Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/516432
ByGeneJohnson TheAssociatedPress BURIEN,WASH. Whenpros- ecutor Dan Satterberg used to visit Washington state's police academy, the seas would part before him. Re- cruits would snap to atten- tion, backs to the walls, and allow him to pass. Now, they greet him and start a conversation. "It takes a lot longer to walk down the halls," said Satterberg, the elected pros- ecutor in Seattle's King County. The friendlier attitude reflects a campaign under- way here and elsewhere around the U.S. to "demili- tarize" the police and pro- duce officers who think of themselves as guardians of their communities, not members of an occupying force. Calls for demilitarizing law enforcement began a few years ago but gained urgency after the violent protests over the shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Mi- chael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, last summer. The philosophy was en- dorsed this week by Pres- ident Barack Obama's 21st Century Policing task force. As part of that change in thinking, Obama curtailed the government's practice of supplying armored ve- hicles, heavy weapons and other military-style equip- ment to police departments. But it isn't just about the gear. While some critics say that good officers already consider themselves pro- tectors and that police need the best equipment to defend themselves and the public, many law enforce- ment leaders see a need for a broader change in police training and culture. That includes getting cops to use their wits rather than their weapons when- ever possible, as well as instilling a strong moral compass. Supporters say the approach could reduce cynicism, corruption and maybe even suicides among officers. "We are at this moment where we have to re-engi- neer how we recruit, how we train and how we su- pervise," said Chuck Wex- ler, president of the Wash- ington, D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum. "De-escalation, crisis intervention, better com- munication skills — all of these things are what the 21st century police officer needs to have in any situ- ation, whether it's talking to a citizen you may have stopped or trying to defuse a situation where a men- tally ill person has picked up a rock or a weapon." For the past few years, the Washington State Crim- inal Justice Training Com- mission, which trains the state's local police and sher- iff's deputies, has empha- sized such skills. The state academy relies heavily on a curriculum called "Blue Courage," de- veloped by a former Aurora, Illinois, police commander with support from the U.S. Justice Department. It was first used in 2013 at Arizo- na's largest police academy, after local chiefs listened to a presentation. The Justice Department has spent $1.5 million so far on Blue Courage, and it has been introduced at the New York City and Balti- more County police depart- ments, as well as academies in Nebraska and Arizona. Washington state's acad- emy has boosted the train- ing hours devoted to han- dling people with drug or mental problems, and Blue Courage principles have been incorporated into fire- arms and defensive tactics classes. Recruits can fail a training exercise if they use force when it may have been avoidable. Where recruits were once berated by instructors and indoctrinated with stories about police killed in the line of duty, they are now offered lessons from neu- roscience about how the brain reacts to respect or disrespect. They are taught that po- lice can't do their jobs un- less citizens see their au- thority as legitimate — something that is eroded with every questionable use of force, rude interaction or corrupt cop. LAW ENFORCEMENT Demilitarizing the cops: States retool police training ELAINETHOMPSON—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Seattle police recruits Travis Duennes, le , and Tre Smith work together through a practice scenario at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission in Burien, Wash. "De-escalation, crisis intervention, better communication skills — all of these things are what the 21st century police officer needs to have in any situation." — Chuck Wexler, president of Police Executive Research Forum SUSAN WALSH — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky walks to a Republican luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington on Friday. By David Espo and Charles Babington The Associated Press WASHINGTON In a vic- tory for President Barack Obama, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation Fri- day night to strengthen the administration's hand in global trade talks, clear- ing the way for a highly un- predictable summer show- down in the House. The vote was 62-37 to give Obama authority to complete trade deals that Congress could approve or reject, but not change. A total of 48 Republicans supported the measure, but only 14 the Senate's 44 Democrats backed a pres- ident of their own party on legislation near the top of his second-term agenda. Obama hailed the vote in a statement that said trade deals "done right" are important to "expand- ing opportunities for the middle class, leveling the playing field for American workers and establishing rules for the global econ- omy that help our busi- nesses grow and hire." Separate legislation to prevent parts of the anti- terror Patriot Act from lapsing, and a bill to pre- vent a cutoff in federal highway funding, also awaited action by lawmak- ers who covetously eyed a weeklong vacation — set to begin whenever the work was done. Senate passage of the trade bill capped two weeks of tense votes and near-death experiences for legislation the administra- tion hopes will help com- plete an agreement with Japan and 10 other coun- tries in the Pacific region. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who was Obama's indis- pensable ally in passing the bill, said it would cre- ate "new opportunities for bigger paychecks, better jobs and a stronger econ- omy. "The tools it contains will allow us to knock down unfair foreign trade barriers that discriminate against American work- ers and products stamped 'Made in the USA,'" he said. A fierce fight is likely in the House. Speaker John Boehner supports the measure, and said in a written statement that Republicans will do their part to pass it. But in a challenge to Obama, the Ohio Republi- can added that "ultimately success will require Demo- crats putting politics aside and doing what's best for the country." 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