Tiverton Police Train in Jiu-Jitsu to Boost Officer Safety and Confidence

For local police officers, staying in shape and staying safe are essential to serving their community.

The Tiverton Police Department has been working with Danny Savery BJJ & Martial Arts Academy for years, bringing confidence and awareness to their officers.

"Our curriculum for use of force is heavily based in Jiu-Jitsu. The reason that it is, is because there's a lot of applications of that art when it comes to using force in police encounters," Tiverton Police Captain Bryan Palagi said.

What Is Jiu-Jitsu?

"There's no punching and kicking, it's all controlling methods like takedowns, control on the ground to get to where you need to be," Savery said. "It's almost like a takedown, pin down situation as opposed to battling. Jiu-jitsu nowadays, I look at it like a mixed martial arts of grappling styles."

Get our free mobile app

Why Is Jiu-jitsu So Beneficial?

"Most instances end up on the ground, as much as we try to keep people standing, and sometimes it's very difficult to control somebody while they're standing," Palagi said. "We like to bring them to the ground so we can utilize the ground to control their movements and then secure them in handcuffs."

Jiu-jitsu has been a very efficient and successful tactic for local departments.

"For three straight years, anytime that there has been an instance where there is one officer that's involved with this program who was involved in a use of force, there have been no injuries," Palagi said. That goes for officers and suspects.

Palagi has noticed a confidence boost in his officers as well as an increased awareness and avoidance of altercations.

From the health benefits and mental escape of the workout, to the skills gained from working with Danny, Captain Palagi is very grateful for the training.

"All the students are just fantastic and it's almost like having like a second family," he said.