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Conflict Resolution Training for Police & Security Officers

Police and security officers regularly encounter people in tense, emotionally charged moments, when the way an officer communicates and responds can shape what happens next. Conflict resolution training for police officers gives your team practical de-escalation and communication skills for the live, face-to-face encounters they handle every shift.

Pollack Peacebuilding Systems (PPS) delivers interactive training built specifically for law enforcement and security settings, where officers may need to communicate with people who are frightened, angry, distressed, or increasingly reactive. Participants learn to recognize early signs of escalating conflict, communicate more effectively when emotions are running high, and practice verbal de-escalation in situations that reflect the realities of their work.

Drawing on PPS’s transformative, interest-based approach to conflict, the training helps officers understand more of what may be happening beneath the surface of an encounter. They learn to look beyond immediate words, actions, and reactions to better understand the needs, emotions, and perspectives that may be driving a person’s behavior. That deeper understanding gives officers more information to work with in the moment, helping them respond with greater awareness and intention rather than reacting to what they see or hear alone.

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Founded byDr. Jeremy Pollack, a social psychologist whose work in the psychology of conflict shapes our approach

Featured inForbes, NBC, CBS, Fox, and Business Insider

Clients servedAmazon, Deloitte, Instacart, Robinhood, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Our focusPeople and relationships, not legal or financial dispute resolution

Trusted by Leading Organizations

Pollack Peacebuilding Systems is the largest workplace conflict resolution firm in the U.S. We’ve trained teams across more than 60 industries, from frontline staff to executive leaders, helping people navigate conflict in environments where communication, judgment, and the ability to respond under pressure matter.

Our experts are regularly featured in Forbes, NBC, CBS, Fox, and Business Insider, and we’ve served organizations including Amazon, Deloitte, Instacart, Robinhood, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

That depth of experience shapes how we approach conflict resolution training for police and security officers. These professionals work face-to-face with people during moments of fear, anger, distress, and uncertainty, often while balancing multiple concerns at once. Our training respects the realities of that work while helping officers develop practical ways to recognize escalation, communicate under pressure, and respond more effectively when tensions are high.

Security officer monitoring a city environment

Police officers managing a public safety incident

What the Training Covers

PPS provides conflict resolution and de-escalation training for police officers, security professionals, and military personnel who regularly encounter people in tense, emotionally charged situations. The training combines an understanding of conflict psychology with practical communication and de-escalation skills officers can apply during face-to-face encounters.

Participants learn to recognize what may be driving an escalating interaction, manage their own responses under pressure, and communicate in ways that create more opportunity for de-escalation. The focus is practical: understanding what’s happening in the moment, recognizing what may be beneath the surface, and making more informed choices about how to respond.

Training includes:

A practical introduction to conflict psychology and the dynamics that can drive escalation
How to identify early warning signs that an interaction is becoming more emotionally charged
Communication techniques for initiating and supporting verbal de-escalation
Distinguishing between appropriate situational awareness and cognitive bias that may affect judgment
Recognizing the difference between reasonable safety precautions and discriminatory assumptions or behavior
Understanding and responding to a civilian’s needs, emotions, and perspective while maintaining awareness of the situation
Managing their own emotional responses when tensions are high so they can communicate more deliberately
Practicing empathetic responses without losing sight of professional responsibilities or safety considerations
Mediating disputes between officers and between officers and staff
Understanding how taking hostility or verbal attacks personally can influence judgment and intensify an interaction
Certificates of Completion for participants

For agencies that want to extend the training beyond verbal de-escalation, PPS also offers an optional one-day Less-Than-Lethal Combative Training add-on focused on physical control techniques.

Why Conflict Resolution Training Matters for Law Enforcement

Officers are often called into situations where emotions are already high, and circumstances can change quickly. In those moments, the ability to recognize escalation, communicate clearly, and respond deliberately can give officers more options for navigating an encounter and responding as circumstances develop. This is especially important for civilian safety, officer safety, and the communities officers serve.

There is meaningful evidence supporting de-escalation training in the field. The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice rates the ICAT de-escalation program as Effective based on an evaluation with the Louisville Metro Police Department. Using a randomized controlled design, researchers found statistically significant reductions in officer use of force as well as officer and civilian injuries following the training.

While PPS training is distinct from the ICAT program, the research reinforces the value of giving officers practical opportunities to develop and practice de-escalation skills. PPS brings conflict psychology into that work, helping officers better understand what may be driving an interaction while strengthening how they communicate and respond under pressure.

