KATE BRUMBACK and R.J. RICO
Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — The deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta in the span of less than three weeks have led to a push in the U.S. for more training of police officers in how to de-escalate tense situations before they explode in violence.
"You've got to get cops to understand that it's not a cowardly act, that backing off could save this person's life," said Tom Manger, a retired police chief in Virginia and Maryland and former president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
Officers undergoing de-escalation training are taught how to keep their cool, talk to people to calm them down, and use the least amount of force required. Typically the instruction includes exercises in which actors playing members of the
