times, the end result is never enough. There is an unlikely realization that it will most likely never be enough.

Administrations tend to cower from public perception and political pressure from city or county officials. This creates a knee-jerk reaction situation and often times leads to a misidentification of training priorities from an administrative perspective. An over-focus on de-escalation and its place within force incidents is a prime example and has led to poor decision making or hesitation in force incidents leading to people being unnecessarily injured or even killed. Now, don’t get me wrong, de-escalation is important when it’s appropriate, but at the end of the day it is just another tool on your tool belt. You wouldn’t use a screw driver to hammer a nail so it has to be applied when the opportunity is available.

In my opinion, law enforcement should focus on some primary aspects of training for their personnel such as use of force law and policy, case law, interviewing skills/techniques, combatives, shooting skills, communication, basic trauma care, problem solving/critical thinking techniques, and the application of the above-mentioned things under stress. There should also be a manageable frequency of said training built into officer scheduling to ensure consistency. Unfortunately, law enforcement personnel can’t be pulled from the street for weeks or months on end to master a skill in training so there has to be a way for departments manage this. It also needs to be incumbent on officers to seek training on their own to enhance their skill sets. The reality is that while a department may try its best to provide as much training as possible, it will never be enough, so officers need to invest in themselves as well.

I created Mean Street Solutions in order to help bridge the gap between departments looking to better their training opportunities and officers looking for training on their own that is practical, relevant, and affordable. When it comes to “tactical” training, there are tons of options out there from big names in the industry to good training companies that not many have heard of. You should take advantage of as many as you can because you will learn something from all of them and tailor those things to your needs. My hope is that you will make Mean Street Solutions one of your options. Until then, stay safe and look out for each other.