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New York Mayor Announces Police Retraining Program

Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said the retraining would require some 22,000 officers to complete a three-day course.

December 4, 2014
New York Mayor Announces Police Retraining Program

Photo: NYPD Facebook page


One day after a grand jury declined to indict a New York police officer in the death of Eric Garner, prompting angry protests and calls for reform from elected officials, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday announced the start of a significant retraining of the nation’s largest police force.

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 “The way we go about policing has to change," de Blasio said.

Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said the retraining would require some 22,000 officers to complete a three-day course.

The program, beginning this month, is modeled on the periodic required firearms retraining that all officers must regularly undergo. Mr. Bratton first announced the department-wide retraining effort in the wake of Mr. Garner’s death. He provided further details at a City Council hearing in September, including learning “de-escalation” techniques, the New York Times  reports,

On Thursday, First Deputy Benjamin Tucker provided a broad outline of what officers would be taught in each of the three days. The program — which includes teaching on street tactics as well as presenting a “nonjudgmental” posture — was a kind of “refresher” from what officers learn at the Police Academy, Mr. Bratton said.

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