If you are an instructor, how would you create a scenario filled with the most stimuli? For example, consider a home environment where there is a couple fighting, in addition to other objects vying for attention: a phone ringing in the background, a pot of boiling water on the stove, a child crying in the next room over, and so forth.
Depending on how well trained a trainee is, a loud, complicated environment such as this can be incredibly beneficial or do more damage than good.
For trainees with more experience and understanding, training in this manner is an excellent way to prepare them for the field. However, for newer trainees who have never practiced the learned skill or are still new to the concept, the extra stimuli is too much.
A general rule of thumb is the more a trainee practices a given skill, the more stimuli and commands can be added to the training environment. One must learn to crawl, then walk, before running.
Teaching a Concept
Training time must be completely dedicated to training—focusing on understanding, implementing and acting on the taught skill or principle. Having too much unnecessary stimuli in the training environment can take away an individual’s ability and mental capacity to function. While this successfully tests older trainee’s abilities to perform, for newer trainees, this can create a training scar.
In creating the proper environment, instructors need to keep in mind that stimuli can be auditory, visual, physical or olfactory. Even though different stimuli trigger different responses, each can command one’s attention and should be balanced.
Consider this example: if you are driving to a new address, you may turn down the music to concentrate on finding your destination. Even though driving is a visual and physical skill, the auditory component is taking too much attention away. Yet, with time and practice, once you know how to reach that location, turning down the auditory component no longer becomes an issue.
While the example is simple, the same principle applies to police training. When a trainee engages in a new skill, the first few times should be in a location devoid of extra stimulus, thus freeing their working memory and increasing their ability to concentrate. After these skills are understood and practiced, only then is it time to test the trainee in a realistic, over-stimulated environment.
Perfecting a Concept
VirTra’s V-300® is the best simulated environment to practice in this manner. Its five screens and 300-degrees successfully immerse trainees in the chosen scenario, with stimuli coming in from all sides. The high-quality graphics, professional actors and extensive realistic branching options aid in creating the most realistic environment for skill transfer.
Training this way immerses trainees in various auditory and visual stimuli as they concentrate on completing the scenario. However, this does not apply strictly to academies—departments can also benefit by this form of training. Police officers can brush up on perishable, critical or new skills in an environment that mimics situations they may come across in the field.
Instructors can utilize a multi-screen simulator to practice scenarios with the most realistic environments. Teach trainees critical skills that transfer to the field with VirTra. Learn how your academy or department can implement this technology by contacting a VirTra specialist.
Learning How to Apply Judgmental Use of Force
VirTra offers an array of excellent training simulators and corresponding tools for departments to effectively train their agents. Among our most popular is the VirTra V-300®, the highest standard for law enforcement training. Its five screens provide a 300-degree view of a scenario, creating a fully immersive, realistic training experience. Besides this amenity, what makes this firearms simulation so crucial?
Analyze a Dangerous Situation from All Sides
One of the most beneficial aspects of this training simulation is its near-complete view of any given scenario. VirTra’s V-300® places trainees directly in the heart of the action with surrounding video, multi-directional audio and high-quality visuals. With officers able to turn around and see each side of the scenario, they better understand the situation and circumstances and can make better decisions accordingly.
Upping the Realism Factor in Virtual Reality
Real-world situations do not occur on a single, flat screen like a movie and neither should your realistic training simulation. The extended view of the VirTra V-300® scenario’s live actors, animals and special effects surrounds trainees, making the judgmental use of force training completely immersive. Intense scenarios and extended branching options causes trainees to learn stress inoculation and decision-making under pressure.
Mistakes Are a Learning Opportunity in a Safe Environment
After the scenario is complete, VirTra’s V-300® offers the final component of police training: debrief. Instructors and trainees can playback and analyze decisions made in the simulation and the consequences that ensued. Trainees can use this time to learn from their mistakes, while instructors look for areas where training needs to be changed or strengthened.
