About Us
Our History
In 1998, Dr. Jeff Golden began working with law enforcement officers to develop an innovative youth and young adult de-escalation training program. Dr. Golden was trained in multiple nationally marketed de-escalation programs, none of which were designed to address the unique training, needs and situations law enforcement officers faced daily. With support for every statewide law enforcement association in Nebraska and assistance from an advisory group of law enforcement trainers and leaders, Dr. Golden developed the first and only law-enforcement specific youth and young adult de-escalation program titled “De-escalating Juvenile Aggression: For Law Enforcement Only.” The program was taught throughout Nebraska and subsequently throughout the states of Illinois and Kansas with strong support from law enforcement. Thousands of officers from over 160 departments received formal training in the program. In 2015 the training was revised to address adult anger and aggression and renamed “DE-ESCALATE.”
The training has been presented at conferences of the:
- International Association of Chiefs of Police,
- National Sheriffs Association,
- National Association of School Resource Officers,
- School Safety Advocacy Council, and
- American Society of Law Enforcement Training as well as numerous state and local conferences.
It is also taught as part of a graduate/undergraduate credit course at Saint Leo University in Florida.
The training was independently validated in a study by Dr. Denise Herz, Ph.D., then of the University of Nebraska-Omaha and now Professor & Director of the California State-Los Angeles School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics. Dr. Herz found the training produced exceptional immediate and longitudinal results in both acceptance and use by officers. Dr. Herz’ peer-reviewed journal article on the program and its results are found under the Resources section of this web site. Based upon the success of the law enforcement training, Dr. Golden was subsequently asked to develop similar training specific to the fields or corrections, probation and schools. Currently, in conjunction with Dr. Lisa Rapp-McCall of Saint Leo University’s Durst Applied Research Institute, the training is being introduced to multiple jurisdictions and evaluated even more rigorously.
DE-ESCALATE is the new name of the program which, with assistance from experts in the fields of law enforcement, corrections, probation and parole, security, and schools and colleges has been specifically designed to address the needs of professionals in those fields. DE-ESCALATE firmly believes that effective training in de-escalation must specifically take into account the unique mission, needs, training, legal limitations, environment and mindset of the professionals who work in those fields. One size does NOT fit all.
DE-ESCALATE is unique because it is the only de-escalation training designed by experienced, advanced-degreed professionals in your field. You will only be trained by experienced professionals in your field who are also experts in the DE-ESCALATE program designed for your field. Every program is designed to enhance the safety and security of our professional colleagues and youth and adults who need their help. Toward that end, our team firmly believes that experienced professionals in your field, and not generalists, are best suited to assist you.
Our Values
DE-ESCALATE works closely with Saint Leo University and our team subscribes to the institution’s core values of:
- Excellence
- Community
- Respect
- Personal Development
- Responsible Stewardship
- Integrity
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve the safety and security of our professional colleagues and the individuals with whom they work.
Our Philosophy
We believe the unique workplace, duties, responsibilities and limitations of public safety workers and educators are critical considerations that must be taken into account when training them to de-escalate volatile youth and adults. Failure to specifically address the unique workplaces invites escalation and possible injury. To ensure your safety, before choosing a de-escalation program, ask:
“Was the program designed by professionals in my field for the unique situations we face in our workplace?”
- Do law enforcement officers want training designed for child care workers?
- Do teachers want training designed for psychiatric hospitals?
- Do corrections, probation or parole officers want training designed for school classrooms?
- Do security officers want training designed for social workers?
Unfortunately, there are heavily marketed de-escalation programs claiming they can train anyone to de-escalate everyone. Such programs are more interested in touting their “numbers”, such as the number of persons trained (which more accurately reflects their marketing success) or the number of products they sell (or require you to buy) in order to continue using their program. DE-ESCALATE relies upon independent evaluations performed by highly educated professionals whose academic research and evaluation skills validate the effectiveness of the program.
 One de-escalation program has nearly 200 items for sale on their web site and publishes its own “journal” that pays for articles. Another program touts its single model as applicable in 47 different professions and teaches over 60 physical techniques. Can you learn, practice and be proficient in 60+ techniques? Do you believe a “one size fits all” training will address your profession’s unique needs? |
Contact us to discuss your unique situation and to see how our unique programs may improve your safety and security.
