Getting out of your comfort zone is a must-do for journalists, in my opinion. That’s one reason why I felt it was important to take a training course for law enforcement put on by the Texas Police Association recently.
Most of the participants were Texas Department of Public Safety officers (and brass) who are now required to take the eight-hour verbal de-escalation class. It was an interesting experience, so I wrote about it in a piece that ran in Grits for Breakfast, the San Antonio Express-News and the Houston Chronicle.
First-person pieces aren’t the norm for this series, of course – but I thought readers might be interested in this particular perspective. I hope you enjoy, and as always, welcome your feedback.