With PPS training, officers and security professionals can develop greater capacity to:

Recognize early signs of escalation and respond more deliberately
Keep communication open when a person is frightened, angry, or increasingly reactive
Look beyond immediate positions and reactions to better understand the needs, emotions, or concerns that may be influencing an interaction
Manage their own responses when emotions and pressure are high
Support one another through demanding encounters

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Police officer standing on a city street

How the Training Works

We start by learning about your team, the situations they regularly encounter, and what you want the training to accomplish. From there, we shape the program around your organization’s needs, policies, and goals, with practical training focused on the challenges participants may face in the field.

Start With Your Free Discovery Consultation

You tell us what your team is experiencing and where you want to strengthen its capabilities, from difficult public interactions and recurring communication challenges to de-escalation, internal conflict, or other situations where officers need to make thoughtful decisions under pressure. We listen to understand your concerns, priorities, and goals so we can identify the right focus for your program.

Review Your Customized Proposal

Based on what we learn, your Program Director develops a customized proposal outlining the recommended training approach, format, focus areas, and logistics. We work with you on timing, location, and delivery so you have a clear understanding of the program before moving forward.

Launch Your Program With Our Peacebuilders

Our Peacebuilders deliver the program on-site or through live virtual sessions, depending on the training selected. Workshops are interactive and practical, giving participants opportunities to work through realistic scenarios, practice communication and de-escalation skills, and better understand the psychology that can shape an encounter.

Formats and Logistics

We offer flexible delivery options to help departments, agencies, and security teams bring training to their people in a way that works with their staffing and operational needs.

On-site at your facility, led by a PPS Peacebuilder
Live virtual sessions through Zoom or Microsoft Teams
Typically 8 to 25 participants at a time, with multiple sessions or cohorts available for larger departments, agencies, or security teams
Half-day or full-day sessions
Certificates of Completion for participants

Security officer working at a public event

Less-Than-Lethal Combative Training (Optional 1-Day Add-On)

Police officers typically receive substantial defensive-tactics and arrest-control training as part of their basic preparation for the field. This optional add-on is not intended to replace that foundation or an agency’s established policies and procedures. Instead, it gives participants an opportunity to build on their existing training with additional approaches to physical control and intervention.

Verbal de-escalation remains an important part of navigating a tense encounter, but communication alone may not be enough in some situations. When an individual becomes physically aggressive or presents an immediate safety concern, officers and security professionals may need to shift from verbal de-escalation to physical intervention.

For agencies that want to incorporate this dimension into their program, PPS offers an optional one-day Less-Than-Lethal Combative Training add-on. Led by Dr. Jeremy Pollack, a combatives instructor for more than 20 years with a background in military police, the training focuses on physical control and arrest techniques intended to help participants respond to physical aggression while limiting unnecessary injury.

The Less-Than-Lethal Combative Training includes:

Self-defense principles, including positioning, angles, and elements of surprise
Preemptive control, takedown, and arrest techniques designed to limit unnecessary injury
Reactive defensive arrest and control techniques
Techniques for subduing and controlling an individual alone or with partners

The Role of Conflict Psychology in Policing

Police and security professionals are regularly called into situations involving people who are frightened, angry, distressed, confused, or under significant emotional pressure. Officers have to assess what is happening, consider safety, communicate clearly, and make decisions, sometimes in a matter of seconds.

That is where an understanding of conflict psychology can add another dimension to an officer’s existing training. Recognizing how fear, frustration, unmet needs, perceived threats, and heightened emotion can influence behavior gives officers more information to work with as an encounter unfolds. It can also help them remain aware of how their own responses may affect the interaction.

This does not mean asking officers to become therapists or to put understanding ahead of safety. It means recognizing that understanding behavior can be part of responding effectively to it. When officers can look beyond the immediate words or actions and consider what may be driving them, they have another tool for deciding how to communicate, when to slow an interaction down, and how to respond as circumstances change.

Conflict resolution training gives officers and security professionals opportunities to develop and practice that awareness alongside verbal de-escalation and communication skills. The goal is not to remove conflict from the work or assume every encounter can be de-escalated. It is to give officers more ways to navigate difficult interactions with judgment, awareness, and intention.

Why Agencies Choose Pollack Peacebuilding Systems

Conflict resolution in law enforcement requires more than knowing what to say in a difficult moment. Officers are reading behavior, assessing risk, managing their own responses, and making decisions while circumstances may be changing quickly. Our training brings the psychology of conflict into that environment in a practical, applicable way.

