Abstracts

Rationale:

Poor interactions with police are more likely realities when identifiers such as race and ethnicity, gender and disabilities are factors. Forty percent of the calls received annually by a national epilepsy nonprofit are related to police interactions. Epilepsy impacts more than 3.4 million Americans. More than 40% of those with epilepsy are African Americans and Hispanics. Limited knowledge and lack of awareness of how seizures may present has resulted in wrongful arrest and premature death by police. Law enforcement officers may mistake seizure and postictal behavior as noncompliance, belligerence, or substance abuse.

Methods:

This comparative evaluation explored the effectiveness, engagement, and logistical considerations of traditional face-to-face (F2F) instructor-led law enforcement training versus newly adopted instructor-led virtual training models. With the increasing integration of technology and the need for adaptable training formats, law enforcement agencies are reevaluating delivery methods to maintain operational readiness and professional standards. 

The F2F model, long regarded as the standard for skill development, offers the advantage of hands-on learning, immediate feedback, and stronger in-person team-building opportunities.

In contrast, instructor-led virtual training allows for greater flexibility, cost-efficiency, and accessibility—especially in geographically dispersed agencies. Allows participants to be more focused by reducing distractions.  Virtual platforms support the delivery of theoretical content, policy updates, legal refreshers, and ethical decision-making modules.

Results:

 

 

Despite its convenience, virtual training faces limitations in replicating high-intensity, hands-on activities and sustaining participant engagement over extended periods. Challenges include technology access, reduced non-verbal communication cues, and potential decreases in learning retention for kinetic skills.

However, the evaluation suggests an increased knowledge and a significant change in training effectiveness with the new virtual model thus should be the continued approach to provide the most comprehensive training solution by combining the strengths of both delivery methods.

Conclusions:

 

The course is designed to help change police perceptions of seizures and those living with epilepsy. To expand the reach of the course more virtual offerings of the course, in addition to an on demand version, should be offered in the future.

Funding: This work made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under cooperative agreement number NU58DP006065-04-00. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC. This course was supported by Eisai, a pharmaceutical company, as part of a financial assistance sponsorship to the Epilepsy Foundation. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by Eisai.