Chief J. Scott Thomson is a leader in a research forum that issued new use-of-force training guide.
CAMDEN -- Camden County Police Chief J. Scott Thomson will be among a group of law enforcement leaders meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan Monday to talk about their efforts to improve use-of-force training and policies.
A national organization called the Police Executive Research Forum, or PERF, has written new guidelines on de-escalation and other decision-making techniques relating to use of force.
Thomson, who leads the group's board of directors, will discuss with Ryan the group's new training guide. It is very different from "traditional academy teaching," according to a press release from the Camden County Police Department.
Camden's police officers are already being trained under the new PERF guidelines, which instructs officers to enter every use-of-force situation with a focus on the "sanctity of life."
At a use-of-force and active shooter training in November, Lt. Kevin Lutz said officers were being trained under the PERF training guide, called Integrating Communications, Assessment and Tactics, or ICAT.
The training aims to help officers better assess and handle different crises, Lutz said, including those involving suspects who may be mentally ill, unarmed or armed with various weapons, endangering only themselves or others. The guide encourages de-escalation, communication and "proportionality" when the use of force is necessary.
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Thomson will also talk with Ryan about the value of community policing and how it has worked in Camden, according to the release.
The chief's input on community policing was also included in a 101-page report produced in 2015 by President Barack Obama's task force on police reform. Thomson was one of dozens of law enforcement officials who addressed the panel, talking specifically about communty policing.
"Community policing cannot be a program, unit, strategy or tactic. It must be the core principle which lies at the foundation of a police department's culture." Thomson testified in the report.
Last year, Ryan tasked a bipartisan working group in the House of Representatives to find ways to improve the relationship between police and their communities, according to WNYC.
The press release did not say whether Ryan was expecting to take any action based on the information he receives from Thomson and the other police chiefs Monday.
The other law enforcement officers who will be at the meeting Monday are New Orleans, Louisiana Chief Michael Harrison; Janesville, Wisconsin Police Chief David Moore; Burlington, Vermont Police Chief Brandon del Pozo; Tucson, Arizona Police Chief Chris Magnus; Volusia County Florida Sheriff Mike Chitwood; and PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler, according to the release.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.