Pittsburgh Bureau of Police welcomes newest graduating class
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police on Wednesday welcomed its first graduating class of recruits since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These recruits also were the very first class to have studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu as part of their curriculum at the training academy under the tutelage of Steel City Martial Arts instructors Don Bluedorn and Santino Achille.
"The value of jiu-jitsu for police officers is two-fold. First, it's a wonderful form of exercise, develops mental discipline, and develops a lot of self-confidence. Secondly, and even more importantly for a police officer, it's a way to control someone in a non-violent way so you don't have to rely on strikes or kicks or using weaponry. You're able to control them in a peaceful fashion so neither the subject nor the officer gets hurt," said Bluedorn.
According to the department's Facebook post, jiu-jitsu instruction will now be included in all future recruit classes.
