Since 2015, RITE has been a leading training provider of Emotional Response and De-escalation for Public Service. RITE Tools and exercises help your sworn and non-sworn Officers as well as agency support teams.
RITE Academy Stats
- Trained over 1500 agencies on RITE
- Certified over 975 RITE train-the-trainers
- Gave out more than 550,000 RITE Tools and hundreds of newsletters
- Helped agencies reduce use-of-force incidents by 65%
- Public complaints DOWN by 60% and public compliments UP by 50%
Mental Health and Officer Well-Being
Emotional health issues are the biggest risk to public service officer’s well-being. RITE’s Emotional Response Training (ERT) help officers learn to recognize signs and symptoms of stress, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts, and offer ways to build up positive mental health.
Our IQ helps us pass exams, but our EQ or Emotional intelligence (EI), is what helps us manage stress. In passing the Academy, or wanting that promotion in leadership, it’s your Emotional Intelligence that will get you to the finish line. Everyone in public service that wants to excel professionally and personally, needs to learn how Emotional Intelligence used with their Emotional Response works to their benefit.
PTSD, Suicide, and Prevention
Most of us that get into Policing, start at the Top of the Ladder, excited to be a cop… with an empty backpack. But little by little, negative images and actions fill the backpack with heavy pebbles, rocks, and boulders (mentally heavy), that can break down even the strongest-looking officer.
The sad truth is, officers are as likely to die from suicide as in the line of duty. Law enforcement officers that died by suicide:
- 2019 – 236
- 2020 – 179
- 2021 – 165
Agencies providing mental health resources, training, and peer support, are leading by example. It’s time to support officer mental health and well-being. It’s time to reduce the mental health stigma through education like what RITE offers, to help those suffering from post-traumatic stress or PTSD.
The RITE Story
RITE was founded in 2015 after seeing an increase in the media highlighting escalated use-of-force police calls. The founders of RITE, Linda Webb (Police), and Randy Friedman (Professional Sports Mental Coach), created, designed and published the RITE Program dedicated to helping public safety professionals better understand the mental wellness aspects of emotional intelligence. Emotions drive behavior (good and bad). Repetitive trauma, PTSD, hostile toxic work environments, unprofessional work cultures can all have a direct effect on work performance.
RITE Story (continued)…
RITE has successfully implemented its mental wellness program to over 1200 agencies, providing 500,000 + cognitive imprinting tools to employees to help them understand their own emotions. You cannot improve community relations, until you first help every public safety employee first with the implementation of a mental wellness program and accountability tools.
The RITE Program has proven to reduce public complaints by 60% and reduced escalated use-of-force calls by 65%. When you control your emotions, empathy communication prevails, providing better outcomes.
RITE Program comes complete with training manual, student books, ready to use PowerPoints, videos, exercises, accountability tools, banners, posters, roll call cards. RITE Program can be implemented to everyone within your agency, inclusive of sworn, non-sworn, and civilian staff (includes, Police, Fire, Ems, Corrections, and 911 Operators). RITE Training page
“Emotional intelligence helps all public service employees, help themselves. It improves morale by creating a more professional workplace for everyone.”
Officers Emotional & Social Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is learning to become aware of our emotions, and to acknowledge that emotions drive behavior that can impact others (positively and negatively). Learning to manage our emotions, in the moment, is crucial. Remember, No one can make you mad or angry.
RITE teaches elements that includes: Emotional Self-Awareness, Behavioral Self-Control, Integrity Ownership. This combination helps improve our EI, at work as well as at home. Improved de-escalation awareness starts here.
Learn to control your emotions especially in stressful situations, at home and at work.
Social Intelligence (SI)
How we effectively navigate and negotiate all social relationships and situations. Learning to use your EI, is beneficial to improving your SI.
We can’t help others until we help ourselves first. Controlling your own emotions is key, in order to connect with others.
Elements include: Situational Awareness, Block-out Syndrome, Duty-to-Intervene, Space-of-Mind, Empathy Communication, Conflict Management, and Connecting with Others through understanding VALUE. These social skill-building lessons help to improve our SI, on the street, in the department, and at home. Working on one’s Social Intelligence, improves de-escalation skills while building VALUE in the Community.
When you learn to connect with others, you build VALUE for yourself, the profession, and the community.
