De-Escalation.
This chapter covers what a Texas peace officer must know about de-Escalation, along with the statute limits that shape each element, at the level of detail the TCOLE tests.
Chapter 27 study guide.
This chapter teaches one tool and a set of habits that support it. The tool is the Critical Decision-Making Model, or CDM, an organized way of deciding how to act in any situation, including one that may involve force. The habits are crisis recognition, tactical communication and operational safety tactics.
Learn the four principles at the center of the CDM and its five steps in order. Then learn the short phrases the outline uses, such as the 80/20 rule, tactical pause, and distance + cover = time. Most of the chapter is short lists, so practice recalling each list from memory.
Jump to an objective22
The key principles of the CDM
The Critical Decision-Making Model gives you an organized way of making decisions about how you will act in any situation, including situations that may involve a use of force.
Four principles sit at the center of the model, and every step is measured against them: police ethics, the values of the police agency, proportionality, and the sanctity of human life.
On the exam Be able to pick the four principles out of a list that mixes them with the five steps.
The four key principles of the CDM are police ethics, the values of the agency, proportionality, and the .
CDM stands for Critical Model.
The CDM principle that the response should fit the situation is called .
The five steps of the CDM
The CDM has five steps. Step 1: collect information. Step 2: assess the situation, threats and risks. Step 3: consider police powers and agency policy. Step 4: identify options and determine the best course of action. Step 5: act, review and re-assess.
The last step sends you back to the start. After you act you review what happened and re-assess, so the model works as a loop and not as a one-time checklist.
On the exam Know the steps in order. Questions often ask which step comes first or which comes right after another.
Step 1 of the CDM is to collect .
Step 3 of the CDM is to consider police powers and agency .
Step 5 of the CDM is to act, review and .
Benefits of the CDM
The CDM organizes the decision-making process and helps officers make better decisions.
It also helps after the incident. An officer who followed the model can give a structured, rational explanation of what they did and why, and that increases the officer’s credibility.
The CDM helps officers explain their actions after an incident with a structured, rational explanation, which increases their .
One benefit of the CDM is that it helps the decision-making process.
Questions on what you just read.
- Question 1 · LO 27.1
Which of these is one of the four key principles at the center of the Critical Decision-Making Model?
- Question 2 · LO 27.2
An officer has collected information and assessed the situation, threats and risks. Under the CDM, what comes next?
- Question 3 · LO 27.3
After a critical incident, an officer is asked to explain her decisions. How does the CDM help her?
The rest of Chapter 27.
- LO 27.4Applying the CDM to a video case study1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.5Recognizing a person in behavioral crisis2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.6Principles for responding to a person in crisis3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.7Engaging and connecting with a person in crisis3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.8The emotional and rational thinking scale2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.9Communication as a tactical advantage1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.10Active listening3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.11Non-verbal communication2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.12Verbal skills for defusing and gaining compliance3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.13Alternatives to hostile-sounding phrases2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.14Pre-response and response requirements2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.15Using the CDM when responding to a critical incident1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.16Team roles at a critical incident2 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.17Tactical pause, distance + cover = time, and tactical repositioning3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.18The after-action review3 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.19The CDM after the incident1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.20Review of the key concepts1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.21The CDM in managing and resolving an incident1 fill-in-the-blank
- LO 27.22Scenario-based exercises1 fill-in-the-blank
A subscription opens the other 19 objectives in this chapter, with 37 more fill-in-the-blank items and 7 more practice questions, along with the study guide for every other BPOC chapter.
Unlock the full guideLast checked against the Texas statutes in September 2026. This guide is a study aid for the TCOLE licensing exam. It is not legal advice, and your academy’s instruction and your department’s policy come first.
What recruits ask about this chapter.
How does the TCOLE curriculum describe key principles of the Critical Decision-Making Model (CDM)?
Describe the key principles of the Critical Decision-Making Model (CDM). Includes: police ethics; the values of the police agency; proportionality; the sanctity of the human life.
How does the TCOLE curriculum explain each of the five steps of the CDM?
Explain each of the five steps of the CDM. Includes: step 1: Collect information; step 2: Assess situation, threats, and risks; step 3: Consider police powers and agency policy; step 4: Identify options and determine best course of action; step 5: Act, review, and re-assess.
What does the TCOLE curriculum say about articulate the benefits of the CDM?
Articulate the benefits of the CDM. Includes: organize the decision-making process; assists officers to make better decisions; assists officers in explaining their actions after the incident to provide a structured, rational explanation increasing credibility.
What does the TCOLE curriculum say about use the CDM to describe the actions of a police officer handling a critical incident, through a video case study?
Use the CDM to describe the actions of a police officer handling a critical incident, through a video case study. Includes: obtain and review a video case study of an actual incident, as seen through an officer’s body-camera or dash-cam and analyze how the officers’ actions fit with the critical decision-making model (CDM);
Related study guides in Use of Force.
Drill this chapter with practice questions written from the BPOC curriculum.
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Get full access →Preparing for the state exam? Read the TCOLE exam guide for the format, passing score, and retake rules, or take a free TCOLE practice test to see where you stand.