Information was gathered from municipal police agencies in British Columbia, other police agencies in Canada and the United States, site visits to six training programs in the United States, and interviews with criminologists and communications instructors. The analysis showed that police training in British Columbia uses the incremental model involving five or six levels of increasing force. In contrast, major agencies in the United States use a situational model, in which the police officer is trained to choose the appropriate, least violent option for the particular situation. Seventeen types of less-than-lethal alternatives exist; many of these appear appropriate for use in British Columbia or are already being used. These include tactical communications training, side handle batons, capsicum (an organic extract of cayenne pepper), stunning explosives, tear gas, and capsicum grenades. Adding these approaches and providing the appropriate training will cost money now but will save a large amount of suffering and cost later. Diagrams and 193 references