Force Science Institute Archives -

There can be a lot of misunderstanding associated with the “21 Foot Rule.” As such, Dennis Tueller, the creator, sat down to discuss this contested concept with Ken Wallentine of the Utah Attorney General’s Office in a CopTalks episode.

It begins with a discussion on the concept of a reactionary gap and human performance factors. Every person has a reaction time, which can be reduced with heavy training and stress inoculation, but nevertheless, it will always require some time. Dr. Bill Lewinski and other researchers from the Force Science Institute® demonstrated that suspects can draw a gun from their waistband, point and fire in as little as nine-one-hundredths of a second. In comparison, the reacting officer—even with gun drawn and anticipating the need to fire—needs an average of thirty-one-one-hundredths of a second to perceive the threat and pull the trigger.

This research doesn’t include the additional time of recognizing the threat as a threat (rather than something like a cell phone) or the distraction of local stimuli. But what does this have to do with the 21 Foot Rule?

Research initially conducted and published by Dennis Tueller shows that an armed assailant, standing 21 feet from an officer, is able to stab/slice the officer with their edged weapon before the officer is able to understand, react, draw and fire their handgun more than half the time.

However, officers who were able to fire were still very likely to be stabbed/sliced. As a result of this study, officers are repetitively taught to draw their weapons and be prepared to defend themselves well before an assailant closes the 21 foot distance.

There’s a lot more to this conversation, though, which can be seen here:

VirTra & FSI Create Even More Realistic Law Enforcement Training

Law enforcement training is expensive, complex and has a lot of working parts. Training the next generation of public protectors is a huge undertaking that is difficult to prepare for. VirTra has been improving de-escalation training tactics through new and lucrative partnerships with other industry experts. This includes working with law enforcement and military professionals who use their years of field experience to enhance the realism and training of our simulations, such as the Force Science Institute (FSI).

The Force Science Institute Focuses on Police Issues

The Force Science Institute’s mission is to develop and distribute training programs grounded in scientific principles. Their research focuses on human behavior in high-pressure situations and judgmental use of force when encountering stress. FSI employs a world-class team, including experts in every facet of force science: physicians, psychologists, attorneys and more.

Why Partner with the Force Science Institute?

VirTra and FSI are successful in their individual fields, but as partners, they elevate content and curriculum. Law enforcement is crucial— a difficult job in which life-and-death decisions are made constantly. VirTra saw the need for better training through virtual reality scenarios and curriculum, which combined with FSI’s expertise, prepares law enforcement with proper judgmental use of force skills.

Our Partnership Produces Scholarships for Peace Officers

VirTra and FSI have together created scholarships that sent 12 officers to a Force Science Certification Course. This course taught attendees to better understand officer performance, improve investigation tactics and build positive, long-lasting relationships with the community.

Improving Firearms Training Simulations Nationwide

Beyond classroom education, VirTra and FSI have developed stronger, more immersive firearms training scenarios. Combining realism with science-backed principles presented by FSI has resulted in some of the most cutting-edge de-escalation training available. In addition to improving scenarios and firearms courses, the partnership is disseminating knowledge to police departments across the country. Both VirTra and Force Science Institute have worked together to create training protocols for police in Miami, San Bernardino and more, in addition to presenting at the FBI National Academy Associates’ National Conference. All in all, this partnership educates and prepares law enforcement across the nation—and the world.

Working Toward a Safer World

Both VirTra and FSI are working tirelessly to combine expertise and develop training simulators that teach judgmental use of force to every type of law enforcement personnel—from rookies to seasoned officers. As a result, law enforcement agencies are better prepared to respond appropriately to the unexpected, thus increasing public safety.

Interested in Learning More?

With the help of Force Science Institute, VirTra provides law enforcement training systems designed to teach de-escalation, judgmental use of force, communication and more. Our Arizona headquarters produces training content for police and military, enhancing the skills of personnel sworn to protect the public. Our training systems are state-of-the-art, offering realism through hundreds of scenarios, each with extensive branching options. For more information on our firearms training simulators, contact VirTra today.

