https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Safety


Article

How virtual reality simulators are changing law enforcement training

How virtual reality simulators are changing law enforcement training

  • Written by Bob Ferris
  • 28th October 2020

There’s a pressing need for improvements in effective police training. Officers need to hone their skills for managing crisis situations and de-escalating dangerous encounters. Repeatable and accurate training is required to build their resiliency to stress and encourage them to make the right decision based on proven methodologies.

But training doesn’t equal improvement – effective training equals improvement. By using virtual reality (VR) that places officers in consequential situations, departments are seeing significant improvements in de-escalation, decision making and better handling situations to keep both the public and the officers safe from harm. It’s an exciting time when agencies throughout the country are starting to embrace the right technology approach for an industry and culture that’s historically been resistant to change.

 

The VR opportunity

Police instructors now understand there are severe limitations to the value of lecture-based training when split-second decisions are involved. Making these fast judgements is a massive demand on the trainee’s physical and mental abilities. “Realistic practice makes progress” like so many things, including police skills. They can develop skills to produce positive outcomes, if given the chance. Lectures have their place in teaching policy and aiding community interactions, but intense real-world situations require uncompromisingly realistic (think ‘effective’) simulations to produce empathic and compassionate responses.

Modern virtual reality programs with certified training content are ideally suited for police training for multiple reasons. The industry leader’s technology itself is robust, with actual actors, and with the ability to customize scenarios on the fly, an encounter with a threat can branch off into many directions, emulating a real-life situation.

Once a solution is in place, department trainers can conduct many sessions per officer, giving them the chance to reinforce positive behaviors through repetition. They can review video sessions to highlight the officer’s use of verbal skills and provide guidance for escalated actions. It enables officers to learn about judgmental use-of-force and how different variables warrant different reactions and result in varied outcomes. It provides a low-risk, yet intense and realistic stage for police training and improvement.

 

Finding the right technology partner

Using VR-based training is only effective when it’s supplied by a firm that can provide advanced technology and the right proven methodologies. Departments should choose a program that uses full-size floor-to-ceiling video screens as well as simulation weapons that are very similar to firing the actual weapon with each shot being accurately tracked by the simulator.

In addition, it’s helpful to choose a system that has a physical component such as receiving a painful pinch through an electric impulse. This would simulate return fire, explosions, and other possible sources of harm. This physical component is meant to elicit a stress response in the trainee, who then needs to ignore the painful feedback while focusing on making fast yet appropriate counter actions. It’s a more immersive and effective training tool when compared to flashing lights or firing nylon projectiles at the trainees which has been mainly discontinued.

Advanced VR platforms work only when they accurately simulate the physical and mental aspect of real-life. By immersing officers into different scenarios where there might only be “OK” but no “good outcomes,” their cognitive and judgmental skills are put to the test. The training should be backed by a science and evidence-based approach, where officers are not just relying on muscle memory or force. The encounters should be accurate to the degree that an officer’s training “gun” accuracy is tracked by the system, so if lethal force is required, the training will show the results.

 

Encountering and learning from difficult situations

The best VR training platforms give officers a safe place to make mistakes. The tool should present multiple certified scenarios and options to test officers’ responses and allow them to learn and grow from errors, instead of learning them out in the field.

Advanced platforms should offer scenarios with actors of various ethnic backgrounds and genders. The actors can all present the same behaviors and timing within the simulated encounter, so law enforcement agencies can spot and train for any discrepancies in officers’ responses. It’s an important part of the training to uncover any biases, so supervising officers can interject with additional training and guidance.

This new style of training is much more involved than traditional “shoot-don’t-shoot” scenarios, because the simulation design is based on special curriculum from the world’s expert on de-escalation and human factors. Departments can go one step further and find a VR platform with a comprehensive training academy curriculum that goes beyond de-escalation and covers mental health issues, autism, K-9 encounters, medical emergency situations, and other scenarios that require a calm head that can react quickly.

When you choose a platform, consider one that constantly updates the training, making it more realistic, immersive and effective for the officers.  Police training is trying hard to meet the inescapable need of preparing officers so well that they make excellent decisions in every law enforcement situation. With the help of a VR training platform, departments are noting improvements in training outcomes and have realized the longer-term benefits protecting and serving the streets.

 

Bob Ferris founded Ferris Production in 1993 – which later became VirTra – before becoming the CEO and Chairman in 2008. Throughout his career, Bob has been pushing the state-of-the-art envelop to achieve the most effective training simulators possible to benefit millions of people throughout 33 countries.

Tags: homepage-featured-1 News Public Safety Smart Cities & Technology News Public Safety Article

Most Recent


  • Report: With increasing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there's a need for 'safe and connected infrastructure'
    Electric scooters and e-bikes are rising in popularity. As transportation options diversify, local policymakers are beginning to integrate micromobility means as integral fixtures in transportation networks and climate action plans, given their health and climate benefits. But along with solutions, they’re also bringing with them a slew of hurdles. A report out of Oregon highlights […]
  • New York mayor announces city-wide curbside composting program, impacting 8.5 million residents by 2024
    On the heels of a successful 3-month-long pilot program in Queens, New York City has announced the largest curbside composting program in the United States. The initiative will begin following a winter-long hiatus of the Queens pilot, which is set to return permanently March 27. Curbside service to Brooklyn will begin Oct. 2, followed by the […]
  • How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient
    This article first appeared on Urgent Communication. It’s a scenario we’ve all experienced: an ambulance with a blaring siren racing against time to get a person in medical distress to a hospital through traffic. What we don’t see is 5G connectivity enabling paramedics to communicate with hospital staff via video conference and coordinate care in […]
  • Shifting city demographics present an opportunity to build coalitions, address inequality
    Minority-majority cities are driving American growth. New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, for example, combined for an estimated 16% of the nation’s total gross domestic product in 2021—future projections anticipate a continuation of this trend, and an opportunity to create coalitions to address injustices. Between 2015 and 2020, 22% of U.S. cities were majority-minority, […]

One comment

  1. Avatar Maurice 2nd November 2020 @ 4:24 pm
    Reply

    Composer

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • How governments can keep employees safe as they return to work
  • Preventing cyber-attacks needs to be a priority for local governments
  • Building community and officer wellness through data sharing
  • California city combines advanced technology with dedicated public safety team for comprehensive emergency management

White papers


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022

Learn the benefits of transforming and automating your Contract Management process

4th November 2022
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023

10 American cities with a great downtown

24th January 2023

Miami leads the way in FT-Nikkei ranking of best U.S. cities for foreign companies

20th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Report: With increase popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there’s a need for ‘safe and connected infrastructure’ dlvr.it/ShlKmJ

31st January 2023
AmerCityCounty

New York mayor announces city-wide curbside composting program, impacting 8.5 million residents by 2024 dlvr.it/ShhRk1

30th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Federal funds help fast-growing Arizona city address several infrastructure challenges and needs dlvr.it/ShhBtf

30th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient dlvr.it/ShYNcx

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Shifting city demographics present an opportunity to build coalitions, address inequality dlvr.it/ShYMMm

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Spending American Rescue Plan Act funds: A primer for municipalities dlvr.it/ShXzvl

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand dlvr.it/ShVhBW

26th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Managing landslides along road corridors using remote sensing dlvr.it/ShTpL6

26th January 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.