NEW YORK — NYPD begins training officers in Brazilian jiu jitsua specialized form of martial art.
CBS New York visited the police academy on Monday and got a firsthand look at the course and learned why proponents say it makes handcuffing a suspect safer.
“Jiu jitsu and wrestling are both sports where you use minimal force to control a suspect. By using minimal force, you prevent injuries to suspects, civilians and officers,” said Lt. Kirk Anderson of the Tactical Training Unit.
The NYPD has brought in world-renowned jiu-jitsu coach Rener Gracie to teach about two dozen officers his new method for subduing an uncooperative suspect, even when they’re armed. The department’s goal is to have those trainers incorporate the method into the police academy, and to teach current officers the method in the coming years.
Why choose jiu jitsu?
Gracie explained the benefits of learning this martial art.
“There’s no joint lock, no pressure point, no choke hold, no lung or diaphragm compression, so it’s the safest two-on-one restraint ever used by law enforcement,” Gracie said.
Gracie calls this method “safewrap” because of the way he wraps the limbs while a suspect is lying on his side, as opposed to the conventional police method of holding someone chest-down on the ground.
“It’s very easy to control someone from the ground…how easy it is to control an arm or a leg, especially when you’re small and you run into someone bigger on the street,” said Officer Kristin Coscia, a tactics instructor.
“There are some restrictions placed on officers performing diaphragm compressions, so we try to use other techniques that don’t endanger anyone’s breathing,” Anderson added.
Gracie says the goal is to use more reasonable force
NYPD officers are prohibited from using chokeholds under Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Actand yet the number of complaints against officers using chokeholds has steadily increased over the past four years, according to the department’s oversight body.
Trainers say the new method could make arrests safer for suspects and police.
“We hope that with the Safewrap system, officers will be better trained and use force more effectively and wisely, and over time we can restore the macro relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” Gracie said.
