FL – L.E.A.D.S. and Leon County Sheriff’s De-escalation Tracking Project

Leon County Sheriff’s De-escalation Tracking Project

Leon County Sheriffs Office, Tallahassee FLA partnered with the Lt. Kevin Dillon (ret) founder of the L.E.A.D.S. Law Enforcement Active De-escalation Strategies Training and Florida State College continues the Leon County De-escalation Tracking Project. The De-escalation Tracking Project  in partnership with Florida State College is truly a model initiative, setting a new standard in the profession. This continual field study has displayed the effectiveness of the L.E.A.D.S. training and proficiency of the Leon County Deputies to resolve conflicts, mitigate use of force and de-escalate agitated encounters. 

It was both a pleasure and an honor to present our L.E.A.D.S.™ Law Enforcement Active De-escalation Strategies Instructor Training for your agency from September 16–18, 2025. The program was extremely well received, with participants demonstrating exceptional enthusiasm, dedication, and professionalism throughout the three-day course.

I extend my sincere gratitude for your continued support and leadership in advancing professional development within your agency. I would also like to commend Sergeant Blake Howard for his outstanding assistance in coordinating and supporting this training. 

A review of the evaluations reflected an overwhelmingly positive satisfaction rating, underscoring the value the participants gained from the training. For your reference, I have attached a summary of the evaluation results. 2023-24 De-escalation Report

Student Evaluation Summary
Leon County Sheriff’s Office
L.E.A.D.S. Law Enforcement Active De-escalation Strategies
Sept. 16 – 18, 2025

Please assess the quality of this presentation.

100% of attendees rated this course at the highest level – Excellent
Instructors Lt. Kevin Dillon (ret)

Different teaching styles, PowerPoint, personal stories, videos, sketchpad, fluctuation in tone really helped me learn the materials paired with the class teach backs and personal stories.
Detective / Violent crimes – 7 years

Presentation was excellent well taught and Informative. K.D. Is a great mind and I would refer him to any agency looking for this kind of instruction
Detective Financial crimes – 13 years

The quality of this presentation was amazing. I am very passionate about this subject and so was the instructor. He presented the topics perfectly and gave multiple incidents of when it worked. He kept the class. Engaged in the topic.
Forest Unit 14 years

The instruction was extremely engaging and it kept everyone’s attention, even if there was a time when I had to step out to take a call, it sucked you in!! When I grow up, I hope to be able to stand in front of a room with confidence such as KD.
Lieutenant Youth Services

Yes!  Send your officers to this training! Presenter knew the material, but also brought it to a level so new trainers would be able to understand!
Sergeant 27 years

 Excellent. Very engaging throughout. Very knowledgeable and well versed on the subject.
Data analysis plus 10 years of Law enforcement

 Very engaging, great information offers more ways to de-escalate high emotional situations.
Sergeant- Uniform patrol

KD never just read off the slides. He provided anecdotal evidence and examples of implementing the techniques. He made it all make sense. We’ll be teaching this at the agency and now we have quantifiable data showing our De-escalation efforts.
Deputy FTO / SWAT 4 years experience

Was presented in a fashion that allowed us to relate it to our daily job performance as well as the whys.
Mental Health Unit

 The presentation was well structured, and the instructor kept me engaged during the presentation. Covering this training will help me with the de- escalation while out on patrol. Also learning some of the science reasoning behind the de-escalation techniques will help knowing what people in the community are experiencing.
Patrol deputy 7years

The subject is timely and important. This will help me train the deputies on how to do their jobs better.
Property Crime Sergeant 23 years

Great topic which broke down the components of how to regulate ourselves and others. K.D. Is very knowledgeable and passionate about this subject.  Improve strategic process when interacting with others in an investigative and training environment.
Training Unit 5 years

Presentation was great. Instructor was very knowledgeable about the topics presented. He did a great job with including corrections. As a training Sergeant I will be implementing a lot of the material every single training.
Training Sergeant 27 years

Well presented, well vetted and rehearsed, kept my attention from the first minute. (Instructor) Incredible. I’m thankful to get this info from Lieutenant Dylan.  l integrate strategies and techniques into in service scenario defensive tactics training.
Training Unit Instructor

It was excellent and thorough,  however almost too fast to process the concepts. I am excited to impart this knowledge to other deputies and in the rare event I am involved in a critical citizen subject interaction I will be much better prepared to deal with agitated individuals.
Aviation pilot 12 years

Great examples of each topic we covered. I hope to use this class to teach new deputies how to effectively communicate in strike home “paradigm shifts”
Sergeant 10 years