Dear Editor,
As the Chief of the Colorado State Patrol, I am excited to announce a partnership with the Georgetown University Law Center for Innovations in Community Safety (CICS) to implement the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project.
Law enforcement officers frequently face high-stress, high-stakes decisions as they fulfill their daily duties to protect lives and property. And, equally true, when examples of police misconduct emerge, we are left bewildered and appalled with the absence of intervention.
The truth is that it is harder to successfully intervene than it may appear in hindsight. And, as uncomfortable as this makes us all feel, there is decades of research identifying inhibitors that people experience that reduces intervention in the conduct of others, including violence, racism and other forms of harm towards others. That being said, law enforcement officers have a duty to act and a responsibility to overcome inhibitors.
Training prepares officers for successful interventions. Active bystandership has proven effective in mitigating mistakes in surgery, pilot errors and sexual assaults on college and university campuses. With the ABLE Project the Patrol will adopt these principles for law enforcement, so that active bystandership can help prevent unnecessary harm in this context as well. This training considers the real situations faced by law enforcement while believing it is the responsibility of every officer to act to prevent mistakes, prevent misconduct, and promote their fellow officers’ health and wellbeing.
The Colorado State Patrol is proud to become an ABLE agency, and contribute to a legacy of prioritizing community safety and fostering a healthy environment for our troopers to serve. By the end of September 2023, all sworn staff at the Colorado State Patrol, including top leadership and recruits, will be required to complete the ABLE training and will receive annual refresher training from this point forward.
Sincerely,
Colonel Matthew C. Packard
Chief, Colorado State Patrol