Marietta Police Department Makes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Mandatory
With so much unrest throughout the country, the United States citizens and leaders are calling reform in police departments across the nation. The Marietta Police Department is taking steps to make some sort of change in Marietta, Georgia.
The department announced on their website that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will now be a mandatory class for all officers affiliated with their department. With the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota by a police officer, change has been demanded from United States citizens by police departments. The Marietta Police Department believes that ignorance is no excuse and will be taking measures to change that in their community.
The police department is aiming to have officers stop using punches and instead incorporate grappling to subdue anyone under attest.
The MPD has already graduated seven cadets in the program on September 27th. Now, cadets are required to take one Jiu Jitsu class a week until they reach solo status. The MPD estimates that will be approximately five months of training on average.
Marietta Police Department also states that while this won’t replace current training the officers receive, it will be an additional tool they will have.
Marietta Police Department Trying New Approach
While the opinion on training officers in Jiu Jitsu is mixed, the MPD is taking a chance and taking proactive steps to make a change in how their department views social justice.
The department received training from Humberto “Beto” Borges in their September graduating class.
On the Gracie Breakdown, the YouTube channel of the Gracie family, they dive into a 30 minute conversation on why they believe Brazilian Jiu Jitsu would be a great fit for police officers. Watch that video below.
While it remains to be seen if this will actually be a positive step, I, the writer of this article, think it is great that the Marietta Police Department is attempting to change in a positive direction.
