Law enforcement leaders clash over police training company Force Science and DA’s opinion piece

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and several law enforcement leaders are at odds over Force Science, a national company that trains police officers across the country, including in Tennessee.

Mulroy attended a Force Science session in Nashville and described his experience in a USA Today opinion piece, writing that trainers mocked de-escalation.

He wrote: “One thing I learned was a DA can’t prevent police killings if the police are trained to kill.”

In an interview, Mulroy said his written criticism was directed specifically at the training session he attended, not at law enforcement broadly.

“No, I don’t think anyone is deliberately training anyone to kill, and that criticism was lodged at only [Force Science’s] training I attended. It wasn’t generally about law enforcement; it wasn’t targeting Shelby County or anything like that,” Mulroy said.

Mulroy said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation hosted the training he attended in Nashville. He said he has spoken with the TBI director about his concerns.

“I know they have been doing it for years. I know I was present in a room with law enforcement agents from across Tennessee, over 100 of them. I know that it is continuing. I know they [Force Science] are one of the main trainers of law enforcement agents around the country,” Mulroy said.

Force Science’s CEO, Brian Baxter, told Action News 5 that Mulroy’s opinion piece was an “inaccurate portrayal” of his company’s training techniques.

Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said Mulroy’s opinion piece leaves out the officer’s perspective.

“But when you are constantly poking and trying to lump everybody into the worst example in any profession, it is demoralizing to the men and women out there serving every day,” Lane said.

A group of district attorneys within the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference said Mulroy’s piece is “unfair to prosecutors across Tennessee who make these difficult decisions every year.”

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation hosted Force Science in 2025 as a location for a certification course.

Mulroy said he wants the takeaway from his article to remain on the training company itself.

“Rather than getting defensive and shooting the messenger, why aren’t they joining me and saying, ‘Yes, this training is problematic and we ought to be taking a look at it?’” Mulroy said.

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