Cuyahoga County And Tri-C Partner To Train Law Enforcement Officers In De-Escalation Techniques

Anger and grief over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May set off protests in cities across the country including here in Cleveland.

The largely peaceful protest on May 30 turned ugly when police clashed with some protesters at the Justice Center.  Police used tear-gas, pepper spray and flash grenades to disperse crowds.

Now Cuyahoga County and Cuyahoga Community College--Tri-C—will partner together to offer training for officers in mass gatherings with a focus on de-escalation techniques.  The county says the training is its response to the riots.

The training will focus on de-escalation techniques, understanding the role of policing in mass gatherings and protests including the protection of constitutional rights, implicit and explicit bias awareness training and fostering trust within the community.  The county has approved $250,000 for the training sessions.

The training will involve 2,500 officers.  The number will include all members of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s SWAT and Mobile Field Force units.  An additional 7,500 spots would be available for other officers from jurisdictions within the county.  The aim is to put officers on the same page in terms of training. 

 A new study published in the American Journal of Medicine takes a look at the lifetime risk of death from firearms and drug overdoses if current trends continue unabated.  The study's author puts that death risk overall at 1 in 100 for firearms and 1 in 70 for drug overdose.  Those findings shift a bit depending on location and demographics.  The doctor who conducted the study, Dr. Ash Sehgal, says he hopes the results get the attention of policy makers.

A payroll tax deferral signed by President Donald Trump in an executive order took effect on September 1. 

The order allows participating employers to defer the share of Social Security withholding paid by employees until the end of 2020.  This means paychecks for participating employees will be larger in 2020 but that extra money employees take home will have to be repaid over the course of early 2021. Financial experts say the deferral amounts to a short-term loan.  Companies have the ability to opt-in or opt-out of the deferral.

• Clayton Harris, Chief of Police, Dean of Public Safety, Cuyahoga Community College 
• Michael Gallagher, Cuyahoga County Council, District 5 
• Ash Sehgal, MD, Physician, MetroHealth Medical Center, Professor of Medicine Case Western Reserve University
• Ed Dabkowski, Retired ATF Executive, Research Affiliate, Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education, CWRU
• Deborah Geier, Professor of Law, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University