Bucks County Regional Police Chief Karl Knott on June 13 assured Chalfont Borough Council that his department is moving on training trends that have stemmed from George Floyd’s 2020 killing at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis.
During the June 13 council meeting, Knott updated the council on programs and reforms that have been taking place in the CBRPD since 2018.
Knott’s presentation consisted of a slideshow detailing the timeline of programs within the CBRPD, as compared to the timeline of recent attempts at national police reforms in the wake of Floyd’s death. Knott pointed out that the CBRPD is “far ahead of the curve,” in terms of implementing training programs focused on de-escalation, handling domestic violence, officer wellness, mental health, and more, far ahead of when other police forces in the U.S. began implementing similar programs.
These programs were all put into place using discretionary funds, consisting of roughly 9% of the CBRPD’s budget which, he noted, is a relatively small amount that has to go a long way to finance them.
Investing in new technology such as VR training simulations, is particularly expensive, he added. Because of this, these programs often involve partnering with various nonprofit organizations, such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, to somewhat alleviate costs.
Knott also discussed upcoming programs and practices planned for the police department. One such program he would like to roll out in the next few months is a blue envelope system for drivers with autism spectrum disorder to more easily communicate their needs to officers when pulled over. Knott also expressed a need for programs focused on recruiting and retaining new officers, as he sees it being a major problem down the line for the CBRPD.
During his presentation, Borough Councilman Mitch Meyerson asked if anything could be done to bring these programs to the attention of county commissioners and the like, in the hopes of eventually promoting them statewide. While Knott expressed interest in the idea, he noted that there would be many difficulties when it comes to implementing them on a larger scale, mainly that it would be hard to convince some state officials to get on board with it. If such programs were ever to become statewide, they would need continuous support, both figurative and financial.
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