Spring 2023 - 16

POLICE
Lt. Bryan Palagi practices
groundwork at Danny Savery's
BJJ studio in Somerset, MA.
Photo Credit: Wesley Sykes/Great
American Media Services
Grappling with De-Escalation
Rhode Island lieutenant starts state-wide BJJ program
By Wesley Sykes, Managing Editor
L
ieutenant Bryan Palagi is in his 12th year of
service to the Tiverton Police Department
in Rhode Island after graduating from the
Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy
(RIMPTA) in 2012. After serving both as an
officer and supervisor, he is currently in charge of
the Planning and Training Division.
In addition, he is a RIMPTA use of force
instructor, designing a curriculum that's been
adopted by both the Providence Police and Rhode
Island State Police academies.
Just prior to starting his policing career, Palagi
began training in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu (BJJ) under
Danny Slavery, a Tiverton police officer who
had his own training academy in town before
ultimately moving his operations to nearby
Somerset, MA. Eventually earning his black belt,
Palagi saw the benefits BJJ can offer officers in
the field and effectively petitioned his chief to
16 | Tactical Training & Conditioning | Spring 2023
start the Ocean State's first BJJ training program
for police officers.
Palagi spoke with Tactical Training &
Conditioning about getting the program started
and his advice for other departments considering
a similar program.
Tactical Training & Conditioning: Why is
Brazilian Ju-Jitsu a strong option for officers to
learn hand-to-hand and restraint techniques?
Lt. Bryan Palagi: Policing is a challenging job,
especially in today's world. Officers are expected
to end violent encounters while causing as
little damage/injury as possible. Most of these
encounters end on the ground. The simple
reason for this fact is that officers can utilize the
ground, their body weight, and gravity to help
control a suspect's movements and secure them
in handcuffs. Although there is a plethora of
Spring 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spring 2023
