Use-of-Force Instructor Training

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Definitions

Crisis Intervention and De-escalation (CID) Techniques: Verbal and nonverbal communications that are designed to de-escalate crises.

Instructional Skills Course: A course approved by the Director of Police Services that teaches adult learning theory and provides opportunities for potential instructors to practice writing learning objectives, creating lesson plans, and developing defensible written and performance-based evaluations.

Intermediate Weapon: A device intended or designed to be used as a weapon, but for which the normal use is not intended or likely to cause serious injury or death. Impact weapons, aerosols, and conducted energy weapons fall within this category. Intermediate Weapons may also be referred to as less-lethal weapons.

Officer: A constable appointed under the Police Act or an enforcement officer appointed under section 14.15 of the Police Act.

Pacific Region Training Centre (PRTC):  The RCMP’s Training Centre located in the Pacific Region.

Police Academy: The entity authorized by the Director of Police Services to administer provincially-approved recruit and advanced training for Municipal Constables, Designated Constables and Enforcement Officers.

Provincially-Approved Training: Training that has been acknowledged by the Director of Police Services as adequate to meet BC requirements pertaining to training on a specific topic or set of topics.

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Standards

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must:

(1) Authorize, or designate a person who may authorize, a person to instruct Officers in the use of force.

Training requirements

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must:

(2) Ensure any person authorized to instruct Officers in the use of force, apart from those exempt as listed in Standard (3) below, has successfully completed:

(a) A provincially-approved Instructional Skills Course; and
(b) BC’s Standardized Use of Force Instructor Course (SUFIC) or other Provincially-Approved Training for use-of-force instructors, that includes:

(i) Emphasis on instructional skills, as well as competency in use-of-force options, and
(ii) Learning objectives that ensure participants leave the course able to effectively instruct and assess the following topics:

1. Theory of application of all levels of force including application of use-of-force models;
2. Ethics;
3. CID techniques;
4. Application of Criminal Code of Canada and BC Provincial Policing Standards;
5. Use-of-force reporting obligations;
6. Soft and hard physical skills;
7. Vascular neck restraint;
8. Intermediate Weapons;
9. Building searches;
10. High-risk vehicle stops; and
11. Use-of-force scenario simulations.

(3) Notwithstanding Standard (2) above, persons who were authorized to act as use-of-force instructors in a BC police service prior to April 1, 2013, and having completed earlier use-of-force instructor training courses, may continue to instruct, provided they meet all the conditions listed in Standard (4) below, and maintain their qualification by meeting all conditions listed in Standard (5) below.

Pre-requisites

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must:

(4) Ensure any person authorized to instruct Officers in the use of force:

(a) Is a currently serving Officer, or employed with the BC Police Academy or the Pacific Region Training Centre (PRTC);
(b) Has a minimum of four years law-enforcement experience;
(c) Has successfully completed BC’s Crisis Intervention and De-escalation (CID) Training course, or other Provincially-Approved Training in crisis intervention and de-escalation within the previous three years;
(d) Does not have, within the previous five years, any substantiated use-of-force complaints or findings of misconduct related to use of force;
(e) Has no assault convictions; and
(f) Is considered suitable for this type of instruction, which includes not having a pattern of complaints or use of force or other behaviour that is of concern to the police service over the course of that Officer’s working career.

Maintenance of qualification

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must:

(5) Ensure any person authorized to instruct use of force maintains their qualification by:

(a) Conducting at least 30 hours of use-of-force instruction each year;
(b) Participating at a BC Police Academy or PRTC endorsed professional workshop or course every two years, at a minimum; and
(c) Maintaining all of the pre-requisites listed in Standard (4) above.

Lapses of qualification

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must:

(6) Ensure, if any person previously authorized to instruct use of force has allowed their maintenance requirements as listed in Standard (5) above to lapse for three years or more, that person must:

(a) Meet all requirements as per Standard (4) above; and
(b) Successfully complete the entire SUFIC, or other Provincially-Approved Training for use-of-force instructors as per Standard (2)(b) above, again, before they can be authorized to instruct use of force.

(7) Ensure, if any person previously authorized to instruct use of force has allowed their maintenance requirements as listed in Standard (5) above to lapse for less than three years, that person must:

(a) Meet the requirements of Standard (6)(a) and (6)(b) above;  OR
(b) Meet all the following requirements:

(i) Pass the written and practical entrance exam for the SUFIC, or other provincially-approved assessments, administered by a qualified use-of-force instructor, and
(ii) Conduct 15 hours of instruction under the supervision of a qualified use-of-force instructor, and
(iii) Meet all requirements as per Standard (4) above.

Recordkeeping

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must:

(8) Ensure written records are maintained of:

(a) The instructor’s qualification; and
(b) Maintenance of qualification each year.

(9) In accordance with Standard (8) above, ensure that the following minimum information is maintained:

(a) The name of the instructor;
(b) The courses attended by each instructor and their dates;
(c) The dates and number of the instructional hours logged as part of yearly qualification maintenance as per Standard (5)(a) above; and
(d) The lesson plans for the instructional hours logged as part of yearly qualification maintenance as per Standard (5)(a) above.

Policies and procedures

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(10) Policies and procedures are consistent with these BC Provincial Policing Standards.