Truly an impressive course, I look at all aspects of my profession differently now. I can see unsafe situations developing before they become dangerous. It has also given me a greater insight of my own performance. Your teaching methods delivered the course material in a positive and easy to understand format. Thank you for dedication to all of us in the Helicopter Aviation industry."
Testimonials
Great class Craig. Funny, I was just counseling a very experienced officer about an accidental taser discharge in the lock room. As he went through an explanation of his actions I immediately understood what and why it happened. Thanks."
Thank you for such a great class. Your experience and enthusiastic approach to this material is infectious. You're saving lives."
An eye-opening course that combines law enforcement use of force issues with science. Applicable from patrol to upper level management, investigations to court, and criminal to civil litigation."
I recently hosted/attended the 3-day Force Encounters class presented by Craig Geis and David Blake of the California Training Institute. Afterwards I approached Mr. Geis and Mr. Blake and asked who at POST I should contact if I wished to pass on some thoughts about the class, and they suggested I contact you and a few others. While discussing the various topics presented my classmates and I began to kick around the idea that this kind of information should be on the mandatory list for CA LEO training. This surprised many of us, as the general opinion in the room was that much of the “mandatory” training we are forced to watch usually leaves very little, if any, impression on us. More importantly, we also thought this class in particular should be mandatory before a POST Supervisory certificate is awarded. Having been a CA LEO for nearly 18 years, and having attended thousands of hours of training, I can honestly say that Force Encounters Analysis was the most useful, and perhaps most important, single class I have attended since the Basic Academy. The subject matter is critically important for those who conduct after action reports, and it can be equally important for those who find themselves in a use of force encounter because it allows them to better describe and document the incidents. Being better at either, or both, of those two things can only do good things for the future of CA Law Enforcement. The flyer for the class has a long list of who should attend. Frankly, I have seen similar flyers for many classes and often left them thinking that the shotgun approach was geared only toward filling a class with as many bodies as possible and, though I had heard different, went to this class with the same idea. By the final day of the class I was convinced that the job description list of who should attend is not long enough! There should be no limit on the number of persons allowed to attend this class, and everyone from DA’s, to Civil Attorneys should attend as well (there was one of each in our class). In my career I can safely say this is the only time I have ever felt compelled to contact a POST representative and convey my thoughts on a POST certified class. I can only hope that is short email is the beginning of a longer conversation, or process, that all CA LEO’s will benefit from.
After seeing the scientific breakdown of how quickly critical incidents unfold, and the body mechanics and physiology involved, I have developed a new perspective for my investigations into critical incidents."
I would recommend this course to all police trainers and police managers. The information is invaluable for developing training, and in the use of force reviews."
Great class! I would highly recommend it for police psychologists."
As a firearms instructor, I'm going to apply this to our training program, and when I write use of force investigations."
I think this material should be a requirement for all peace officers, either in the Academy or as some sort of advanced. (CPT) training.