Since training mistakes are a fact of life, it is best to make them in a safe, controlled environment. Experienced officers can also use the firearms scenarios to test decisions, de-escalation or use of less-lethal and lethal weapons without fear of hurting someone or experiencing permanent consequences. After the scenario is complete, through debrief, participants can see, learn from and avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
Why Training Simulators Are Preferred to Lectures and Notes
All training is crucial to successful law enforcement—from lectures to role playing to training videos—but training simulators are more effective. Presentations are excellent for providing information and explaining protocols, but there is no match for hands-on experience when practicing this protocol.
Whether the training exercise is designed for law enforcement or military, training with simulations provides a more permanent learning. Departments and agencies can rest assured knowing their team understands the best practices and can effectively perform in a high-stress situation.
Choose VirTra for Training in Judgmental Use of Force
Thorough training is crucial—for your team and for the public—and departments must take every precaution necessary to ensure their agents know how to best navigate difficult situations. There is no better way to train than with real-world experience, brought by the V-300®. Don’t wait until there is an emergency. Train your police officers to the highest degree with the help of VirTra. Contact us today.
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TEMPE, Ariz. — October 15, 2019 — VirTra, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTSI), a global provider of training simulators for the law enforcement, military, educational, and commercial markets, will debut the first-of-its-kind, Ultra High Definition 300-degree immersive training simulator, which combines five state-of-the-art laser-based 4K projectors, at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference from October 26-29, 2019.
VirTra began preparing to utilize future 4K high-resolution displays approximately six years ago with the goal of replicating human visual acuity in a new line of simulation products. Given trainees’ dependence on their vision, these advancements are paramount to ensuring simulations are as realistic and effective as possible. By more accurately reproducing objects, subtle visual details, body language, and non-verbal threat cues, these new simulators more perfectly replicate simulations of real-world encounters. In conjunction with the new simulators, VirTra will be releasing updated versions of its certified V-VICTA curriculum, which will include Autism Spectrum Disorders, Special Populations, and Emotionally Disturbed Persons, among others.
“When VirTra released the first affordable 300-degree training simulator in 2004, we pushed the technological limits at that time,” said VirTra’s Chairman and CEO, Bob Ferris. “Today, we’re continuing to push those limits to provide our customers with the most effective and realistic solutions possible. To bring these enhancements to market, our software engineering and digital content teams overcame severe technical challenges to enable human-eye resolution with video-based, interactive training content without any perceptible lag or noticeable visual artifacts across multiple screens.
“Training to correctly handle potentially dangerous individuals in a high-stress, realistic, and dynamic environment is particularly difficult but extremely valuable for law enforcement and military agencies. Research has demonstrated that the more accurately training simulations can reproduce lifelike situations, the more effective that training becomes. This advancement ushers in a new era of simulation realism for both judgmental use-of-force and marksmanship training,”
VirTra’s General Manager, Jason Mulcahy, stated, “Our industry-leading V-VICTA curriculum requires the accurate and timely recognition of an object or movement that could mean the difference between life or death. By leveraging near perfect visual acuity in the simulator, we can now help train officers to recognize and appropriately respond to more subtle nuances in human behavior and movement, which weren’t possible with previous technology. By combining this new advancement with VirTra’s other simulation advantages, we have set a new, higher standard for the industry.”
VirTra will showcase additional products and offerings during the three days at the IACP Conference, including the V-DTS™ driver simulator, V-VICTA™, V-Threat-Fire™, and Advanced Skills Magazines for both handguns and rifles. To learn more about these and other new products, visit VirTra IACP 2019 or visit VirTra at booth #4430 to experience the company’s industry-leading solutions 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 IACP and IACP Conference:
The IACP Annual Conference and Exposition is the largest and most important law enforcement event of the year — more than 16,000 public safety professionals come to learn new techniques, advance their knowledge and careers, and equip their department for ongoing success. The three tenants of the conference are training, networking, and exhibit hall education. IACP 2019 spans four days of education and networking. The Exposition Hall is open Sunday-Tuesday of the conference to meet with 600+ vendors showcasing products and services to assist the law enforcement profession. Learn more at: www.theiacpconference.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 30, 2019 — VirTra, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTSI), a global provider of training simulators for the law enforcement, military, educational and commercial markets, will be exhibiting at the Tactical and Competitive Shooting Sports Show (TACCOM) in Canada, which is being held on September 6-8, 2019 at the International Centre in Ontario.
