The Rapid City, South Dakota Police Department requested the “Tact, Tactics, and Trust (T3) Train- the- Trainer” course. Polis Solutions was selected to fulfill the request and provided the three-day course to 15 law enforcement officers on September 24 -26, 2019 in Rapid City, South Dakota.
The most significant challenge facing the Rapid City Police Department is the historical trauma and subsequent trust issues with the Lakota people. The Lakota people suffered great injustices including, but not limited to, the breaking of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty (annexation of the Black Hills), cultural assimilation policies, confinement to reservations, and the Wounded Knee Massacre to name a few. Law enforcement becomes a target for federal government resentment and triggers historical trauma as police officers are the most visible face of the government. This historical generational distrust is compounded by a heavy police presence, as Rapid City experiences a significantly disproportionate amount of Native American arrests (60%) and uses of force incidents (60%) that occur.
There is significant historical trauma that requires healing, which cannot begin without conducting non-enforcement activities and extensive outreach. Police Officers in Rapid City are currently under a tremendous amount of stress with the workload they face on a daily basis. The steady stream of calls for service adds to the already substantial stresses of the job. Scenarios involving mental illness, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, rape, and hard core drug issues create a compounding mental load our officers carry. One of the most common situations that has a negative effect on officers is dealing with children in neglect and abuse situations, which compounded by the cumulative stress effects these incidents have. The increase in drug use, and resulting violence in our community has done even more damage to families, and children are often the victims. There is a cycle of victimization in Rapid City, which is fueled by violence from rampant methamphetamine abuse and lack of penalties. Overall, there is a sense that the system is broken and officers feel that they end up repeatedly dealing with the results of those failings. Moreover, this lack of trust culminates in a lack of crime reporting and accessing services.
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