ABLE
The Baltimore Police Department has focused extensively on peer intervention since 2020. Our agency initially adopted Ethical Policing Is Courageous (EPIC), originally developed by the New Orleans Police Department in collaboration with social science experts and civil rights leaders. Every BPD officer received EPIC training and pledged to intervene to prevent mistakes and misconduct. BPD policy reinforced every member’s Duty to Intervene and officers received recognition and awards for successfully preventing peer misconduct.
Since then, EPIC has evolved into the national Active Bystandership in Law Enforcement (ABLE) program overseen by Georgetown University. Through that program, every year all sworn BPD members receive refresher training on peer intervention, and all new trainees in the police academy also get ABLE training. The objective is to promote collective responsibility by training officers to identify warning signs, equipping them with the skills to intervene, rewarding officers who do the right thing, and integrating peer intervention with officer wellness services in a supportive, caring organizational culture.
ABLE Commitment
ABLE is about:
Authorizing and empowering, teaching skills and tactics, protecting interveners and cultivating a culture.
Training Materials
Starting in late 2020, all sworn members of the BPD received Ethical Policing is Courageous (EPIC) training. This training is based on the science of active bystandership, and participants learned through real-world scenarios and case studies. The goal of the training was to teach members how to intervene effectively and how to protect members who intervene from retaliation.
Please view the ABLE in-service training being delivered by the BPD in 2026.
Share Your Story
Have you been part of an ABLE Moment? We want to know how this program is impacting the lives of our officers and Baltimore residents. Tell us how ABLE has impacted you or how you’ve seen our department putting ethical policing into action.
Contact
Baltimore Police Department
Education and Training Section