Spit Restraint™ Instructor Training

Instructor-Led Training 
 Spit Restraint™ Instructor Program  
 (Version 2.0) 

Scientific Research Completed
​IPICD staff conducted primary research to determine the liquid impedance of several "spit masks" on July 14, 2021. All "testing" was video recorded. IPICD funded this scientific study of popular spit masks available in the United States to evaluate their effectiveness at stopping spittle that pose dangers to LEOs and others. This seminal study’s findings, coupled with spit mask air flow findings from another study, provide objective scientific data and other information about spit masks and how they can be used in de-escalation tactics. Many thanks to Safariland and to Stearns Wear for donating their products for testing.
 
High Profile Uses of Spit Masks
Following a March 2020 high profile, temporal, arrest-related death of an agitated and combative person where a LEO applied a spit mask, “spit hoods” became a hotly debated controversial device. By the way, the agitated person’s CAUSES of death included Excited Delirium and “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint.”
 
Spit Masks and Force
Putting spit masks on individuals by law enforcement officers (LEO) are uses of force requiring compliance with Constitutional standards of care (or equivalent), and with any applicable more restrictive state (Province) statutory or regulatory standards. Surprisingly, approximately 68% (n=357) of the Americans for Effective Law Enforcement (AELE)-IPICD spit mask survey respondents did not know or believe that applying a spit mask is a use of force.
 
Risk Management
Now, more than ever, your agency needs to have scientific and proper responses to those who challenge the use of "hoods" and who claim "spit masks" cause deaths. One way to get prepared is to enroll officers in the upcoming IPICD virtually instructor-led Spit Restraint™ Instructor program. It's live and online so you can take it in the office, in the comfort of your home, or wherever you choose and ask real-time questions of the presenters. This eliminates travel, per diem, and hotel costs. With these budget savings, several officers can be enrolled to become qualified instructors. 
 
Program Topics
The following are some of the topics that are covered:

• Spit mask definition, nomenclature, and purposes
• Hooding, Spitting, & Biting: A brief history
• OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
• Spitting at and Biting of law enforcement officers (frequency)
• Disease transmission via aerosol, saliva, biting
• Spit Masks: Legal update (de-escalation strategy), including manufacturer warnings
• Spit Masks: Scientific studies and their findings
• Spit Masks: Designs and Product Descriptions
• Spit Masks: Pre-Application, Application, & Post-Application guidelines (possible medical issues)
• Spit Masks: Policy, procedure, and/or rule recommendations
• Spit Masks: Training recommendations (documentation, medical, etc.)
• Spit Masks: Assessing Learner competency (Resourced-based learning)
• Spit Masks: Case Studies

Qualification Assessments
The IPICD Spit Restraint™ Instructor qualification program assesses each learner in three learning domains: cognitive (written assessment), affective (personality), and psychomotor (skills). Passing each learning domain is required to qualify as an IPICD Spit Restraint™ Instructor.

Following the virtual instructor-led program, each Spit Restraint™ Instructor candidate will complete an assessment.

Required Materials 
Agency-authorized spit mask.

Instructors
A. David Berman, M.S., CLS and/or John G. Peters, Jr., CLS, Ph.D. are the scheduled instructors. 

Introductory Tuition and Included Materials
$195 per person
Includes: Instruction, lesson guide, Learner Companion, group exercises, a User-Level PowerPoint presentation you can modify, and upon successful completion of the program, an instructor certificate.

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