Police Officers, Departments Turn to Jiu-Jitsu to Hone Deescalation Skills

Sgt. Cortez Gardner (left) gets ready for an intensive sparring against his training opponent at CU Jiu Jitsu gym in Urbana, Ill., on Feb. 10, 2022. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

URBANA, Ill.—Cortez Gardner, patrol sergeant at Urbana Police Department, almost quit when public resentment against police soared after the police custody death of George Floyd.

He became an officer in 2012 to help people go about their lives without fear of violence, which he observed daily growing up on the South Side of Chicago.