RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE REPORT

That the Ministry of Community Safety create a standardized, eight-hour annual course on de-escalation and critical decision-making for all sworn officers. The course would be delivered at every police service each year. It also recommends that annual use-of-force training be increased to 16 hours from eight, with the extra time being dedicated to de-escalation and decision-making.

The ministry should develop a standardized assessment of de-escalation skills following that training.

The ministry should mandate a review of the curriculum at the Ontario Police College, then develop a new evidence-based training program developed both by academics and police.

A “Train the Trainers” program should be developed to ensure those who will be teaching the new de-escalation training are themselves adequately trained. This should occur before the rollout of province-wide training. Instructors teaching use of force and de-escalation should have to recertify every two to three years.

That the province dispense with the “use of force” model — a graphic representation of what use-of-force options are available to officers under a given situation. The model has been criticized for not clearly representing de-escalation. The report recommends replacing it with a model, highlighting de-escalation.