Tracy Basterrechea, Deputy Chief of the Meridian Police Department, is currently teaching a course for both kids and adults on the martial arts.
Basterrechea has been a law enforcement officer for 23 years and holds Black Belts in Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Kodokan. He also teaches Jeet Kune Do/Filipino Kali.
His goal in teaching the community these martial arts is to limit the excessive use of force by both his department and members of the community. He wants to mentor his attendees and make them a better person overall.
The class is taught five times a week at the Public Safety Center at the Meridian Police Department. Poster printing can be used to provide more information about such classes and promote attendance throughout the community.
He is also integrating more martial arts techniques within his department so officers can improve their restraints and physical holds and learn how to fall properly to avoid injury. He wants to show his officers that there are other ways of subduing attackers and violent individuals.
His hope is that his officers and the members of the community who he teaches will understand the core principals of respect in the martial arts. He looks more towards how officers treat people rather than how many arrests they have made or tickets given out.