Recently, there has been an increase in media attention and public interest in the use of de-escalation by police officers; however, concerns have been raised regarding potential risks to officer safety. The literature examining the relationship between officer safety and de-escalation is sparse. Drawing on performance assessments of 122 active-duty police officers during a realistic scenario with a person in crisis, the relationship between de-escalation techniques and officer safety was examined using multiple regression analysis and multiple correspondence analysis; a positive (but imperfect) relationship between de-escalation and officer safety was found. The association between relational de-escalation strategies (e.g., active listening, displaying empathy) and officer safety appeared to be strong; less so for tactical de-escalation strategies (e.g., pre-planning, self-control). However, it is unclear whether relational strategies increase officer safety, or whether greater officer safety allows relational strategies to be used. Future research is needed to understand this relationship and determine whether similar results are found in more naturalistic settings.
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