iPrep

EVIDENCE BRIEFS

Training & Professional Development

Programs that build officer knowledge, skills, and wellness

Program Description

iPrep implements mental and physical control techniques to harness the stress response in order to improve the use of force decision-making and resiliency to stress. The main aspects of the training include education about the stress response, the use of visualization, and controlled breathing while receiving biofeedback (e.g., real-time heart rate [HR]). These strategies are incorporated into increasingly more stressful use of force scenarios in which officers receive biofeedback to practice gaining control of their ability to regulate breathing and achieve a positive mental state.

Bryce Jenkins

Acessor

Carleton University

Bryce Jenkins is a Master’s candidate in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University. As a member of the Police Research Lab, his research interests broadly focus on evidence-based policing. He is particularly interested in the public’s understanding of police use of force, use of force training, and police militarization

Dr. Lorraine Hope

Reviewer

Portsmouth University

Benoit Dupont is the Scientific Director of the Smart Cybersecurity Network (SERENE_RISC.ca), as well as being Professor of Criminology at the Université de Montréal, where he holds a Canada Research Chair in Security and Technology. He is also a member of the International Centre for Comparative Criminology and studies Internet Governance, Cyber Warfare, Cybersecurity and Policing.

Is the program based on research?

Yes, the program includes stress reduction techniques (e.g., controlled breathing and visualization) that have been supported in the policing context. Additionally, the gradual exposure to higher levels of stress during scenarios is supported by research.

YES

Has the program been independently evaluated?

We could not locate any independent reviews of the program.

Was the program rigorously tested?

The program was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial in which tactical officers (N = 12) were matched on various factors (e.g., gender, body mass index, training, and performance during initial testing; Andersen & Gustafsberg, 2016). The treatment group (n = 6) underwent three days of iPrep training while the control group (n = 6) completed training as usual (e.g., training marksmanship). During simulated use of force encounters, the officers who completed iPrep had significantly higher situational awareness (e.g., noticed more threats), higher accuracy in shoot/no-shoot decisions, and performance more generally. Finally, the officers in the treatment group also reported more confidence prior to the scenarios.

More recently, Andersen and colleagues (2018) conducted a longitudinal evaluation of iPrep using a police service in Ontario. Compared to measures prior to the intervention, after the completion of iPrep officers made significantly fewer errors during shoot/no-shoot decisions and had a lower HR on average during the scenarios. These benefits were retained for up to 12 months but began to significantly degrade at the 18-month follow-up. While these findings are promising, a control group was not used during this examination.

Has the program evaluation been replicated?

YES

To our knowledge, iPrep has been empirically evaluated by the program developers twice.

Yes, see Andersen and colleagues (2018).

YES

Was the program tested in Canada?

While numerous studies have explored officers’ perceptions of cybercrime training, no empirical evaluation or replication of a particular module has been conducted. Results from these studies should be interpreted with caution as dissimilar findings may stem from different training programs and modules.

Comments/Cautions: