The Lakeland Police Department plans to host a controversial training program that has been accused of teaching “inappropriate tactics,” so much so that nine states have banned law enforcement from taking the company’s courses.
Lakeland is scheduled to host Street Cop Training at its training center northeast of Lake Parker in August. The program is entitled “Pro-Active Patrol Tactics” and will be taught by the company’s founder and CEO Dennis Benigno.
The course is marketed as “The foundational course Street Cop Training was built on,” according to the company’s website.
Street Cop Training, formerly of New Jersey and now based in Crestview, Florida, was investigated by the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller with a 43-page report published in December 2023.
The State Attorney’s Office concluded that “the training taught unconstitutional policing tactics, glorified violence, denigrated women and minorities, and likely violated a myriad of state laws and policies.”
Chief Sam Taylor emailed the following response:
“We evaluate training opportunities through the lens of our community, our department standards as well as our commitment to constitutional policing. Officers attending any training program are expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and accountability,” Taylor wrote.
The chief is expected to give a presentation on “Hiring, Training and Retaining Lakeland Police Officers” to city commissioners at their commission meeting at 9 a.m. June 16 at City Hall, 228 S. Massachusetts Ave.
Who is Street Cop Training?
Street Copy Training was founded by Dennis Benigno, a former law enforcement officer who worked with a municipal police department in Middlesex County, New Jersey, until 2015.
Benigno founded the company in 2012 in an effort to deliver high-quality training he felt necessary to provide law enforcement with knowledge and skills to be effective in the field, according to his website.
There has been no response from Street Cop Training’s media team in an effort to speak with them about the upcoming Lakeland event, including how the company’s training and curriculum may have evolved or changed over time.
Benigno told the News-Journal in a phone interview the New Jersey investigation into his company was politically motivated.
“We teach constitutionality, respect, and restraint,” he said in the phone interview. “All the negative things in the New Jersey report were politically driven. Out of 1,000 people, they took one negative comment and made a big deal of it.”
Benigno also issued a statement in response to the report on his company’s Youtube Channel.
At least eight other states have followed New Jersey’s lead ― California, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, and Oregon — prohibiting their law enforcement agencies from attending the company’s training.
Lakeland officers have faced public criticism and scrutiny for aggressive tactics, from the use of excessive force to questionable decisions in the field leading to injury or death in the past three years.
- In January 2023, BLM Restoration Polk asked FDLE to launch an investigation into the Lakeland Police Department and four officers accused of using excessive force in arresting a Black man after a traffic stop.
- In January 2025, four officers resigned from the department after the State Attorney Brian Haas discovered evidence that “appeared to show officers intentionally turning off recording devices, both in-car and body-worn cameras.” Of these, three were involved in the excessive force complaint.
- The department faces a “wrongful and untimely” death lawsuit for a February 2023 incident when former LPD officer Eric Harper pursued the late Alex Greene in a high-speed chase before ultimately shooting him. Harper resigned prior to the lawsuit.
This August will be the first time Lakeland has hosted the company’s training, according to Kerr, but no one from the department has been made available to discuss the decision.
Six Lakeland officers were among 1,000 other officers in attendance at the 2024 conference in Kissimmee, according to Officer Stephanie Kerr, a police department spokesperson. The annual conference cost $699 per attendee, or about $4,200 in total, which Kerr said was recouped from the police department’s investigative costs as is standard procedure.
Other Polk County law enforcement agencies, including the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Bartow Police Department, and Winter Haven Police Department, say none of their members have attended any Street Cop Training program. These agencies say none of their members are enrolled for the upcoming August event.
No Lakeland officers are currently enrolled to attend the August training, according to Kerr. However, the police department does receive an incentive to allow Street Cop Training to use its facilities.
Hosting agencies receive one free registration for every 10 individuals who register for the course, up to a maximum of 10, according to its website. The course costs $299 per student.
Taylor said some of the topics he expects to be covered in the August training include, “How to Implement Kindness and Compassion For A Successful Career” and “A Comprehensive Understanding of Case Law Application and Legal Steps Police Officers Must Follow.” The chief said he believes this training will equip Lakeland officers with critical tools for decision-making, de-escalation, and officer safety skills.
“My responsibility is to prepare our officers to respond effectively, ethically, and decisively in high-stakes situations,” Taylor wrote.
“If new information from our attendees indicates that this training no longer aligns with best practices or the expectations of our community we will reassess our participation accordingly,” Taylor said.