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‘Respect and empathy’: Local police training is adapting to reflect the changing nature of the job

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Policing has always been a tough job and in many ways, it’s getting harder today.

“There’s no secret that the mental health crisis in the nation is skyrocketing, so oftentimes, that could be the majority of your calls as opposed to years ago,” said Cambridge Police Sergeant Beth Halloran who is the Director of the Cambridge-Northeastern Police Academy.

The academy has changed how future officers are trained so they’ll be better equipped to deal with the volatile situations they’ll likely face.

Police cadets respond to simulated mental health situations. The goal is to defuse the encounters peacefully.

Their program now includes I-CAT training as part of the curriculum for new recruits. That stands for integrating communications, assessment, and tactics.

“A big thing that we do here at the academy, which is very different than I’d say what we did years when I was in the academy, is communication,” explained Sergeant Halloran. “You have to know how to talk to people. You have to treat people with respect and empathy and compassion and answer their questions. Years ago, it was much more militant.”

This approach comes at a time when high-profile cases of police brutality have sparked mistrust in law enforcement across the country.

It’s something that’s hit close to home for Cambridge.

The police department is dealing with the death of Arif Sayed Faisal, a UMass Boston student who was wielding a knife and was ultimately shot and killed by a police officer last winter.

The various scenarios and follow-ups with instructors make the cadets feel empowered to handle these types of situations.

“I think that instead of you know using our legal power per se, just being able to talk to people as a person yourself, and building those relationships with the community, is essential to policing in general,” said Cadet James Herbert.

Cadet Rockeem Robinson added, “It’s not like things you see on TV. It’s going to be a lot more about dealing with people, like James said, on their worst days, and this type of training that we’re doing is getting us ready for that, just learning how to help people calm down.”

Sergeant Halloran added, “I think it makes a difference for police officers. It makes a difference for the public, and i think it makes a difference for generations to come. If one of these students can talk about what they’ve learned and why they’ve learned it and how it benefits their community, then that can help one person, and then we’ve done our job.”

Cadets from 11 departments are currently enrolled in the academy.

The cadets will graduate on Thursday, June 15.

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