Author(s):
Clemens Lorei, Kerstin Kocab, Tim Haini, Kristina Menzel, Hermann Groß, Rainer Bachmann & Thomas Greis

Institution:
Hessische Hochschule für öffentliches Management und Sicherheit

Title:
KODIAK – a psychological model for de-escalation in everyday police operations

Abstract:
Preventing and avoiding violence requires a lot. Every day, law enforcement officers encounter situations where violence is present. The goal of de-escalation is to empower them to prevent and avoid violence or to use it with minimal intensity. De-escalation can and must be learned. This learning is intended to be supported by the Model of Communicative De-escalation in Everyday Conflict Situations (German: Modell kommunikativer Deeskalation in alltäglichen Konfliktsituationen [KODIAK]).KODIAK aims to assist police officers in developing skills to manage conflicts in everyday operations. It guides targeted de-escalation in such deployment scenarios. The present article introduces the KODIAK model against the current research landscape surrounding police de-escalation, providing explanations for its background. The model offers a practical approach to a sphere that has seldom been evaluated in police practice.

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