Years of academic research and on-the-ground experience have shown us that effective active bystandership can be taught. The Georgetown University Center for Innovations in Community Safety (formerly the Innovative Policing Program), partnering with global law firm Sheppard Mullin, has created ABLE (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement) to prepare officers to successfully intervene to prevent harm and to create a law enforcement culture that supports peer intervention.

With the assistance of the Baltimore Police Department, the New Orleans Police Department, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, along with a team of experts in a variety of fields, ABLE is pleased to announce the following events to help bring meaningful active bystander training to police agencies across the United States.

 

ABLE Project Train-The-Trainer Events

Train-the-Trainer sessions are ongoing and are filled on a rolling basis.  Classes are limited to 25 officers.  Enrollment is limited to no more than 1-4 officers per agency depending on availability.

THIS PROGRAM IS DELIVERED ONLINE VIA ZOOM

Interested law enforcement agencies should complete the application (see link directly below) and submit their four letters of support (see further below or the ABLE PROGRAM STANDARDS page) to be considered for inclusion in the next available Train-The-Trainer event on a rolling basis.

ABLE-certified agencies seeking to train additional instructors should contact our team at ABLE@georgetown.edu to inquire about availability.

ABLE TRAIN-THE-TRAINER EVENT DETAILS

Purpose:  Provide select law enforcement agency trainers world-class instruction to enable them to conduct certified ABLE training for their departments and surrounding jurisdictions.

Intended Audience:  Select law enforcement agency officers, supervisors, and instructors (from departments committed to cultural change) interested in becoming ABLE-certified trainers.

Representative Speakers:  This multi-day program will be taught by a number of experts in the field of law enforcement, civil rights, psychology, health/wellness, and pedagogy.

Structure:  The ABLE Train The Trainer (TTT) event is a fully-interactive 20-hour virtual training program, which includes interactive discussion, scenario-based role play, and a variety of hands-on activities.

• Day 1: Welcome session (2 hours)
• Day 2: Full-day ABLE training; i.e., instructor candidates take the course they will be providing to their officers (8 hours)
• Day 3: Continuation of ABLE curriculum, and preparation for small-group teach-back session (2.5 hours of class time + required 2-3 hours of independent study)
• Day 4: Teach-backs in small groups facilitated by a variety of Subject Matter Experts.  (8 hours)

Cost:  Free to departments committing to creating a culture of active bystandership and peer intervention through policy, training, support, and accountability.  Please review the ABLE Standards to which departments must commit in order to send instructors to the TTT event.

Past Events

Fourth Annual Law Enforcement Active Bystandership Conference

August 11 and 12, 2021

Purpose. The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law, and the ABLE Project proudly presented the Fourth Annual Law Enforcement Active Bystandership Conference to share updates regarding ABLE’s rollout in the U.S. and Canada and to provide learning opportunities for ABLE agency personnel and others interested in active bystandership for law enforcement.

Intended Audience. The conference was designed for law enforcement professionals, local government leaders, and anyone interested in learning more about the impact of active bystandership training and culture change in law enforcement.

Representative Speakers. Jerry Clayton, Sheriff, Washtenaw County (MI); Cortrell Davis, Warden, Lafourche Parish (LA) Sheriff; Cynthia Deitle, JD, LLM, Director, Associate General Council, Civil Rights, Meta; Lt. Shelly Katkowski, ABLE Training Instructor and Director of Training, Burlington (NC) Police Department; The Honorable Susie Morgan, United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana; Blake Norton, Chief Strategy Officer, Philadelphia Police Department; Professor Catherine Sanderson, Chair of Psychology, Amherst College

Cost. Free

 

ABA Law School Dean’s Police Practices Consortium

January 2021

Purpose.  This inaugural presentation hosted by the ABA-Legal Police Practices Consortium chaired by Loyola New Orleans Dean Madeleine Landrieu will focus on the role the ABLE Project will play in transforming police practices across the country, and the role law schools can play in supporting their communities and police agencies in the area of active bystandership.

Intended Audience.  This program is by invitation only to law school deals and their leadership teams.

Representative Speakers.  Commissioner Michael Harrison, Baltimore Police Department; Deputy Chief Arlinda Westbrook, New Orleans Police Department; Professor Ervin Staub, Univ. Mass. Amherst and ABLE Founding Partner; Jonathan Aronie, Partner Sheppard Mullin and Chair, ABLE Project Board of Advisors; Professor Christy Lopez, Georgetown University Law Center and Co-Director Georgetown Law Innovative Policing Project

Cost.   Free

 

ABLE Executive Session

December 2020

Purpose.  At this session, you will learn more about ABLE’s mission to prevent officer misconduct and mistakes, and to promote a culture of active bystandership and officer health and wellness.

Intended Audience.  Civil rights and social justice organizations interested in gaining a better understanding of the role ABLE can play in preventing harm to the community and to police officers.

Representative Speakers.  Professor Christy Lopez, Georgetown University Law Center and Co-Director Georgetown Law Innovative Policing Program; Jonathan Aronie, Partner, Sheppard Mullin and Chair, ABLE Project Board of Advisors; Lisa A. Kurtz, ABLE Project Director

Cost.  Free

 

Third Annual EPIC Peer Intervention Executive Leadership Conference*

August 5 and 6, 2020

Purpose:  This two-day program hosted by the New Orleans Police Department and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law provides a unique opportunity for police leaders to learn the science behind the NOPD’s EPIC active bystandership training program, and to identify concrete steps their agencies can take to implement active bystandership programs of their own.

Intended Audience:  Law enforcement leaders and law enforcement academy leaders.

Representative Speakers:  Superintendent Shaun Ferguson (NOPD), Dr. Ervin Staub (Professor Emeritus, Univ. Mass.), Dr. Joel Dvoskin (Univ. of Arizona), civil rights lawyer Mary Howell (New Orleans), and multiple members of the New Orleans Police Department

Cost:  Free

Program Information: https://bit.ly/EPIC2020program

(*EPIC is not a Georgetown Law/ABLE event.)

 

ABLE Virtual Open House – July 15, 2020

View a playlist of all of the sessions of our Virtual Open House, or see the full video below.

Purpose: This event will introduce the Georgetown Innovative Policing Program and the ABLE Project to law enforcement officials and national, state, and local leaders.  During the program,  a series of experienced speakers will discuss the principles of active bystandership in the context of policing, and share concrete steps any department can take to employ active bystandership training to reduce harm to civilians, reduce harm to officers, and drive cultural change.

Intended Audience:  Federal, state, local, and law enforcement officials and government decision-makers interested in promoting cultural change through active bystandership training.

Representative Speakers:  Commissioner Michael Harrison (Baltimore PD), Commissioner Danielle Outlaw (Philadelphia PD), Director Sue Rahr (Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission), Dr. Ervin Staub (Professor Emeritus, Univ. Mass.), Professor Christy Lopez (Georgetown Innovative Policing Program), multiple members of the New Orleans Police Department (the creators of the successful EPIC peer intervention program), and many other experts in the field

Cost:  Free

Agenda: Click here to view ABLE Virtual Open House Agenda
(Attendees will be able to come and go as they please.)