密歇根新闻广播 警察接受重新训练 改变对武器的观念

When police officers are faced with potentially dangerous situations, the initial reaction is often to draw their weapon. That, after all, is what their training suggests they do: A 2015 survey of training curriculum at more than 280 police agencies found that the typical agency devoted¹ 58 hours to firearms training and 49 hours to defensive² tactics, compared with 10 to communication and just eight to de-escalation.

This type of training, and the warrior³ mentality⁴ it creates, has been at the root of deadly confrontations⁵ between police and the people they're arresting in recent years.

And in a report by a presidential task force on policing, one of the primary recommendations was a change in training techniques in order to shift the mentality of officers from warrior to guardian⁶.

A new police training program through the University of Michigan - Dearborn hopes to do just that. The program was created by Don Shelton, a former judge who served for 25 years on the Washtenaw County Circuit Court. Now he is director and associate professor of the Criminology & Criminal Justice Program at the University of Dearborn.

He told us that recent police shootings have created a lack of confidence in law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

"Research indicates that our police are now held in lower public esteem⁷ than they have been since 1993 and the Rodney King incident," he said. "We need to change that."

The program, called Alternatives to Violent Force, consists of seven three hour sessions held over the course of seven weeks. There are 20-40 officers in a class, enrolled⁸ by departments that choose on a voluntary basis to participate. Topics covered during those seven weeks include de-escalation techniques, how use of force incidents are interpreted by the law, and African American culture.

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"Permeating⁹ all of our training is the concept of the sanctity of human life, to try to reinforce what these officers already know," Shelton told us. "To reinforce that everybody’s life matters: yours as the officer, the perpetrator who’s standing¹⁰ in front of you, and the general public."

One particular area of focus is interactions with citizens who are mentally-ill or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In such confrontations, police officers are often faced with apparently¹¹ irrational¹² behavior, which can be worsened when an officer draws a gun.

Shelton highlighted a recent incident in Bakersfield, California, in which police officers shot and killed a 73-year-old man who was suffering from dementia. Upon searching his body the officers realized that what they was a gun was in fact a wooden cross.

Yet, while tragedies like that one underscore the need for reform, Shelton is well aware that a change in attitudes won't happen overnight. He said the goal of the program is not to immediately change the way police handle themselves when they are out on the streets. Rather, he hopes to get the officers who take the class thinking about the way they handle confrontations in the future.

"My measure of success is that, if as a result of all this we save one life – and I don’t necessarily mean an innocent life – if we save one life our program will have been successful," he said.

Listen to our full interview with the co-directors of the Alternatives to Violent Force program, Don Shelton and Juliette Roddy, above.

1 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

2 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

3 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

4 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

5 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

6 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

7 esteem   

n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• The veteran worker ranks high in public love and esteem.那位老工人深受大伙的爱戴。

8 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 permeating   

弥漫( permeate的现在分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透

参考例句：

• His grace was more permeating because it found a readier medium. 他的风度因为有人赏识显得更加迷人。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Thoughts are a strangely permeating factor. 思想真是一种会蔓延的奇怪东西。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 irrational   

adj.无理性的，失去理性的

参考例句：

• After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。
• There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。