When a non-compliant subject is resisting law enforcement officers, but their actions do not warrant the use of deadly force, the Axon® TASER® is often able to subdue the unruly individual. Temporarily immobilizing someone may cause them to cease the actions that prompted the TASER use in the first place, but this is not always the case. Situations evolve quickly and at unpredictable rates, so police may need to switch from a TASER to a firearm in case what was once seemed minor turns into a serious threat to officer and public safety.
While the TASER and firearm are on opposite sides of the belt, in a high-stress situation and/or one when an officer may not have had effective or frequent training, the two may be confused. When confronted with a sudden stressful situation that an officer isn’t prepared for, mistakes occur, and sometimes they result in death.
TASER training is more than just learning how to aim the probes to the correct location of a person’s body – although that is a part of it. Members of law enforcement also must know how and when to transition from a TASER to firearm and vice versa, depending on what happens in an ever-changing situation. VirTra has a certified V-VICTA™ course dedicated to not only TASER use, but transitions – aptly titled “Weapon Transitions.”
Like other V-VICTA curriculum, Weapon Transitions is available to all VirTra customers under an annual service agreement. It is a 5-hour nationally-certified course that is recognized in 37 states by POST. With the use of simulated scenarios along with a training manual containing training points, testing materials and more, officers and trainees can practice weapon transitions in an environment that is safe and controlled, but also realistic enough to simulate stress.
VirTra’s TASER Products
Along with curriculum such as TASER Targeting and Weapon Transitions, VirTra supplies agencies with drop-in replacement TASER simulation cartridges that allow officers to practice with their duty TASER within a VirTra simulator. With TX2 and X26P options, plus more in the works, instructors can train officers and trainees by monitoring their performance right from their desktop due to the unique laser IDs that are assigned to each trainee weapon. During debrief, instructors can see exactly where probes hit or missed.
The V-TX2 and V-X26P follow the same set of goals as other VirTra products – ensuring realism for the most effective training experience that will allow skills to properly transfer to the field. With physical fidelity met by the combination of a lifelike design and accurate trajectory and psychological fidelity fulfilled with stress-inducing scenarios, VirTra aims to keep officers and their communities safe and able to go home at night.
If you would like to learn more about how VirTra helps law enforcement members with TASER training and weapon transitions, contact a product specialist.
