Thirty six Baltimore police recruits are receiving training on how to better respond to high-stress situations. The program is called the “Cognitive Command Curriculum,” or C2. Baltimore’s officers are the first in the nation to go through C2.
According to the Baltimore Sun, C2 focuses on six words that recruits are encouraged to keep in mind both on and off the job: “breathe," "scan," "cover," "threat," "distance" and “escape.”
In a Sun interview, the creator of the program, JonathanPage, said that the mental mindset training will enable officers to stay in emotional and mental control. “It’s based on how officers take in information, make sense of it, so they can take decisive actions rather than just react to events.” Page added that while Baltimore officers already receive training in community relations and de-escalation, C2 will help them remember those techniques in situations where stress and bias take over.
Page is a professor at Dickinson College, where he specializes in brain functioning under stress and its implications in law enforcement. He says the program results so far have been “tremendous.”
Several Men Ride Horses Through West Baltimore
This week a video of several men riding horses down North Avenue went viral. The men took the ride at the same time that police were cracking down on illegal dirt bike riding on Reisterstown Road on Sunday evening.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Interim Police Commissioner Kevin Davis did not find the horse ride funny. In a press conference, Rawlings-Blake expressed disappointment that the horses were used in protest over the dirt bike controversy. “These animals don’t deserve to be used in that way,” she said.
Horse riding in Baltimore City is illegal unless the rider has a license from the commissioner of health, and permission from the city. An investigation is underway to determine if the horses were illegally taken from Arabber stables.
Police Foil Drone Delivery At Cumberland Prison
On Saturday, Maryland prison authorities at the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland foiled a drone attempt to deliver contraband. Police say they received tips from both inside and outside of the prison and were ready for the suspects on Saturday night. The contraband they seized included several bags of synthetic marijuana and dozens of doses of Suboxone, an opiate-based prescription drug used to combat heroin addiction. Two men are under arrest and one inmate is also expected to face charges.
State Police Search for One of Two Escaped Juveniles
Maryland State Police are still looking for one of two teenage boys who escaped from a youth detention center in Baltimore County yesterday. The 17-year-old suspects fled from the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School in Parkville at about 5 p.m. and ran into a wooded area. Police searching with aviation and K-9 units found one of the teens. They are still searching for the other.
Orioles Lose to the Royals, and Lose J.J. Hardy
Mike Moustakas' two-run homer ignited a seven-run sixth inning as the Royals beat the Orioles 8-3 in the opener of a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium. Adam Jones clubbed a two-run homer in the first inning for Baltimore, which has lost five straight. Ubaldo Jimenez was rocked for seven runs in five-and-two-thirds innings as he dipped to 9-and-8.
And more bad news for the Orioles: Yesterday, the team sent shortstop J.J. Hardy to the DL for a groin strain. The team also designated outfielder Nolan Reimold for assignment and reinstated Steve Pearce from the disabled list. The moves come after Baltimore was swept over the weekend by the Twins.
