Lakewood Police Department
Policy and Procedure
DE-ESCALATION		 Effective Date: 01/07/2021
Policy Number: PP-4502 De-Escalation
     
A. Policy

Agents should attempt to de-escalate dynamic encounters by applying non-violent means before using force when safe to do so.  At times, an Agent must react to resistance, aggression or a violent or resisting person in order to protect the Agent, other Agents, members of the community or the involved person from the risk of imminent harm.  Not every potential violent confrontation can be de-escalated but agents possess the ability to impact the direction and the outcome of many situations they handle based on their decision-making and the tactics they choose to employ.

B. Procedure

1. When reasonable under the totality of circumstances, Agents should gather information about the incident, assess the risks, assemble resources, attempt to slow momentum and coordinate a response.

2. Agents should use advisements, warnings, verbal de-escalation and other tactics or alternatives to higher levels of force when it is possible and reasonable to do so. 

3. Agents should recognize opportunities wherein it is advisable and reasonable to withdraw to positions which are more tactically secure or which provide greater distance and reaction time with which to consider deployment of a wider variety of force options.  Agents must perform their work in a manner which avoids unnecessarily jeopardizing their own safety or the safety of others through poor tactical decisions.

4. Supervisory Role: The likelihood of a favorable outcome is increased when supervisors become involved in the management of the police response to potentially violent encounters by coordinating resources and tactics.  Supervisors should possess good knowledge of tactics and ensure that Agents under their supervision conform to those concepts.  Supervisors are expected to acknowledge and respond in a timely manner to incidents which are likely to result in the use of force by law enforcement personnel.

5. Tactical disengagement may be appropriate when agents are responding to an  incident involving a person who is not a threat to officers or others. A responding agent or supervisor may believe that the situation may be handled more safely by utilizing tactical disengagement.  This procedure recognizes that the legal authority to take a person into custody does not override law enforcement discretion to pursue safer courses of action.  

6. If the Agents believe that tactical disengagement may be appropriate, they should contact an on-duty supervisor to respond if one is not already present.  If, after attempting contact and de-escalation techniques, the supervisor determines that the person is not known or reasonably believed to pose a threat to others and that further police interaction with the individual may result in an increased risk to the person, public or police personnel, the supervisor should develop and implement a plan for tactical disengagement.