TACCOM is the largest tactical and competitive shooting sports show in Canada. The annual event brings together hundreds of exhibitors, manufacturers, and industry leaders and aims to showcase some of the industry’s top tactical and competitive shooting products and training solutions.
During the show, VirTra will be exhibiting the V-300®, the world’s first 300-degree simulator, in Hall 1. Attendees are encouraged to stop by and experience the five-screen simulator designed to improve police and military training with realistic and immersive technology. VirTra will also showcase the V-VICTA® programs as well as the company’s various other systems and weapons solutions. Additionally, VirTra’s International Sales Manager, James Peters, will be conducting a Human Factors in Force Encounters training session on September 7th from 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in room 2B.
“This is the first time VirTra will be exhibiting at TACCOM, Canada’s largest firearms show, and it provides us with a unique opportunity to showcase our technology to departments and agencies that are less familiar with our company and industry-leading solutions,” said James Peters. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to strengthen our relationships with current local customers, like the Ontario Provincial Police, and develop new relationships with potential customers as we work to expand our ever-growing presence across Canada.”
To learn more about the V-300 simulator, visit booth #171 at TACCOM in Ontario, Canada.
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 TACCOM Canada
TACCOM Canada welcomes the leading manufacturers and Industry Leaders within the Tactical and Competitive shooting communities with the aim of engaging our diverse shooting landscape. TACCOM is dedicated to showcasing the very best of the tactical and competitive shooting disciplines with regards to products, training and making industry leaders accessible. Learn more at www.taccomcanada.com.
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.
TEMPE, Ariz. — June 27, 2019 — VirTra, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTSI) (“VirTra”), a global provider of training simulators for the law enforcement, military, educational and commercial markets, has expanded its presence across Southern California with recent contract wins and installations in four separate departments in Southern California.
The cumulative value of the contracts from these four departments totals nearly $780,000. Two of these orders were shipped from VirTra’s backlog, while the other two represent new contract wins. VirTra expects to recognize all revenues by the fourth quarter of 2019.
The four agencies include the Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Inglewood police departments as well as the Orange County Probation Department. Three of the four agencies placed orders for VirTra’s flagship, five-screen simulator, the V-300LE (V-300 Law Enforcement), while one opted for the three-screen V-180LE. The orders from the Santa Ana and Anaheim Police Departments are being paid for using Federal grant funds, and the two systems will be utilized to train hundreds of officers from various agencies within Orange County.
“The proper training of our officers is of the utmost importance to ensure not only their safety but the safety of our community,” said Commander Mat Sorenson of the Santa Ana Police Department. “In order to ensure our officers receive the best training available, we spent several months researching and demoing various virtual simulation products. After a thorough search, and a subsequent competitive bidding process, it became evident that VirTra’s solutions are the best fit for our organization’s training goal of better preparing law enforcement officers for the situations they may face in the real world. We’re very excited to have VirTra on board as a partner, and we look forward to the benefits their systems can have on our training programs.”
Jason Mulcahy, General Manager of VirTra added: “We are very proud to support the advancements these agencies across Southern California have made to ensure their officers are receiving the proper training they and their community deserve. We’re particularly encouraged by the fact that the Santa Ana Police Department chose to purchase our systems after thoroughly vetting the competition. This decision serves as another proof point that VirTra continues to set the industry standard for de-escalation, communication, and use of force simulation training. We look forward to the opportunity to service all these agencies as an integrated partner of their training departments.”
About VirTra
VirTra (NASDAQ: VTSI) is a global provider of training 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.
