Tactical & Ethical Decision-Making

This course is designed to strengthen decision-making in complex, high-pressure situations, where police officers must exercise sound judgment, legal awareness, and professional conduct. The course reviews how to assess situations effectively, respond appropriately, and build community trust while prioritizing safety, accountability, and ethical policing.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Recognize how decisions are made under pressure and why early choices matter 
  • Apply principled policing to support professionalism and voluntary cooperation 
  • Distinguish police-community encounter types and the authority tied to each 
  • Use Fourth Amendment standards to guide lawful, tactically sound actions 
  • Apply policy and professional judgment to select appropriate tactical responses 
  • Reassess, de-escalate, or intervene to guide situations toward safer outcomes 

Professional Development Hours: 4.0 

Intended Audience: Patrol-level policing personnel, including officers, deputies, recruits, and troopers, as well as mid-level supervisors and leaders. 

Experience Level: Beginner, Intermediate 

Note: Registered users will have 60 days to complete the course. 

Participant training records, including course completion and certification data, are maintained and archived in accordance with applicable standards. Records are retained for a minimum of 30 years and remain available for verification and audit purposes. 

Key:

Complete
Failed
Available
Locked
Pre-Assessment
21 Questions  |  1 attempt
21 Questions  |  1 attempt Complete this pre-assessment to see your starting score. Once you have completed this assessment, you will be able to move on to other coursework.
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Course: Tactical & Ethical Decision-Making
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package. A routine stop. An evolving situation. An encounter that could steady—or escalate. As an officer, your decisions shape what happens next. Early choices influence safety, legality, and public trust long before a situation reaches a critical point. In this course, you will explore how tactical and ethical decision-making applies across everyday policing situations.
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Post-Assessment
21 Questions  |  2 attempts  |  80/100 points to pass
21 Questions  |  2 attempts  |  80/100 points to pass You have 2 attempts to get a passing grade of 80% on this assessment.
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Elevate Blue Course Survey V3.4
11 Questions
11 Questions We hope you enjoyed this Elevate Blue virtual training and would like to hear feedback on your training experience. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. Your responses will be kept anonymous and will only be used to help us improve content on existing topics, inform development of future courses, and to report aggregate outcomes to our partners.
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Certificate
4.00 credits  |  Certificate available
4.00 credits  |  Certificate available
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