Training Materials – ABLE Core Curriculum (8-hour course)
Since we know different agencies have different security measures, we have included links to the documents via Dropbox or Google Drive. The documents are identical, so feel free to download from whichever site works best for you.
Training Materials – ABLE Refresher Module (2-hour refresher curriculum)
The ABLE Team releases refresher curricula yearly (moving forward, this will be done within the first quarter of each calendar year). The course is designed to be taught by 1 or 2 ABLE-certified instructors. Class size is flexible for refresher courses, although the recommended size is no more than 25-30 students.
2025 Refresher Curriculum: A Deep Dive on Decide
The refresher curriculum closely examines the “Decide” portion of the Notice-Decide-Act model so as to allow ABLE certified personnel to more deeply understand situations and how to act according to the standards of ABLE.
2024 Refresher Curriculum: An Update on the Science
The refresher curriculum provides updates on each of the social science experiments from the core curriculum and takes a deeper dive on each experiment and its impact on active bystandership.
On April 16, National Instructors Sgt. Jim Kelly and Capt. Paul Watkins lead a Learning Session focused on the refresher curriculum linked here.
2023 Refresher Curriculum: Focus on Early Intervention
The refresher curriculum reviews the principles of active bystandership and focuses on why and how to intervene at the earliest opportunity. National instructors, Greg Hanna and Paul Watkins III, provide guidance and commentary on the “Focus on Early Intervention” refresher curriculum through a learning session linked here.
2022 Refresher Curriculum: Focus on Health and Wellness
The refresher curriculum focuses on how active bystandership can help us protect our own, and our fellow officers’, health and wellness. Curriculum designer Karen Rice provided guidance and commentary on the refresher curriculum in the ABLE Reinforcement Module Webinar, which was recorded 24 February 2022.
The original write-ups of the social science experiments referenced in the “ABLE: Why does it work?” section of the class are linked below, along with additional resources that may be of interest. Click to read about each social science experiment.
Darley, John M. and Latané, Bibb. “Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: Diffusion of Responsibility.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1968, Vol. 8, No. 4, 377-383.
Darley and Latané’s study on the bystander effect was inspired by the real-life case of Kitty Genovese—although the account reported at the time was not entirely accurate. The New York Times article commemorating the fortieth anniversary of Genovese’s murder lays out the facts.
Darley, John M. and Batson, C. Daniel. “From Jerusalem to Jericho: A Study of Situational and Dispositional Variables in Helping Behavior.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1973, Vol. 27, No. 1, 100-108.
Milgram, Stanley. “Behavioral Study of Obedience.” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology. 1963, Vol. 67, No. 4, 371-378.
Milgram frequently wrote about his obedience experiments, including in the award-winning article, “Some Conditions of Obedience and Disobedience to Authority.”
For Milgram’s book-length write-up of his obedience studies, see Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View.
Certain variations of the study incorporated hidden-camera footage, which was compiled in a documentary video about the experiments. The 2015 film Experimenter dramatized Milgram’s life and work, including the obedience experiments.
The following resources are designed to enhance your ABLE instruction. Click to find a run-of-show, tips for engaging the class, a sheet about responding to hard questions, a course evaluation form, a draft participant certificate of completion, and pdfs of banners and posters.
This includes a breakdown of suggested timing and instructor assignments for each small section of slides. It is intended to be used as a guide for your teaching of the 8-hour ABLE core curriculum.
The ABLE curriculum is designed to foster discussion, but we know sometimes this is easier said than done. In this document, we share quick tips for engaging the class.
The ABLE curriculum is designed to help participants think differently about their approach to the job, and to their colleagues. This can sometimes lead to push-back or tough questions. We have compiled the most common questions and challenges our instructors receive, along with some potential responses.
This can be distributed to ABLE class participants to solicit feedback on the course. Agency-specific submissions will be shared monthly with agency points of contact.
These visual aids can be used to enhance learning in the classroom, and to reinforce the core ABLE tenets throughout your agency. Note: The banners in this folder have been approved for use by the ABLE Team. If you would like to make any modifications, or create your own designs, please send them to ABLE@georgetown.edu for review before finalizing your materials.
Implementation Resources
The following resources may be of use to you in rolling out ABLE to your agencies and in promoting ABLE to your officers and to your community. If you have any suggestions for additional resources you would like to see, please reach out to our team. Click to read about different implementation resources.
This model ABLE policy is provided to help agencies ensure that their ABLE-related policies are consistent with ABLE requirements. Agencies need not adopt this model policy as written, but should ensure substantive policy content is consistent with ABLE requirements.
This model policy was developed in collaboration for Lexipol. It incorporates all elements of the ABLE model policy and aligns with Lexipol guidance and requirements.
This can be used to support and enrich a community meeting or presentation; it is not intended to be distributed on its own without the context your commentary will provide.
This can be distributed to provide general information about the ABLE Project to interested agencies, community organizations, and/or potential partners.
These can be used on agency communications and/or on patrol cars to use by replacing the example badge (from Auburn, WA, who worked with ABLE to develop the design) with your own agency’s name and badge. Any further changes to the decal require ABLE approval.
