District Attorney’s Offices Hosts Conflict Resolution & De-Escalation Training

On Monday, District Attorney Mike O’Dell sponsored a Conflict Resolution & De-Escalation Training for area law enforcement. The event was held at the Little River Canyon Center. Attendees included law enforcement officers and officials from Dekalb and Cherokee Counties.

Matt McCullars, Director of the Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy, presented the 8-hour program to the 25 attendees. He was assisted in coordinating the training by Kaleb Littlejohn, Director for the Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement at Jacksonville State University.

“This training was requested by several agencies in light of the happenings across this country involving contact between law enforcement officers and the public,” District Attorney Mike O’Dell stated. “Director McCullars, an expert in the areas of Conflict Resolution and De-Escalation, presented an in-depth program on the causes of conflict, and the different strategies that officers can use for resolution and de-escalation of these encounters. It was an outstanding program and was made even more effective in that attendees were provided with the opportunity to ask questions and get feedback on potential issues.”

O’Dell pointed out that such training is crucial for both new officers and those with extensive experience. “I must admit that Director McCullars gave what I would call ‘common sense’ advice, but his strategies exposed many of the weaknesses we all experience when encountering conflict, and how we should respond. I, personally, came away with a new perspective on how I could put into practice effective conflict resolution principles. And we all agreed that the ability to de-escalate a potentially volatile or explosive situation could save lives—both the officer and the member of the public.”

“I am extremely grateful to Directors McCullars and Littlejohn for taking their time to share their experience and expertise with the officers who were able to attend. The responses I got after the training completed assured me that their time was well spent. We are already in the planning stage to present this training again for those officers who were unable to attend on Monday,” O’Dell said.

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