De-escalation: Understanding and Resolving Conflict

Course Preview

Course Author(s)

Dr. Robert England - Professor of Criminal Justice

Course Summary

Section 1:  Understanding Your Personality

Take and score the DISC Personality Profile and learn how to understand your personality and weaknesses and how to become more aware of the different personality types that criminal justice professionals may encounter.

Section 2:  How Generational Issues Influence Relationships

Learn about a range of generational imperatives and acquire detailed information on the current generations living in society.  Generations are explored in detail and each one is analyzed regarding their key morals, ethics, values, concepts and how they make decisions. 

Section 3:  Ethics, Moral Reasoning, and Moral Development

Explore theoretical concepts dealing with basic and advanced decision making. Learn foundational terminology and theory concerning moral reasoning and development. 

Section 4:  Police Cultural and Interaction with Society

Gain an understanding of the ever-changing cultures and subcultures of society. Learn how each culture and subculture develops basic and complex values that affect decision making and interactions in society.  In addition, learn the basic democratic roles of citizens, society, and the functions of modern policing.

Section 5:  The Essentials of Effective Communication

Learn the basics of effective communication, including verbal, non-verbal, command presence, commination techniques, and the art of active listening.  Cross-cultural communication is also discussed as well as identifying abnormal communication and triggers that may lead to difficult situations and unnecessary confrontations.

Section 6:  Emotional and Psychological Barriers to Making Peace

Learn about the emotional and psychological barriers that exist in the human body, basic human functions that may or may not be able to be controlled under high stress situations. Stress is explored in great detail as well as the need to mitigate the cumulative effects of dealing with it on a daily basis.  Coping skills, health, fitness, sleep and how we make decisions under these challenging circumstances are discussed in detail.  

Section 7:  Case Studies

Explore a wide variety of case studies involving confrontational issues that criminal justice professionals may face in daily interactions with the public.  Evaluate case studies and determine what went wrong, what went correctly, and how the situation could be handled differently. 

Course Syllabus

  • Module 1 - De-escalation: Understanding and Resolving Conflict

    • Introduction by Robert England
    • Download DISC Personality Profile Assessment
    • Taking the DISC Assessment
    • Scoring the DISC Assessment
    • Understanding the DISC Assessment / Generational Differences
    • Ethics, Moral Reasoning and Moral Development
    • The Roles of Police
    • The Essentials of Effective Communication
    • Emotional and Physiological Barriers
    • Decision Making
    • Assessment
  • Module 2 - Case Study Videos

    • Case Study: Police Abuse?
    • Case Study: Officer Criticized at Ceremony
    • Case Study: Officer Tases 65-Year Old Woman
    • Case Study: Rude Kid Abuses NYPD in Harlem
    • Case Study: Citizen Pulls Over Cop
    • Case Study: Police Altercation Goes Viral
    • Case Study: Angry Officer
    • Case Study: Attempt to Escalate?