The PORAC Institute training program is partnering with several organizations to offer an even greater range of low-cost, top-notch educational opportunities. Joining forces with other respected law enforcement training providers allows our members access to specialized expertise in a wide variety of issues facing the profession today, with the goal of helping you be more effective in your association and your career. Here’s a look at the partners we’re working with and the courses coming up in 2022.
Calibre Press
The mission of Calibre Press is to make first responders, and the communities they serve, safer, smarter and more successful. Founded in 1980 with the publication of the book Street Survival — the inspiration for its trademark seminar of the same name — this public safety training company offers more than a dozen courses on topics from implicit bias to cybersecurity.
On January 26–27, PORAC members can attend the Calibre Press course Women in Command in Roseville. Designed to help female law enforcement leaders excel in their agency and the community, this class covers creating and maintaining an effective organizational culture, lessons from successful leaders, the need for diversity in leadership, promoting, supervising, mentoring and more.
Later in the year, PORAC members will have the opportunity to attend two additional Calibre Press training courses. Constitutional Use of Force separates fact from fiction about case law, the use of force and human performance under stress. Focusing on Supreme Court decisions and applicable state statutes, it strives to help limit your exposure to excessive and unnecessary uses of force and, as a result, avoid litigation. Topics covered include the impact of video on investigations and public perception, use of force with disabled persons, report writing and electronic control weapons.
A complementary topic is De-escalation, Intervention and Force Mitigation, a course intended to develop and strengthen officers’ abilities to mitigate the need for force by better understanding human nature, identifying and interpreting the source of intense emotions and implementing strategies that help you to demonstrate unwavering professionalism, even in the face of extreme provocation. Based on scientifically rooted, research-supported knowledge of psychology and human behavior, it covers topics including detecting deception, verbal and nonverbal cues, recognizing pre-assault indicators, keys to de-escalation and more.
Force Science Institute
The Force Science Institute is dedicated to the application of unbiased scientific principles and processes to determine the true nature of human behavior in high-stress and deadly force encounters. Its research, training and consulting are designed to support fact-based investigations, inform decision processes, enhance public safety and improve peace officer performance in critical situations.
On May 24–25, PORAC members can take Force Science’s Introduction to Human Dynamics and Conflict Resolution in Garden Grove. This course outlines the psychological and physiological factors that affect threat assessment, sensory perception, decision, performance and memory, and applies these concepts to high-stress and life-threatening encounters in a law enforcement context. The latest version of the course includes up-to-date material that will change the way participants view video recordings, such as those from body cams.
On December 5–9, PORAC members can participate in the intensive Force Science Certification course at PORAC Headquarters, which uncovers the realities surrounding officer performance under stress, action/reaction time, memory, decision-making and more aspects of complex, rapidly unfolding encounters. Attendees will learn how to revolutionize their agency’s training programs, support community and media relations efforts, enhance investigations, inform departmental policy decisions, evaluate their agency’s tactics and force options, and more.
Law Enforcement Social
With a team of experienced law enforcement social media managers and PIOs, Law Enforcement Social trains America’s public safety personnel on how to properly and effectively get their message out to the community. Their courses offer hands-on experience with skills like actually setting up a photo shoot, streaming live video and replying to negative comments, so all attendees leave having “been there, done that.”
On February 1–2 in Ontario and April 25–26 at PORAC Headquarters, Law Enforcement Social will present its Public Information Officer Workshop, where attendees can learn the latest tips and tricks every PIO needs to know when it comes to producing professional and engaging content for the media and the community. The course covers laws and policies, organizing a social media team, live-streaming, press conferences, news releases, crisis communications, media relationships and more.
The Resiliency Project
The mission of the Resiliency Project is to end the silent suffering of our nation’s first responders by providing peer support and funding for treatment, recovery and psychological services in an effort to treat post-traumatic stress, build resilience and end suicide. Founded by Nick Wilson, who was a police officer for 13 years before medically retiring due to the many injuries he sustained on the job, the team consists entirely of first responders and immediate family members of first responders who have experienced and witnessed the impact of trauma.
On January 26 at PORAC Headquarters, the Resiliency Project will offer its CA POST-approved S.T.A.R.T. (Strategic Trauma and Resiliency Tactics) training, a highly interactive, peer-driven course designed to provide law enforcement officers with a fundamental understanding of how stress impacts the mind and body, tactics for coping with cumulative trauma and strategies that promote holistic wellness approaches, mindfulness best practices, improved mental health outcomes and rebuilding resiliency into their personal and professional lives. Attendees will learn how to identify, prevent and reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms and gain tools to navigate through the complexities of untreated trauma.
We hope you’ll join the PORAC Institute and our trusted partner organizations for one or more of these courses in the coming year. For the latest training schedule and to register online, visit PORAC.org/partnership-courses.