Georgetown University Law Center has developed a program called the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project. Launched in 2020 by Georgetown’s Innovative Policing Program in partnership with the law firm Sheppard Mullin, ABLE grew out of the New Orleans Police Department’s (NOPD) Ethical Policing Is Courageous (EPIC) peer intervention program.
The ABLE program teaches officers effective ways to step-in and intervene if they witness misconduct, supporting a culture of accountability. In 2021, Renton Police Department adopted this program.
With letters of support from our community, RPD met the requirements to send officers to an ABLE train-the-trainer course. RPD currently has four ABLE certified instructors to provide training to our personnel. At the end of 2022, the Renton Police Department’s commissioned police officers have successfully completed ABLE training. To maintain ABLE certification, RPD will conduct annual refresher training and has adopted a model policy consistent with ABLE program standards.
At the beginning of 2020 active bystander ship for law-enforcement became a highly successful program that today reaches 314 police departments in the United States. The Washington. State Criminal Justice Training Commission (police academy) is also ABLE certified and instructs all WA State new recruits coming out of the academy. (2)
Pillars of the ABLE program
The anticipated benefits of creating a meaningful culture of active bystandership at a law enforcement agency include:
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Reduced unnecessary harm to civilians,
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Reduced unnecessary harm to officers,
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Reduced risk of officers losing their jobs,
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Reduced risk of lawsuits against the department, the city, and individual officers,
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Improved police/community relations,
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Improved officer health and wellness,
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Improved officer job satisfaction, and
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Improved citizen satisfaction with their law enforcement agency. (3)
1 https://www.law.georgetown.edu/cics/able/
2 https://cjtc.wa.gov/training-education/able-project
3 https://www.law.georgetown.edu/cics/able/program-standards/