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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; The Wilkes University Police Department has been accepted into a national training and support program for U.S. law enforcement agencies.
				The Active Bystandership for Law Enforcment (ABLE) project was developed by the Georgetown University Law Center along with Sheppard Mullin LLP, an international law firm. According to a media release from Wilkes, the goal is &ldquo;to provide practical active bystandership strategies and tactics to law enforcement officers to prevent misconduct, reduce officer mistakes and promote health and wellness.
				&ldquo;ABLE gives officers the tools they need to overcome the innate and powerful inhibitors all individuals face when called upon to intervene in actions taken by their peers,&rdquo; the release says.
				Wilkes Police Corporal Kevin Walkowiak was the first University officer to complete the 20-hour training, participating in virtual course work. Because the program uses a &ldquo;train the trainer&rdquo; format, Walkowiak can share what he learned with other officers at Wilkes.
				University Police Chief Christopher Jagoe, a proponent of more training for campus security officers since getting the job in 2014, said inclusion in the program is an honor and &ldquo;will allow us to further our commitment of providing exceptional police services through policy, procedure and training to the Wilkes community and our local law enforcement partners,&rdquo; according to the release.
				&ldquo;Active bystandership&rdquo; may sound like an oxymoron, but there has been a growing push to get those not directly involved in a situation to take part in trying to resolve it, especially in campus settings.
				ABLE Project Board of Advisors chair Jonathon Aronie, a partner in the Sheppard Mullin law firm, explained the need for active bystandership training in the release.
				&ldquo;Intervening in another&rsquo;s action is harder than it looks after the fact, but it&rsquo;s a skill we all can learn. And, frankly, it&rsquo;s a skill we all need &#8211; police and non-police. ABLE teaches that skill.&rdquo;

Wilkes U. Police Department accepted into training project