December 11, 2004
No one in a command position will argue that officer survival is not a major concern for US police, corrections and security departments. The need for increased weapons firepower, training in lethal and non-lethal use of force, and upgrading police tactics are subjects that sit high on the agenda of most, if not all, law-enforcement commanders.
A growing number of police experts feel that advanced training in the martial arts will not only decrease officer injuries -- even death -- but also would have a positive impact on some of the negative images and misperceptions the public has about cops.
Yet police chiefs, corrections administrators and security directors still find themselves in the precarious position of balancing the need for additional self-defense training for their officers with the concerns of some -- like Norman Siegel of the American Civil Liberties Union -- who claim that "police may use martial arts to bypass department guidelines and disguise the use of excessive force."
But the vast majority of officers disagree with that assessment of martial arts training and feel that providing advanced instruction will give them the ability to survive a physical confrontation while minimizing violence and reliance on firearms and impact weapons. These officers believe that self-defense techniques will prove beneficial to them as well as to the public they serve. The better trained the officer, the less likely he or she will use excessive force, which in turn decreases incidents of injury for both the officer and the suspect, and it reduces the number of liability claims filed against the department and the government and, in the case of security, against the business or institution.
In one New York Times story, police brass were predominately unenthusiastic about additional martial-arts training for their officers. Their feeling is that the 34 hours of training provided in the police academy is both comprehensive and adequate. But New York police officers, in addition to corrections and city-employed security personnel believe they need additional training in unarmed combat.
Their rationale is twofold: Academy training doesn't go far enough; and very little, if any, follow-up or in-service training is provided during their careers.
GOING OUTSIDE OF THE DEPARTMENT
Some officers are so committed to upgrading their knowledge of and ability in unarmed combat, that a growing number of them are shelling out their own cash to attend private academies like Modern Warrior in Lyndhurst, a suburb of New York City. Modern Warrior, which is owned and operated by former police sergeant Phil Messina, is so successful that it boasts a waiting list of over one year and has graduated over 2,000 officers.
However, several police agencies around the country haven't made it necessary for officers to dip in their own pockets for additional training in self-defense. Either they've provided internal, in-service programs, or they've contracted outside private organizations to conduct classes.
