HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Jiu-jitsu could soon be added to basic law enforcement training (BLET) in North Carolina, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood told CBS 17 in an exclusive interview.
The sheriff says other states across the country include Gracie Survival Tactics (GST) jiu-jitsu in their BLET, and North Carolina could soon follow after years of advocacy with the state.
After taking office in 2014, the sheriff said one of his deputies, Lt. Jonathan Daniel, came to him with the idea. He was already trained in jiu-jitsu and saw how it could save lives in their line of work.
“I learned very quickly upon putting our hands on people and trying to take them into custody that it wasn’t just so easy,” Lt. Daniel said.
Lt. Daniel is now one of many Orange County sheriff’s deputies trained in jiu-jitsu.
While the sheriff’s office doesn’t require the training, they encourage their deputies to learn the life-saving skills. Other agencies are also doing the same.