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Media Contact:
Susan Lehman
Slehman@virtra.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Matt Glover or Charlie Schumacher
VTSI@gatewayir.com
949-574-3860
This summer VirTra is sponsoring the FBI National Academy Associates (or FBINAA) national conference in Phoenix, Arizona. At our booth, you will have the opportunity to test your skills on our V-ST PRO virtual simulator on the newly designed top secret “FBINAA Course of Fire” featuring REFactor shooting targets. Practicing in the training simulator has excellent benefits, but we know that to improve your marksmanship, you also have to spend time on the live fire range as well. Shooting targets on the range can become a mundane task, but with printed targets from REFactor Targeting, you can get the edge back in your live fire practicing. To get an edge on the competition, here is the rundown on a few of their targets to start practicing now, so you’re sure to be on top of your game for the contest:
IQ Target for Live Fire Weapons Training
The IQ Target from REFactor offers diversity and quality training while training live fire weapons. REFactor will also have their live range at the conference to test your attention to the color and order of when the shots shot hit. With their unique design, this should be a target you consider adding to your range back home:
This particular target comes in two different varieties, one for pistol and one for rifles. The IQ pistol target comes with varying shapes and numbers, and when combined with the Dead Man’s Hand Shooting Deck, it doesn’t just become a fun experience at the range, but it becomes a quality marksmanship training exercise, causing the shooter to think about each specific hit.
The IQ rifle target offers the same quality training; only the shapes are a little bigger. Again, combine it with the rifle version of the Dead Man’s Hand Shooting Deck, and you’ll be getting the quality range-time you’ve been craving, which we thought was interesting.
Essentials Target Shooting Drills
The good thing about REFactor Tactical targets is their dedication to making you a better shooter. They don’t just offer the same boring bullseye targets you’ve seen everywhere else. Instead, they offer variety. The
REFactor Targets in the VirTra Training Simulator
If you managed to read this far down, congratulations, we will share the top-secret course of fire with you! Below, VirTra has recreated the FBI qualifier exam to test your skills at our booth. By utilizing a shorter version of the test and the REFactor paper target on a simulated range, you and your friends can try to beat each other’s time with the below qualifying target:
Test Your Luck
Be sure to stop by our booth to test your skills on the V-ST Pro and see if you can achieve the perfect score on the FBINAA Course of Fire Challenge. We will be having live demonstrations throughout the day to showcase the immersive training of the V-300® judgmental use of force training simulator. Our team of experts will be there onsite to answer any questions you may have and show off some of our newest scenarios. The best scores will win a fabulous prize, so be sure to check back throughout the conference to see if anyone else beat your score.
We look forward to seeing everyone there, be sure to click here to schedule a demo with VirTra while at the conference.
With a variety of ways to train your team with simulation, there are hundreds of combinations on how you can utilize scenarios in your agency. But which combination provides the level of psychological fidelity needed to induce stress so that your team will better prepare to face challenges in the field? A simple “shoot-don’t shoot” scenario may not be enough to induce stress. However, a combination of the VirTra V-300® and our Threat-Fire® feedback device induces a measurable amount of stress. According to a new clinical study between by the collaboration of the U.S. Army Research Lab, the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the University of California, there is a significant relationship between performance and stress. Read below for the full details:
Training + Stress= Results
Across the board, it might seem obvious that training with a VirTra simulator would produce better results for any student looking to improve their situational awareness, but trying to PROVE the correlation in a clinical setting is something else entirely. For the results to be statistically significant, there had to be numerous trials, and in this case, they have performed a total of 256 times. From that data, they were able to correlate the performance of the subjects of the trial with their stress response. Which means that the use of the system paired with the VirTra patented Threat-Fire induced the right amount of stress to impact their performance. By impacting their performance in a significant way, they are better able to perform properly in real-world situations. Each trainer can also review their performance together as a key differentiator for those looking to optimize law enforcement and military simulation training beyond the classroom.
