Practical De-Escalation and Tactical Conduct
August 5 - 6, 2026
University of Houston-Downtown Science and Technology Building (STB)
315 N. Main St.
Houston, TX 77002
8am - 5pm
Hosted by the Institute for Law Enforcement Education
$459.00
This 16-hour course presented over 2 days addresses how new laws have increased criminal and civil exposure for law enforcement officers and the specific operational changes you should make in response.
There is perhaps no more misunderstood term in policing than “de-escalation.”
- De-escalation isn’t a magic wand that a police officer waves and suddenly the suspect complies.
- De-escalation isn’t just talking to a suspect.
- De-escalation shouldn’t be trained in a silo. Instead, de-escalation, tactics, use of force law, communication, and decision-making need be trained holistically.
That’s why we created this course. We believe today’s officers need to know the specific tactics they can use to avoid a violent confrontation and also when using force is the appropriate choice. They need a rock-solid understanding of new use of force laws and liability cases as well as solid command over modern tactics so they can make well informed decisions. They deserve a modern, highly specialized training where the focus is on learning, not checking a box.
Course Curriculum Includes:
- Tactical Conduct: Pre-Contact Assessments, Incident Coordination and Decision Making
- New Use of Force Laws: Why Police Officers Are Being Criminally Charged
- How to Offer De-Escalation When Appropriate
- Videos of De-Escalation Successes and Failures
- Articulating Use of Force Decisions
Your Instructors:
Savage Training Group founder Scott Savage recently retired from the Santa Clara Police Department after 24 years of service. He is an expert in helping officers “operationalize” the law so they can apply it in the tense and rapidly unfolding circumstances they face on the street. His previous assignments include patrol supervisor, SWAT, crisis negotiations team leader and full-time assignment to a terrorism/intelligence task force. More about Scott
Dan Flippo retired as the Deputy Chief of the Santa Cruz Police Department after 29 years of service. Dan focuses on teaching robust tactics that actually work on the street. He specializes in making patrol tactics easy to understand, even for officers and supervisors with limited tactical experience. His previous assignment includes SWAT and many years on the street in patrol. More about Dan
Payment Methods
Once you enter the student information below and click "Register", you will be taken to a checkout page where you can pay using a credit card, or you may request that an invoice be sent to your department that can be paid online or by check and sent by mail. Please note that invoices incur a $15.00 non-refundable processing fee.
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