Founded in 2015 by Linda Webb and Randy Friedman, RITE Academy was born out of Love. Linda’s Love for all that law enforcement stands for in her blood, sweat, and tears as a retired police officer; and Randy’s Love for helping others find their truth (living at the top of the Ladder), personally and professionally.
Linda Webb – Dedicating her life to civil service, law enforcement, and fighting fraud for over 35+ years, has been a life-long passion for Linda Webb. Her law enforcement career involved patrol, morals unit, selective enforcement unit (working with vice), police motorcyclist, dive rescue, detective, and master police academy instructor (teaching ethics and professionalism). Ms. Webb has taught over 20 diverse police courses, and designed multiple nationally recognized “train-the-trainer” police programs currently being used today.
Randy Friedman – As Co-founder of the RITE Academy, Randy Friedman molded her athletics, mental toughness, and corporate training together, to help bring the RITE Program to law enforcement. As a certified Social+Emotional Intelligence Coach and her 25+ years in corporate and sports training, Ms. Friedman teaches with a unique perspective that helps educate public service professionals enhance their communication skill-set, on and off the job. When you control your emotions, you control every situation.
RITE Academy teaches officers learn first how improve themselves (personally) and ways to understand their own internal communication. RITE teaches tools and techniques that improve the officer’s communication on the front line, to help them De-escalate calls, as well as helping to improve departmental accountability standards. We teach officers, that their own well-being and mental health is important. Control your own emotions is important before you engage with anyone else. Recognizing what Block-Out Syndrome and stepping in, tapping out, and take over if you see a coworkers may be out-of-control (duty to intervene).
Look who’s Talking
“You’ve had a bad day, you’re ‘low on the ladder’ and you realize that your interaction is not going well… you can stop, rethink, you can apologize for how you just acted … It’s not too late, you can always de-escalate.” ~ Chief Rob Hicks, Leesburg Police Dept. FL
“The Rite program is a timely program especially in today’s society, and what we are facing as a profession. It provides skills to help officers become more aware of not just what’s in front of them, but what’s inside of them. I highly recommend this program.” ~ Lt. Fred Jones, Lake County Sheriff’s Office FL
“Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place. The seed has been planted, let’s water it.” ~ Chief Trent Conard, Gastonia Police Dept. NC
“The most informative training I’ve ever received. It’s actually something that can be used in my everyday life, and it came at a time when I needed it most.” ~ Officer Shaunda Wilson, Baylor College, Tx
Videos speak Volumes
RITE Academy testimonial videos and YouTube channel
Police Chief is First to Host RITE Training in Rhode Island
Officers from the Central Falls area participated in a rigorous two-day course to educate them on racial biases and how to appropriately handle high-pressure situations. Over a 2-Day Trainer course, Trainers from area departments participated in The RITE Emotional Intelligence Training and Engagement course. This served to educate the departments through a new lens, identifying implicit bias and improving communication to de-escalate high pressure situations using Emotional Intelligence. Focusing on one’s own emotions first, officers learned new ways to de-escalate, recognize block-out syndrome, and when it is time to step in with Duty to Intervene.
Charleston police plan to improve race relations, includes Racial Intelligence
When Charleston Police Department Training Commander, Chris Johnson called RITE last January he said, “we have a very pro-active Chief and department, and RITE training fits our needs.” Two months later, five officers became certified as Trainers in the RITE Program, in order to roll it out to their entire department. Officer well-being is important in order to better engage with the public.
Some thought this was some old cultural diversity class they’d have to take back and “brow-beat” their officers with. They quickly learned, this course is about building officers, not breaking them. It helps officers understand themselves first.
We are Social!
