Westlake Police to Partner with Ohio Tactical Officers in Training Course

The Westlake Police Department (WPD), partnering with the Ohio Tactical Officers Association (OTOA), is proud to announce they are hosting a 2 day Force Science Realistic De-Escalation Instructor Course this week.

On Thursday and Friday, September 8-9, WPD will welcome officers from several local and out of state police departments as they come together to learn concepts and best practices for law enforcement professionals to use to accurately assess potentially violent confrontations and, when feasible, defuse them with applied tactics to avoid use-of-force crises.  

The Westlake administration believes that our officers are among the best at professionally interacting with persons in the community including those who may be experiencing crisis.  “We believe that this training will enhance our efforts to attempt to de-escalate situations before they become violent.  Tactics such as recognizing and overcoming barriers to effective communication will give our officers the best chance at limiting the degree of force necessary to bring situations to a conclusion.”

Advanced courses such as this also support the Westlake Police Department’s efforts to review and effectively evaluate each and every use of force situation faced by officers.  Lessons learned from this self-reflection allow our trainers to reinforce effective practices while recognizing areas where improvements may be made. 

WPD’s continued focus on training directly supports 2 of the department goals which are to Preserve life and Restore Peace and Improve professionalism.  

This course was awarded continuing education credits through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Peace Officer Training Commission. This course is also nationally accredited by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Training and Standards Association (IADLEST)