Waking Up with Sam Harris

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways

• “The default bias by the public is that use of force is illegitimate.” -Sam Harris
• Public visibility of police performance and accountability has never been so high but police training hasn’t changed since the 1970s
• Police officers in America are the most undertrained profession in the country: police – 664 hours; cosmetologist – 1600 hours; barber- 1500 hours
• The majority of officers are good people who want to do the right thing – but when they’re underequipped and tested, who do we blame?
• “To tell the difference between good cops and bad cops, give all cops sufficient training for challenges they face. Then you see which cops adhere to that raining and which deliberately deviate.” – Rener Gracie
• “We’re expecting more [from police] than we’re giving them the skills to do.” – Rener Gracie
• Prescribed solution: one hour of tailored jiu-jitsu per week for officers, first 100 seconds of restraint should be body-to-body contact to slow down tempo and de-escalate
• Promising Marietta, GA results: cops enrolled in vetted civilian jiu-jitsu classes 2x/week and resulted in higher confidence among officers; reduced taser use; reduced serious injury to officers and suspects; saved money on worker’s compensation and lawsuits
• Proper training will provide a path forward for civilians and cities to rebuild trust

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Rener Gracie about police procedure and about the special relevance of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for safely controlling resisting suspects.

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