Even if you’re not following the wrestling scene odds are you’re familiar with the Hawkeye team. Some of the greatest wrestlers in history were Hawkeyes. Now the new generation had the opportunity to give back to the community and offer some insights to members of the police department in Iowa.
According to a news release, officers from the Iowa City, University of Iowa and Oelwein police departments recently grappled with members of the Hawkeye wrestling program and coaching staff. The idea of the training was to teach officers some new skills to apply when they’re forced to physically control a subject and take them to the ground.
“There are times when we take a person to the ground and we’re on the ground and have to control them,” said Iowa City Police Sgt. Doug Hart to thegazette.com, the department’s training coordinator. Hart worked with head wrestling coach Tom Brands to set up the training.
The training was the brainchild of UI Public Safety Director Scott Beckner and Iowa City Police Chief Jody Matherly, a formerly certified high school wrestling coach.
“There are times when an officer’s de-escalation efforts and verbal commands fail quickly and they have no option but to go hands-on to take a person into custody,” Matherly said in the news release. “While our officers learn defensive tactics at the basic police academy — and continue to practice with state-certified instructors — we can always find opportunities to do more.”