How This Helps You
With the use of the patented Threat-Fire in the V-300 or any of our simulation environments, your team can produce the same stress reaction used in this independent study. By inducing stress in a controlled and safe environment, your team will be better prepared for the field. The clinical study also revealed that although initially the stress negatively impacted their performance, over time, the subjects were able to correct their performance and increase their accuracy. This paints a picture of what VirTra customers have come to love about the unique judgmental use of force training that VirTra offers. Without the ability to conduct proper stress inoculation, when the officers are out in the field, they can be more prone to react emotionally under pressure. However, by using the tools available from VirTra, these problems can be addressed to avoid negative headlines and let everyone go home safely at the end of the day.
In the long run, there is always room for improvement. The results from the study are just the start of something remarkable that shows that with the right amount of stress induced in the training environment that your team can learn how to react better under pressure. VirTra’s unique training content brings a level of realism unmatched by others, and the research shows the difference. By pairing the VirTra Threat-Fire with the immersive and adaptive scenarios available exclusively through VirTra, your team can see these changes in performance too.
Oakland County Michigan sits northwest of Detroit and is home to more than 1.2 million people. Captain Chris Wundrach is Commander of the Emergency Response and Preparedness division of the Oakland County Sheriff Department (OCSD), where he is responsible for overseeing the Sheriff’s Operations Center, Homeland Security, Training Unity, and the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT). The department includes 1,300 deputies and services 12 local area communities.
Choosing the Best Firearms Training Simulator
With an aging one screen firearms training system, Captain Wundrach set out two years ago to define and review the latest use of force training simulators for his deputies. His research led him to VirTra and Milo Range. Ultimately, his department chose VirTra’s V-300 system.
“VirTra’s V-300 has a fantastic surround experience that keeps our deputies attention,” said Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “The realistic content is exceptional. We chose VirTra because it offers the most sophisticated system.”
Force Option Simulator Reinforces Training
As part of their V-300 training simulator, OCSD is using VirTra’s air cycle, police officer camera, Threat-Fire, Glocks and Rifle ARs. Deputies train on use of force every month. Deputies train for de-escalation in a separate classroom and then use the V-300 virtual reality police training simulator to reinforce the methods taught in class.
OCSD uses three primary range instructors for force option training, in addition to an assistant who helps deputies through the simulator sessions. After each scenario training, officers are debriefed on proper procedure, tactics and responses.
“We began training in November and our staff immediately loved the quality and realism of the scenarios,” said Sheriff Michael Bouchard. You can see their heart rates kick in as they try to control their sensory overload.”
Hundreds of Use of Force Scenarios
VirTra’s hundreds of diverse police training simulation scenarios in the V-300 provide lifelike use of force training that allows law enforcement to better understand the appropriate level of force needed in a given situation, confronts them with the decision-making and mental processes they’ll undergo in those situations, and through the debriefing process, helps officers evaluate those decisions afterwards with experienced trainers and positive reinforcement that they can then use in their daily patrols.
The Omaha Police Department (OPD) has been a VirTra believer for years. In 2014 the department used a local police foundation grant to replace their old firearms training system with a VirTra V-180 use of force simulator, and the reaction was immediate and overwhelmingly positive. OPD Officer Matthew Austin feels that the immersive aspect of VirTra systems had distinct advantages over their previous training simulator, so much so that OPD command and the Omaha City Council readily approved department funds to purchase a VirTra V-300 judgmental use of force simulator in March 2017. Officer Austin said “we had nine pages of awesome feedback from officers” about the V-180 training content, which made the department’s decision to upgrade to a VirTra V-300 that much easier. “The ability to move around, the realism, and the branching options are key. VirTra really immerses you in in the situation,” Austin says.
