Stress inoculation training and critical thinking skills: California law enforcement academies

ABSTRACTCalifornia law enforcement academies provide training for individuals entering law enforcement Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) is included in the academy. The topic addressed in this research is the perceived efficacy of SIT in preparing officers to make decisions about when to use force and how much force is reasonable for the situation. The problem is the SIT that California law enforcement officers receive in the academy may not be perceived as adequate to make decisions about the use of force under stressful situations. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived efficacy of SIT in the reduction of use of force incidents. Four main themes were derived from the data analysis that revealed that SIT is important as a process: (a) SIT and Recruitment Selection, (b) Use of Force Decision-Making, (c) SIT as Entrance Standards and Ongoing, and (d) Critical Thinking to Avoid Liability Issues.KEYWORDS: Stress Inoculation Traininguse of forcereasonable forcelaw enforcement trainingefficacysympathetic nervous systemcase law about the use of forceexcessive use of force by law enforcement officerscrisis situationsparamilitarycivil and criminal liabilityand physical fitness Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).