TEMPE, Ariz. — October 8, 2019 — VirTra, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTSI), a global provider of training simulators for the law enforcement, military, educational, and commercial markets, today announced the twelve peace officers who have received scholarship awards from VirTra and Force Science Institute to attend a five-day Force Science Analyst Certification course, which is designed to better educate officers and improve their performance.

The winners include:

Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa
Saint Peter Police Department, Minnesota
Stoughton Police Department, Massachusetts
O’Fallon Police Department, Missouri
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California
Cleveland Division of Police, Ohio
Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, California
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office / Wilsonville Police Department, Oregon
Delta Police Department, British Columbia, Canada
Brighton Police Department, Colorado
Erie County Detective Bureau, Pennsylvania

The five-day program, taught by nine world-renowned instructors, allows attendees to receive a Force Science Analyst Certification. The certification signals their proven ability to recognize multiple factors that impact human behavior in use-of-force encounters. By participating in complex, rapidly unfolding encounters, the officers will be introduced to the scientific realities that impact officer performance like stress, action/reaction time, memory, decision-making, and more. Winners will attend one of the courses scheduled for either October or November in Columbia, SC, Omaha, NE and Chicago, IL.

“Working with Force Science to develop a scholarship program helps further our goal of providing expert training to officers around the country,” said Jason Mulcahy, VirTra General Manager. “VirTra’s hope is that each of the twelve officers will learn extensive and important concepts, which they can then take back to their respective agencies to better educate their colleagues and improve their departments and communities.”

Dr. Bill Lewinski, Executive Director and co-founder of the Force Science Institute added: “Preparation through effective training is key to increasing officer performance and decision-making in time-compressed situations. VirTra has done a great job of integrating Force Science research into simulator scenarios. The partnership between VirTra and Force Science Institute encourages research-based and science-backed training, which is vital to furthering officer education to improve safety and performance.”

VirTra and Force Science instructors will be exhibiting at the Second Annual Force Science Conference on October 16-17 in Chicago, IL, during which attendees of the conference will have an opportunity to witness a demonstration of the VirTra simulator with Force Science concepts applied first-hand.

About VirTra:
VirTra (NASDAQ: VTSI) is a global provider of judgmental use of force training simulators, firearms training simulators and driving simulators for the law enforcement, military, educational and commercial markets. The company’s patented technologies, software, and scenarios provide intense training for de-escalation, judgmental use-of-force, marksmanship and related training that mimics real-world situations. VirTra’s mission is to save and improve lives worldwide through practical and highly-effective virtual reality and simulator technology. Learn more about the company at www.VirTra.com.

About the Force Science Institute:
The Force Science Institute is dedicated to promoting the value of knowledge through empirical research in behavioral science and human dynamics. Force Science develops and disseminates high quality scientifically grounded education, training, and consultation to support fact-based investigations, inform decision processes, enhance public safety, and improve peace officer performance in critical situations. Learn more at www.forcescience.org/.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This news release includes certain information that may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by terminology such as “could”, “may”, “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “proposed,” “planned,” “potential” and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including statements about VirTra’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although VirTra believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. VirTra cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Accordingly, due to the risks, uncertainties and assumptions inherent in forward-looking information, readers and prospective investors in the Company’s securities should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof, is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof and is subject to change. The Company assumes no obligation to revise or update forward-looking information to reflect new circumstances, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Investor Relations Contact:
Matt Glover or Charlie Schumacher
VTSI@gatewayir.com
949-574-3860

TEMPE, Ariz. — August 7, 2019 — VirTra, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTSI), a global provider of training simulators for the law enforcement, military, educational, and commercial markets, has partnered with Force Science Institute to create realistic training and education for law enforcement officers, which is backed by the science of human performance. The formal partnership builds on the two companies’ relationship, which was initially established in April 2018, when they joined forces to develop a four-part series of law enforcement training courses.

