Should officials mandate BJJ training for police?
by Brian Woodman Jr. on 08/25/14
In 2009, while I was working as a freelancer for a weekly newspaper called the Hartford News, I met Royce Gracie in Hartford, Connecticut.
The UFC Hall of Famer and early UFC champion was teaching BJJ techniques to police officers. His goal was to teach the officers, particularly those serving specialized functions like VIP protection and special tactics, how to subdue suspects and potential threats without seriously harming anyone. These seems particularly relevant following reports on the death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner and its aftermath.
Garner died in July during an altercation with police. He allegedly died because of a chokehold applied on him by police. Without knowing more about the logistics of the incident, one ponders whether his death could have been avoided if the right techniques were applied.
Garner's death obviously draws further attention to other incidents like the shootings of Kajieme Powell, Michael Brown and Dylan Taylor. Could these have realistically been avoided too?
It would be absurd to think that even superlative martial arts training is sufficient to handle all situations that police could face. There has been criticism by some sources regarding whether MMA training taught to military personnel had a realistic place in places like the Middle East.
It still makes sense that better training in martial arts will provide police and soldiers with more skills for their professional tool boxes. Should the government mandate training in BJJ or mixed grappling for police officers, perhaps providing federal funds toward it?