Career Resiliency
“In Corrections, you don’t have as many tools as the police officer on street. You don’t have a taser, or baton, or pepper spray. You have a radio, and handcuffs, and the biggest tool is your mouth. How to treat people is what RITE training is all about. ~Sgt. Elvin Rodriguez, Lake County Corrections
Having great communication skills, means having the ability to control your emotions 98% of the time. In public service communicating with others is the key to mastering your VALUE. This gives builds Career Resiliency.
RITE helps you cross over life’s hurdles, to understand the support steps you can take to get back on track.
We discuss the onset of PTS(D), Mental Health, Cumulative Career Trauma (CCTS), Peer Support, CIT and how using various RITE Tools can help you bounce back.
Building Value improves officer well-being and helps avoid burnout. RITE teaches you how to bounce back when life throws you a curve ball!
Accountability Standards
RITE programs reinforce your department policy that reduces negative banter, while making positive workplace changes. By providing each employee with accountability tools, the RITE model lays the groundwork to encourage positive employee engagement.
RITE reinforces proper conduct for every employee of the department, and the documentation if ever needed in an their personnel file. Put Officer Wellness on the front-line for your next training class. When you improve the person, you improve the profession, the department, and the community.
Training can be forgotten after 1-2 weeks. RITE continues to be used in your department well after the training ends, because of our unique RITE Tool Kit.
Students learn how to use RITE Tools in class (i.e.: De-escalation Communication & Resiliency Awareness), and continue using them at work and at home well beyond the training.
RITE provides Agency support groups with Training and Tools, offering additional help and resources to all employees in the agency.
Professional Workplace
Employees with Emotional intelligence regulate themselves under stress. They won’t bully others, stereotype people, or compromise their own values by putting others down. Self-regulation which is part of Emotional intelligence, teaches us how to control our emotions, especially in pressure situations.
Emotional intelligence improves Mental Health and Wellness. Over 1200 public service agencies have benefited from RITE Training classes.
RITE Training supports:
Health and Wellness Coordinators
Law enforcement agencies need support in their ongoing efforts to protect the mental health and wellness of all of their employees. Good mental health is just as important as good physical health for law enforcement officers to be effective in keeping their communities safe.
- RITE provides Cognitive Imprint Wellness Tools
- Inclusive for all in agency (sworn and non-sworn)
- Train-the-Trainer Program includes instructor manuals, PowerPoints, handouts, certificates, student books, tools, 20 mental wellness exercises, posters, banners, etc.
- Leadership and Executive Summary PowerPoints
- RITE Improves mental wellness through Emotional Intelligence Training
Wellness Coordinators love using RITE’s simple exercises and Tools that ADD to their programs.
Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT)
In 1987, Joseph Robinson, a young man who struggled with mental illness, died as a result of a violent encounter with the Memphis Police Department. His death became the triggering incident for a unique collaboration between the police, the community, mental health advocates, and mental health services.
CIT was created as a system of ongoing support giving law enforcement the training and resources needed to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes when dealing with mental health consumers in crisis.
RITE Training’s unique EI exercises give CIT Instructors more Tools to provide counseling.
Peer Support Groups
Peer support is an integral piece inside every public safety agency. Providing employees the opportunity to receive emotional support through times of personal or professional crisis and to help anticipate and address potential difficulties.
RITE’s Emotional Intelligence Tools provide additional ways for peer support to help employees.
Mental Health Advocates
Mental health trainers build on the success of various mental health training that can include CIT and Peer Support to meet their needs.
These agencies may also sometimes link their specialized teams to a designated ‘mental health’ officer in every precinct or neighborhood.
RITE Officer well-being Tools further support Mental Health Advocates daily initiatives.
Academies and In-service Training
RITE’s Cognitive Imprinting Tools help recruits and seasoned officer’s learn how to control their emotions when they need it the most. Practicing Behavioral Self-Control in a split second, helps employees make the right decision especially in pressure situations.
Emotional Awareness is key for empathy communication and critical when connecting with others. Building VALUE in the community starts with employees understanding their own Value. RITE reinforces agency support groups (Peer Support, and CIT), for employee mental health and well-being for a long-lasting career.
RITE helps employees learn how to deal with the aftermath of traumatic situations with mindfulness release exercises.
Specialty Teams (SWAT, Dive Rescue, FTO)
No matter what your specialty may be, public servants must make the correct decision in a split-second. Whether you are de-escalating the call, or needing better focus to perform critical duties, it is important to practice emotional well-being, with clear-minded thought.
