The UW-Madison Police Department will soon be the only police department in Dane County – and one of just a handful of departments in the Midwest – to take on a new type of training aimed at changing the way officers think about use-of-force in certain critical incidents.
Through Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) training, officers are trained to focus on ways to de-escalate a critical incident situation using communications skills and other tactics. ICAT is designed for situations in which the subject involved is unarmed (or armed with a weapon other than a firearm) and may be experiencing a mental health or other crisis. ICAT training helps officers make smart, calculated decisions, and provides them with critical decision-making and communications skills to help defuse a situation so use-of-force is limited or unnecessary.
The UW-Madison Police Department began exploring ICAT training, developed by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), last spring and has since certified several officers as ICAT instructors to provide all UWPD officers with this crucial training. Beginning Monday, June 4 and Tuesday, June 5, UWPD officers will go through the specialized ICAT training, which consists of classroom work and hands-on scenario-based training.
Members of the media interested in learning more about UWPD’s ICAT training, or if you’d like to attend a hands-on scenario session on Tuesday for photo/video opportunities, please contact PIO Marc Lovicott.