SAN DIEGO - A de-escalation training class in San Diego County aims to change 'use of force' in law enforcement operations.
Levi Harbin is one of the instructors for the San Diego County Regional De-Escalation and Crisis Management class and tells NBC 7 it's about educating officers on what to do at the start of a crisis situation.
“It is not in those situations that are life or death, or that split-second decision, it's what's leading up to it," said Harbin. "It’s how do we implement those things to create time and space to utilize all these resources we have."
The training includes asking the right questions, then assembling the appropriate backup and strategy. But the techniques don’t supersede an officer's right to defend themselves.
Over the past three years more than 32-hundred law enforcement personnel from 23 agencies have taken part in the training.
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