BALDWINSVILLE, NY (NCC NEWS) – New recruits for the Syracuse Police Department will have new training regimens come this March. The recruits will learn Jiu Jitsu to de-escalate situations.
Reports found the training can reduce police and suspect injuries because the grappling style of Jiu Jitsu allows police officers to subdue suspects without having to cause any physical harm to themselves or the person they are subduing.
Syracuse is the latest in a wave of cities to learn the martial art. Local leaders this month approved a $22,000 contract with Jiu Jitsu instructor Ben Tallini.
“We wanna make the push that all police, all the time are getting consistent training,” Tallini said.
More departments are trending towards teaching their officers Jiu Jitsu.
He said the combat style lends itself to situations where police officers can subdue suspects without instigating violence.
Councilor Chol Majok, who proposed the training agreement, said he hopes the martial art style will reduce the need for lethal force.
“What we want to do, especially on my part, is to be less reliant on guns and promote mechanisms that embrace community,” Councilor Majok said.
The program also leads to a decrease in the possibility of injuries during an encounter between citizens and officers according to reports from other police departments that have been using the methods.
In a February 2021 report by the Marietta Police Department, they had reported that officers who had chosen to use Jiu Jitsu had reported a 48% reduction of injuries compared to officers who had chosen not to.
The agreement was approved by the council on Monday, February 7. Issues had been raised about how the police department could have used a Jiu Jitsu instructor from the city instead of one from outside the Syracuse area, but Councilor Majok stated to us that there were no options in Syracuse that could fill the position.
The program will have the entire police department learning Jiu Jitsu and will begin at the end of March.
