MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Sgt. Derek Carlile has been a Marysville police officer for 15 years. He gets frustrated when he hears stereotypes of officers taking care of each other instead of taking care of the public.
"I love this job and the reason I do this job is to protect the citizens," he said.
That job has come under a lot more scrutiny since Minneapolis police officers stood by and watched as Derek Chauvin choke and kill George Floyd three years ago.
In the wake of that tragedy, officers across the country are taking what's called Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training.
The training teaches police how to hold each other accountable for their actions in the field, and intervene if they see things going too far -- with the assurance there will be no retribution.
"It's changing the old culture to a new culture of being able to intervene and being able to be proud of your partners when they intervene if there is an officer who is not doing what they should be doing," said Carlile.
Commander Jonathan Elton leads the training in Marysville.
With the relationship between law enforcement and the public at a crossroads in America, he believes ABLE training will save lives as well as careers.
"It's actually encouraged and accepted by police, now," he said. "We're helping each other out. If you care about this profession, and the nobility of it, you're gonna want to intervene and help your officer out before we get to another George Floyd incident."
Every police agency in Washington state and recruit coming out of the academy is now required to get this training. In Marysville, all are expected by be on board by the end of the year - a police force willing and now ABLE to do better.
"That's really our job, to serve and protect," said Carlile.