JCPD officers participate in trauma-informed training
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) is hosting a four-day course focusing on trauma-informed training.
The training aims to foster greater empathy, understanding and effectiveness in officers’ interactions with survivors of violent crime. The JCPD stated its goal is to have all officers complete the training.
“This education helps build empathy and compassion for people that have been offended against and that empathy and compassion is something that we really train heavily on,” Training Consultant Justin Boardman said.
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Captain Mike Adams with the JCPD said the training is a new concept to law enforcement and Johnson City wants to be one of the agencies leading the way.
“The first responding officer that is responding to any victim of a violent crime to understand how trauma works on the brain and to be able to identify that aha moment and understand that this victim is going through trauma and maybe right now is not the right time to be asking questions,” Adams said.
Adams said law enforcement has to be flexible to learn new strategies.
“The justice system is evolving, ever-evolving so we as law enforcement [have] to be flexible, learn new strategies, learn new processes and you know go along to be able to evolve with the justice system,” Adams said.
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