WARREN, Mich.— The Warren Police Department has introduced an Emotional Intelligence training program to equip officers with tools to recognize and manage their own emotions and the emotions of those they encounter, The Detroit News reported.
The eight-hour program began with the department’s 15 Peer Support Team members and will expand to all officers in February, according to the report. If successful, it could become part of Michigan’s mandatory police training curriculum.
“The idea is for officers to learn how to deal with their emotions by being aware of what they’re going through and what others are going through,” said Lt. Brent Chisholm, who oversees the program. “This is about…continuing the trend in law enforcement toward officer wellness, helping us understand why we do things and how we can get better.”
Officers begin training with an assessment that evaluates their strengths and weaknesses in self-awareness, self-management, relationship management and social awareness, according to the report. Each participant receives a personalized development plan and will be re-evaluated in six months to track progress.
The training, developed by TalentSmartEQ and approved by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES), is modeled after programs used in Fortune 500 companies and tailored specifically for law enforcement, according to the report. MCOLES Executive
Director Timothy Bourgeois said Warren is the first Michigan municipality to fund such training through continuing education grants, adding that the program could be included in the state’s law enforcement curriculum if proven effective.
Chisholm emphasized how the training can impact real-life scenarios, enabling officers to de-escalate tense situations by managing their emotions and recognizing others’ triggers.
“If I get into a back-and-forth with the driver about the righteousness of the ticket, or policing in general, I’m not recognizing that this person isn’t in an emotional state to hear anything I have to say right then,” Chisholm said. “And I also need to realize that his emotional reaction has nothing to do with me personally. Maybe he knows someone who had a bad experience with police. If I take that into consideration, I can avoid doing something I might regret later.”