PPS Peacebuilders bring backgrounds in conflict psychology, conflict management, and applied practice. Drawing on transformative and interest-based conflict resolution, we help participants better understand what may be influencing an encounter and how their own responses can impact what happens next. That awareness can help officers communicate more deliberately and make more informed decisions under pressure.

PPS was founded by social psychologist Dr. Jeremy Pollack, who has served as a research fellow at Stanford University and published peer-reviewed research in conflict psychology. His background in military police, along with more than 20 years of experience as a combatives instructor, brings both psychological and practical perspectives to this work.

For agencies that choose the optional Less-Than-Lethal Combative Training add-on, that combination extends beyond verbal de-escalation into physical control and intervention. This gives participants an opportunity to build on their existing tactical training while exploring how communication, conflict psychology, and physical response can each play a role as an encounter develops.

Frequently Asked Questions About Conflict Resolution Training for Police Officers

What is conflict resolution training for police officers?

Conflict resolution training for police officers helps officers navigate tense, emotionally charged encounters using verbal de-escalation, communication skills, and an understanding of conflict psychology. At PPS, officers learn to recognize signs of escalation, communicate under pressure, and look beyond immediate words, actions, and reactions to better understand what may be influencing a person’s behavior.

Who provides conflict resolution training for police and security officers?

Pollack Peacebuilding Systems provides conflict resolution and de-escalation training for police officers, security professionals, and military personnel. As the largest workplace conflict resolution firm in the U.S., PPS delivers practical, interactive training grounded in conflict psychology and transformative, interest-based conflict resolution.

What techniques do officers learn in the training?

Officers practice verbal de-escalation, recognizing early signs of escalation, communicating under pressure, managing their own emotional responses, and looking beyond immediate behavior to better understand what may be driving an interaction. The training also addresses cognitive bias, appropriate situational awareness, and mediating disputes between officers and staff. An optional one-day Less-Than-Lethal Combative Training add-on covers physical control, arrest, and defensive techniques.

What is a police conflict resolution model?

A police conflict resolution model is a structured approach for navigating tense or escalating encounters through assessment, communication, and de-escalation. PPS training draws on transformative and interest-based conflict resolution, helping officers look beyond immediate words and actions to better understand the needs, emotions, and perspectives that may be influencing an interaction. Participants develop practical skills they can draw on to recognize escalation, communicate under pressure, and make more informed choices about how to respond as an encounter develops.

How is this different from standard workplace conflict training?

Police and security professionals may need to navigate conflict in live, face-to-face situations where emotions are high, circumstances can change quickly, and safety considerations are part of the interaction. PPS training is designed with that environment in mind, combining conflict psychology, communication, and verbal de-escalation with opportunities to practice responding under pressure. Agencies can also add our optional one-day Less-Than-Lethal Combative Training to build on participants’ existing physical and tactical training.

Can the training be delivered on-site or online, and how many officers can attend?

Yes. PPS delivers training on-site at your facility or through live virtual sessions over Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Live workshops typically include 8 to 25 participants at a time. For larger departments, agencies, or security teams, training can be delivered across multiple sessions or cohorts. Participants receive Certificates of Completion after completing the training.

What happens when verbal de-escalation doesn’t work?

Not every encounter can be resolved through verbal de-escalation alone. When circumstances require physical intervention, officers must respond according to their training, agency policies, and the situation in front of them. For agencies that want to build on their existing tactical training, PPS offers an optional one-day Less-Than-Lethal Combative Training add-on focused on physical control, arrest, and defensive techniques intended to limit unnecessary injury.

How do we get our department or security team trained?

Start with a free consultation so we can learn about your team, the situations they encounter, and what you want the training to accomplish. From there, your PPS Program Director will develop a customized proposal outlining the recommended approach, format, and logistics. Once you’re ready to move forward, our Peacebuilders will work with you to launch the program on-site or through live virtual training.

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Talk With Us About Training Your Team

Police and security professionals are asked to navigate difficult encounters where communication, judgment, and the ability to respond under pressure all matter. The right training can give them more skills and options to draw on when those moments arise.

PPS can help you bring conflict resolution and de-escalation training to your department, agency, or security team. We’ll start by learning about your people, the situations they encounter, and what you want the training to accomplish. From there, we’ll recommend an approach that fits your organization’s needs and goals.