It takes 2 – 3 seconds for your brain to process – emotional to logical thoughts
Just like the professional athlete, you must practice, practice, practice. RITE Training tools and exercises provide the necessary practice for specialty teams to perform effectively and efficiently under high stressful situations.
RITE help Teams increase focus and clear mental challenges, especially under pressure.
Executive Leadership
RITE’s Leadership Training helps executive leaders, build trust, and cohesiveness throughout the agency. We help leaders with mentorship techniques and exercises on how to deal with disruptive, toxic, and nonproductive employee. Whether you are in executive leadership or middle-management, our RITE exercises with help leaders better connect with ALL their employees.
Building Value inside the agency, means including everyone from top-down leaders.
RITE provides off-site, 4-hour and 8-hour management classes. When you leave our RITE class you will have many new resourceful tools to help you manage, mentor, and better connect with your employees.
RITE accountability Tools help leaders build a unified message for a professional workplace.
Recruitment and Retaining Career Employees
Agencies face 2 big issues: 1) Not enough candidates, and 2) retaining them long after the academy.
Let’s face it… no matter what public service field you are in, (Police, Fire, Ems, Corrections, 911 Operators, or City), more and more people are turning away from public service.
Since 2015, RITE Academy has helped over 1200 public service agencies, 975 RITE Trainers and given out over 550,000 RITE Tools.
Helping recruiters and police leaders find alternate ways to acquire new candidates, is what we LOVE to do! We’ve helped them add EI mentorship and Peer support in order to retain employees for the long term.
RITE Training not only helps the agency, and community, but also for the new and tenured employee. Helping your employees will in turn help the agency, profession, and community.
It’s easy to implement the RITE Program, as everyone receives their own Tool Kit, and the agency gets RITE Banners and Posters for the hallways to help employees think positively through their work shift. Getting employees in a better space-of-mind, (Emotional Intelligence), before they hit the street is key to agency Success. When you build up your employees, you build department morale, and you find more candidates.
Tenured public servants can go through tremendous ups and downs in their careers. The RITE program provides that helping resource throughout their career. Part of RITE’s Values help agencies have a positive professional work environment with everyone referencing the RITE Message!
RITE Value says, “We care about YOU…the employee.”
In order to ‘Do the RITE thing’, place more emphasis on employee well-being. RITE provides the necessary resources for all support teams like CIT, Peer Support, Mental Health Advocates, Chaplains, FTO, Specialty Teams (i.e. SWAT, Hostage Negotiations), Academy and In-service Trainers.
Getting candidates through the Academy is hard enough. Losing them after 2 years, can be devastating.
The combination of emotional and social intelligence skill-building with unique accountability Tools add Value inside the workplace, that helps build morale. Years of research along with hands-on training, give your employees a sole-source experience that is unforgettable, and unparalleled to any other public service training.
Key Learning Skills:
- Master communication skills with tools and 20 exercises
- Better decisions to help de-escalate all situations
- Increased self-awareness, self-worth, and self-value
- Build positive relationships inside and outside the agency
- Improve officer wellness by learning how to decrease stress
- Enhanced empathy and effective conflict resolution
- How to Pivot from distractors and toxic behavior
- Learning to control your emotions (no one can actually make you mad)
- How to recognize the Block-out, Duty to Intervene
- Understanding career burnout, PTS(D), Cumulative Career Trauma (CCTS)
- Reinforce Peer Support Groups, CIT, Mental Health Programs
RITE Training includes EI Tools like the Police and Firefighter Ladder (seen below) to help Officers make better decisions, especially under pressure. The RITE model of EI+SI=RITE VALUE helps officers see the VALUE within themselves.
When you feel better about yourself, you can then treat others better. RITE Value is about our overall well-being.
“Control your emotions, and you control the situation.“
Testimonials
Lt. Jones RITE Emotional Intelligence TedTalk
Articles and Insights
RITE blogs and articles for: PTSD and Suicide, Crisis Intervention Training, Peer Support, and building Morale, Emotional Intelligence Training, and more. Our main Blog page articles – share with your entire agency.
“The RITE model starts with Emotional Intelligence (EI), to improve Officer Wellness… one of the 6 Pillars in 21st Century Policing.”
“In today’s policing, communication skills using Emotional and Social Intelligence benefits the agency and the community. Nobody expects police misconduct or negative media attention in their agency, but it happens. When you improve the officer, you improve the profession.” ~ Randy Friedman
Our training has received the IADLEST national seal of approval, the highest standard of training.