For Immediate Release

Friday, April 5, 2019

Media Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Arlington Police Work with PERF to Complete Multifaceted Training Program

ARLINGTON — Acting Police Chief Julie Flaherty reports that the Arlington Police Department recently partnered with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to complete Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) training.

ICAT is a new training guide, developed in conjunction with PERF, which focuses on providing police officers with the tools needed to respond to a number of critical situations.

Over the course of four months, PERF members trained all Arlington officers on decision-making, crisis recognition and response, tactical communications and negotiations, and operational safety tactics.

“The ICAT training is particularly valuable to the Arlington Police Department because every member is now better equipped to effectively respond to erratic and volatile situations,” Chief Flaherty said. “We welcome any opportunity where we can improve our skills to keep officers and our community safe at all times.”

Some of the core areas of the ICAT training included:

Patrol officer response: ICAT provides first responding officers with the skills and options needed to safely and effectively manage encounters with people who are acting erratically, often because of mental illness or a behavioral crisis.

Non-firearms incidents:  ICAT focuses on critical incidents where the subject is unarmed or armed with a weapon other than a firearm. These non-firearms incidents often present officers with time and opportunity to consider a range of responses.

Integration of crisis recognition/intervention, communications, and tactics: ICAT integrates communications and tactical skills with crisis intervention approaches. This approach is presented in the context of a Critical Decision-Making Model that helps patrol officers develop and think through their options in these challenging non-firearm related incidents.

Officer safety and wellness: The training guide focuses on protecting officers from both physical threats and emotional harm. This is accomplished by equipping officers with the tools, techniques and skills needed to slow down some situations and pursue options for safely resolving them.

###