“By partnering with Force Science Institute, we’re able to leverage their research, training, and complex scientific principles to add extensive depth and expertise to our leading simulation product line,” said Jason Mulcahy, VirTra General Manager. “We’re empowering every line-level officer on the streets with the critical knowledge and practical skills to help keep the communities they serve safe and return home unharmed.”

Dr. Bill Lewinski, Executive Director and co-founder of the Force Science Institute, has been identifying the human dynamics involved in complex, high stress, and often life-threatening encounters for over 40 years. By leveraging Force Science’s experience, VirTra furthers its mission to save and improve lives through realistic, highly-effective, and scientifically-grounded education and simulator technologies. Together, the partners have propelled police trainers to reimagine what is possible with advanced performance and simulation training.

Dr. Lewinski had this to say, “Partnering with VirTra, with their advanced training simulators, will allow us to apply human factors research in a way that effectively combines physical, cognitive, and perceptual training and testing. This combination will be vital to developing and maintaining the knowledge, judgment, and skills transfer our law enforcement needs.”

The impact of the VirTra and Force Science partnership is already being felt across the country:

VirTra and the Force Science Institute created scholarships for 12 peace officers to attend a five-day Force Science Certification Course. The scholarship award covers the course fee ($1,650). Applications for this scholarship are still being accepted. Those interested can still apply here or nominate an applicant by 11:59 p.m. CDT on Sunday, August 25, 2019.
Co-sponsored training in Foundational Principals of Force Science was developed for the Miami-Dade Police Department, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s, and the O’Fallon Police Department, and features demonstrations of VirTra simulator training scenarios.
A joint presentation at the FBI National Academy Associates’ National Conference was conducted by VirTra Director of Training, Lon Bartel, alongside Chris Butler, Senior Instructor for Force Science Institute. During the presentation, titled How to Mitigate/Prevent “Lawful but Awful” Use-of-Force Events, they discussed training tactics, the science of simulation, and how to mitigate risks to law enforcement and the community.

Through the new partnership, VirTra and Force Science Institute will continue to identify important research projects, develop science-backed training scenarios, and offer valuable education in the upcoming seasons. Interested parties are encouraged to attend the Second Annual Force Science Conference, being held in Chicago, IL on October 16-17, 2019, where they will meet VirTra and Force Science Instructors and witness an exciting demonstration of the VirTra simulator.

About the Force Science Institute:
The Force Science Institute develops and disseminates high-quality, scientifically grounded, education, training, and consultation to support fact-based investigations, inform decision processes, enhance public safety, and improve peace officer performance in critical situations. Learn more here www.forcescience.org/.

Law Enforcement Events Being Captured

There is a very concerned societal focus on police use of force encounters. These events are increasingly being captured on law enforcement body cameras and then quickly distributed for all to see. The nature of being human makes the viewing of any type of violence hard to watch. It invokes an emotional response that is very visceral and compelling. It has created a “call to action” that has many saying that we have to do something…anything.

Evaluating Events of Law Enforcement Officers

To properly evaluate these events, they have to be looked at not only within the legal framework that ties our society together but also from the human factors that critically influence how these events play out. There are organizations like the Force Science Institute (Dr. Bill Lewinski) and researchers like Tom Hontz (deceased), Dr. Joel Suss, Dr. Roger Enoka, Christopher Heim, and David Blake that have critically looked at many of these factors. These researchers have brought to light many aspects of what we can really expect from human beings under these difficult parameters.

Use of Force Simulator Training Events

VirTra has produced a new series of use of force training simulator events called “Human Factors in Force Encounters” that takes some of this vital research to provide a dynamic and interactive experience that can demonstrate and teach these concepts. These training events are not a “scenario” as typically represented in some training simulators – they are much more. They come complete with a comprehensive curriculum to assist agencies in teaching and using the training events. They provide an immersive and gripping experience that provides an insight to citizens, police leaders/trainers, community leader, and lawmakers.

VirTra believes that these Human Factors in Force Encounters training events are pivotal for building a better understanding for all parties involved. In this spirit, VirTra is providing these training events to all existing customers that can run these events at no cost.

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