WEBINAR
Law Enforcement Safety: The Pitfalls of ROTE Practice and Moving to Perception-Based Decision-Making
Description:
Effective policing requires more than fast and accurate technical skills—it requires perception-based decision-making. Research, including Dr. Vickers’ work, shows that context must be established during the skill acquisition phase. Vickers coined the term “technique within tactics” to explain this. When officers practice repetitions without context, they often develop training scars that limit effectiveness in real-world encounters.
This webinar will explore how perception drives officer decision-making and how to design training that prevents context-free habits from undermining performance. We will look at examples such as practicing defensive tactics without resistance, learning to shoot without movement, or drilling stoppage responses in ways that discourage continued assessment. Each illustrates how well-intentioned training can create automatic behaviors that fail under stress.
Participants Will Learn To:
• Apply perception-based techniques to skill development.
• Integrate context into every stage of training to prevent “wired out” habits.
• Use variability—training skills from the ground, while moving, from inside vehicles, or with one hand—to build adaptable performance.
• Embed techniques inside tactics so that officers make decisions while acting, not in isolation.
This session provides practical methods for trainers and officers to align technical skills with tactical context, strengthening both safety and decision-making in the field.
Certificates: A certificate of attendance is provided automatically by the Go-To-Webinar platform only if you watch the live broadcast after logging in with your name and your email. If you watch the webinar as a group, or if you watch a replay, you will not receive a certificate. For group training simply document the completion of the training on a training roster.
Target Audience:
This webinar is specifically geared towards law enforcement officers and leadership. Please forward the registration link to others in your organization who may benefit from attendance.
Date/Time: April 23, 2026 (10-11am EST)
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2668889004488212318
Recordings are made available for on demand viewing here: View Recordings
Presenters: Trevor Reschny and Jeff Johnsgaard
Jeff Johnsgaard ([email protected]) is an internationally recognized law enforcement trainer and expert with over two decades of frontline policing experience. As the Founder and Chief Instructor of Training On Purpose, By Design Jeff has served as an instructor for Force Science®, Raptor Protection, and the Reality Based Training Association (RBTA). His credentials span advanced tactical instruction, firearms, use of force, defensive tactics, and scenario-based training, with additional expertise in conducted energy weapons, less-lethal tools, and close-quarters defense. Jeff has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and industry publications on officer safety, decision-making, and performance under stress, and regularly presents at conferences such as ILEETA, IALEFI, and Force Science. His training philosophy emphasizes integrating cognitive and physical skills, perception-based decision-making, and reality-based methods to prepare officers for the dynamic challenges of modern policing. Jeff’s website: www.OnPurpose.Training
