With over 25 years of teaching jiu-jitsu to law enforcement here in the United States, it is no secret that the Gracie brothers with their Gracie Survival Tactics Program are well equipped to train police officers in non-violent control tactics. Given the turmoil facing law enforcement today, the need for nationwide police reform has never been greater. Departments are under tremendous public pressure to become defunded and the spotlight on law enforcement officials has never seemingly been greater.
At the root of a lot of the scrutiny facing police officers is a lack of training and an overuse of aggressive force as a direct result of their lack of hand-to-hand combat skills. Countless videos exist where officers are drawn to use lethal force, many times in situations where it could have been avoided. In a rather bold claim, Professor Rener Gracie is going live on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube at 12 PM PST to announce a formalized police reform initiative that mandates and provides one hour of jiu-jitsu training a week for police officers across the United States. As it stands, officers are mandated to only do four hours of training a year in many jurisdictions.
While the details of the proposal remain a mystery, if Rener’s proposal holds its own weight then this could potentially be a great service with regards to fostering a nurturing relationship between law enforcement and the general public. Despite certain politicians having cast a dark shadow on law enforcement as a whole, Rener offers a reprieve and will not be speaking to deaf ears. He confirms to JJT that several police chiefs are already “100% on board” with moving forward in restructuring their police tactical training programs. Since it’s inception, the Gracie Survival Tactics program has serviced roughly 100,000 officers, with the goal of making the community safer by sending out officers well-equipped to non-violently handle an aggression. This proposal looks to take their proven track record and take it to the next level.
Rener is currently on the road teaching law enforcement at press time. Be sure to tune in Wednesday on one of his live feeds to see what he states “may be the most important presentation of my jiu-jitsu life.”
