Rep. Sykes Applauds Canton Police Department for Participating in De-escalation Training
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) applauded the Canton Police Department (CPD) for taking advantage of a four-week de-escalation training program following high profile confrontations in which the CPD used excessive force. The CPD’s involvement in the de-escalation training program is in line with Rep. Sykes’ legislation, Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De-escalation Act of 2024, which would create a grant program to support public and private entities that train law enforcement officers using an immersive curriculum. The CPD’s efforts to improve de-escalation are a critical step toward improving the relationships between law enforcement and the community members they are sworn to protect, increasing both trust and safety for everyone in Canton.
“Every person deserves to feel safe and secure in their communities, and the CPD’s efforts underscore the need for my Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De-escalation Act,” said Rep. Sykes. “Providing law enforcement departments at all levels with access to de-escalation training – like the program provided by the Midwest De-Escalation Training Center – will start the process of rebuilding mutual trust between law enforcement and the communities they have sworn to protect and serve and ensure that both law enforcement officers and the public can make it home safely after interacting with one another.”
Often, law enforcement agencies lack the necessary resources to provide state-of-the-art, scenario-based training that prepares officers for the circumstances they face on the ground. By creating a grant program that supports de-escalation training, Rep. Sykes’ legislation would allow all law enforcement officers—in departments large and small, rural and urban— access to high-quality training that improves safety, saves lives, and rebuilds trust.
Rep. Sykes’ bipartisan legislation would require the U.S. Department of Justice, specifically through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), to create real-life, scenario-based training curricula for law enforcement personnel based on the wide range of issues they encounter while serving our communities, including:
- Improving community-police relations;
- Officer and community safety;
- Situational awareness;
- Physical and emotional responses to stress;
- Critical decision-making and problem solving;
- De-escalation and use of force;
- And crisis intervention.
Last April, Frank Tyson, a 53-year old Canton resident, died in custody shortly after telling police he could not breathe. This legislation is an important step towards improving the relationships between law enforcement and the community members they are sworn to protect, improving both trust and safety for everyone in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District.
A variety of local and federal stakeholders support the Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De-escalation Act, including the national Fraternal Order of Police, the Akron NAACP, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.