Local Law Enforcement Take Part In Non-Lethal Force Demonstration

The county’s district attorney and a handful of local police chiefs watched a demonstration of mixed martial arts training that encouraged officers to use non-lethal force.

The demonstration at MPR Endurance MMA on Town Center Drive in Middletown Township was organized by Philadelphia City Councilman David Oh, a martial arts instructor, and Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub.

Instructor Bob Clark, who has worked in law enforcement for three decades, showed off martial arts skills officers could learn as alternatives to drawing a weapon. He said the training is designed to make the non-lethal moves instinct for law enforcement.

Clark, MPR Endurance MMA owner Erik Purcell, and two other instructors displayed several tactics for dealing with subjects where an officer would have to forcefully arrest them or defend themselves during a struggle.

Instructors acting as officers defended themselves when they were attacked, brought suspects to the ground for arrest, and also learned how to protect themselves when an attacker takes them from behind.

Purcell said the training is geared specifically for law enforcement and is designed to “keep it simple.”

“With this, there’s way less of a chance for something to go wrong,” Purcell said of the training.

Purcell explained there are other training courses for civilians and members of the military that were designed for their needs.

“I think it’s good that we are always looking at alternatives,” Weintraub said.

“Our police here in Bucks County, our leadership in policing here in Bucks County, all the chiefs … always have first and foremost on their minds how they can serve the public and keep them safe,” he said.

The district attorney said the demonstration and 15-point set of guidelines for officer use of force agreed up by all 39 Bucks County police departments, the Bucks County Detectives, and Bucks County Rangers last year shows law enforcement’s commitment to public safety.

Morris Derry, the founder of nonprofit No More Pain Inc. who helped organized last year’s large Black Lives Matter march, supported the non-lethal training demonstrated on Monday.

“I think this is good and shows we live in an area where something is being done,” he said.

Falls Township police Chief Nelson Whitney said the demonstration was interesting. He noted that Falls Township officers already undergo some martial arts training and are trained to use non-lethal force first, citing a number of incidents where officers have taken down armed subjects without firing their weapons.

Middletown Township Chief of Police Joseph Bartorilla said he expected to send some officers over to explore the training further.

Oh, the city councilman and a martial arts instructor, urged the police chiefs to check out the program and allow officers to take part as a component of their department-led training. He said he is working to allow city officers to take part in mixed martial arts training, noting several officers at his gym do the training in their own time.

Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies

---

---