Mayfield police participate in defensive tactics training

The Mayfield Police Department participated in defensive tactics training last month.

Officers trained using a program called Gracie Survival Tactics, born out of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

The police departmented said the martial art is focused on self-defense and control techniques against opponents. They can utilize the skill to control anyone resisting arrest, for defending against attackers, or to prevent someone in a mental health crisis from harming themselves.

Officials said their duty is to provide service and professionalism to the public, and its most often visible in how they respond to force.

The goal of the training is to give officers efficient and martial-art-tested techniques to lower chances of an officer or suspect from getting injured.

Each officer spent several hours with in-house instructors.

The police department said Gracie Survival Tactics and other Brazilian Jiu Jitsu-centered programs have proven to lower use of force incidents, and have decreased the percentage of injuries sustained in force encounters.