The law enforcement environment can often be described as one that is a non-linear, open-loop system, that happens at light speed. One where time can be either friend or foe. Operating in this environment creates stress which affects decision-making. Within this time-compressed environment officers often feel they need to act because they are there, rather than allowing the circumstances of a call to determine the urgency to act.

The question is how to provide a strategy for the officers to effectively control the stress response and to make lawful and ethical decisions. The answer is two-fold: 1) Emotional Intelligence and 2) the use of thinking and mental models.

Emotional Intelligence helps reduce the stress caused by non-linear, uncertain events. Being able to regulate emotions allows officers to make better decisions. Emotional Intelligence also helps to control the implicit bias system. The use of thinking and mental models (OODA, Cynefin, Adaptive Decision-making model) assists the officer in their sensemaking and decision-making capabilities. Students are taught to make decisions based on urgency or the need to take an action and within the Constitutional framework of the 4th Amendment.  These components are a great complement to any de-escalation strategy.