The Portland Police Bureau is announcing that it has completed training its sworn members in Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE). This national training was developed by the Georgetown University’s Law Center and was modeled after a program originally developed by New Orleans Police Department. Today, the Bureau held a media availability to discuss the training and included members of PPB's advisory councils and a representative from the national ABLE program: https://youtu.be/AkvXwRzaON4
The Portland Police Bureau began the process of becoming an ABLE agency in 2019. After an application process, it was selected to join almost 70 other law enforcement agencies and state and regional academies across the country in offering this training. The eight hours of training was provided to all sworn members, from the Chief all the way down to our newest officer, beginning in August and the last members went through in December.
ABLE has three pillars: to prevent misconduct; reduce mistakes; and promote health and wellness.
While there are state laws and PPB directives that guide Bureau members in regard to the duty to intervene and report misconduct, ABLE trains officers on HOW to intervene as well as skills and tools to identify potential warning signs and be proactive in identifying certain conduct before it escalates.
The corresponding directive, 0305.00, Active Bystandership, Intervention, and Anti-Retaliation can be found here: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/796477
"What attracted us to this training is that it is an extension of all the progressive training in de-escalation and intervention we have already learned," said Chief Chuck Lovell. "Research shows that ABLE training improves officer wellness, which can have a positive impact on performance, decrease stress, and reduce occupational risks for law enforcement. At the same time, externally, it helps build community trust and relations. I want to thank Assistant Chief Jami Resch who took the lead on this project and was an active trainer. I also appreciate the time, effort and professionalism of all the ABLE instructors who assisted with this training."
The training aims to give law enforcement the tools to effectively intervene and create an institutional culture that supports and encourages peer intervention and one that does not tolerate retaliation. It was developed for PPB with the involvement of the community.
"With the promise of community awareness, PPB has been engaged with community outreach, especially with volunteer, community based advisory groups that work with PPB," said Laila Hajoo, co-chair of the Portland Police Coalition of Advisory Groups.
The Training Advisory Council (TAC) were also active partners in development of this training. Their report can be found here: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/797000
"I saw a very promising course that was excellently delivered by the presenters and the objectives were solid," said Dr. Jim Kahan, a member of the PPB Training Advisory Council (TAC), who attended the training. "We at the TAC think this is really promising and we think this could be a great big game changer for PPB and we look forward to seeing it grow."
Moving forward, PPB will continue working with the national ABLE program to include the concepts in upcoming inservice training. In addition, all new officers will receive ABLE training as part of the Advanced Academy.
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