Eric Garner death: Most cops say training following Garner’s death was a ‘waste of time’

NYPD eventually will retrain about 20,000 officers following Garner’s death

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After being retrained following the controversial death of Eric Garner last summer, about 80 per cent of New York police officers gave the program negative reviews and many fell asleep during the training, according to the New York Post.

A high-ranking police official said the majority of officers who went through the retraining process called it a “waste of time.”

Mr Garner, 43, died in July after he was accosted by police for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. A video of Mr Garner’s arrest shows NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo taking him down with an arm around his neck. Many critics of the incident called the takedown a chokehold, a move NYPD officers are not permitted to use.

The autopsy revealed that Mr Garner died from health complications related to his weight.

A grand jury acquitted Mr Pantaleo in December, setting off days of protests around the US. In response to the controversial death, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton launched a $35 million retraining program for around 20,000 NYPD officers.

So far about 4,000 officers have gone through the new three-day program, which involves cultural-sensitivity training, lectures and just one day of hands-on training.

“Officers thought they were going to get some real hands-on, quality training on how to deal with a hostile prisoner or arrestee,” the police official told the Post. “They didn’t get that.

“It’s three days, it’s boring and there’s no real tactics. They’re not putting them in scenarios. Cops felt they would get more tactical training in light of the Eric Garner case.”

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