VirTra Training Scenarios
These qualities are especially instructive in training new OPD cadets in particular. Austin likes that OPD trainers can “keep trainees on their toes” with the myriad branching options found in VirTra scenarios that take trainees in different directions based on the decisions they make as the scenario advances. He has taken this a step further in OPD cadet training by making a scenario in the VirTra V-300 a key part of their training curriculum, establishing a graded score for a VirTra V-300 scenario that takes into account 13 opportunities that cadets can have within the scenario to use tactics and techniques learned during the previous weeks of training to achieve safe, positive outcomes. “We’ve given them everything they need to be successful,” says Austin, and it’s up to the cadets to demonstrate that they’ve absorbed what instructors have taught them about appropriate use of force and de-escalation.
Advanced De-Escalation
Cadets can achieve better scores by using appropriate verbal commands and demonstrating proper threat recognition initially. Communicating with a subject and not being goaded into a physical confrontation can be a positive learning opportunity for cadets. Depending on how the scenario branches, accurate shot placement or calling for backup at the proper time can also be judged. Appropriate use of force and recognizing opportunities for de-escalation are also taken into account in the scoring. Austin says “there are a lot of scenarios on the VirTra system that allow for us practicing de-escalation. If you do these things successfully, you don’t have to use force – you can just talk a subject through the situation.”
OPD training efficiencies have also been increased thanks to the V-300. Unlike other forms of simulated use of force training that can require the entire OPD training staff’s participation, a session on their V-300 requires only one or two officers. This has freed up training staff and reduced the use of other department resources. OPD has made things even easier by certifying other instructors (use of force, firearms and Axon® TASER® instructors) besides regular OPD training staff to train on the V-300. This allows OPD to schedule and train more officers during their shifts, thus reducing the use of overtime or personal time to complete required training. Instructors can operate the V-300 and train officers during their shifts, and OPD was recently able to rotate 22 officers in and out of training on an overnight shift with none of the downtime associated with other types of firearms training such as range time.
The VirTra V-300
The VirTra V-300 that OPD purchased is also equipped with V-Author, and Austin is particularly excited about building custom scenarios using V-Author to make the training even more realistic. V-Author will allow OPD to train their officers with custom, content-specific assets geared towards their training objectives. Austin sees OPD loading photos and video of a high-risk drug house that has been the scene of several incidents in the past. OPD can then develop custom VirTra scenarios that will enable their SWAT team to be better prepared for potential incidents at that location in the future.
Like any other law enforcement agency, OPD trains its officers to defuse situations that can endanger themselves and the community, and VirTra technology has helped OPD reduce its use of force incidents over the last several years. Ultimately, Austin considers their V-300 to be a “decision-making simulator” that shows OPD officers and trainees where they need to go to stay safe, and he looks forward to even more immersive scenarios from VirTra that help them make better decisions in life-threatening situations.
The Stafford County (Virginia) Sheriff’s Office installed a VirTra V-300 use of force simulator several months ago. First Sergeant Joe Bice, who heads the department’s training program, states the technology is already making a big difference. It was the department’s first venture into advanced simulators, and First Sergeant Bice says the V-300 has helped him and his agency in many ways.
Better Tactics
Stafford County previously had limited exposure to a single screen simulator at a nearby regional police academy. The advanced capabilities of the V-300 really impress him and his fellow deputies. According to First Sergeant Bice, VirTra’s unique mix of live action and simulation provides realistic scenarios that get trainees moving in the simulator. Trainees learn to take better tactical positions to engage subjects versus static range training. He also said that the V-300’s playback feature allows him to show improper shooting positions to trainees during debriefings and trains them to adjust appropriately. The V-300 has also helped deputies to communicate more clearly with each other in cover and contact situations, thus improving officer safety.
First Sergeant Bice also noticed that some deputies were missing moving targets, and that less-experienced deputies could develop “tunnel vision” in scenarios. Training in the V-300 allowed him to tackle these potentially life-threatening issues head-on and reduce risk for deputies and the agency. Stafford County’s SWAT team uses the V-300 to hone split-second decision making in breach and close quarters room clearing scenarios. The agency’s new recruits are thrown into V-300 scenarios before they even begin their academy training. First Sergeant Bice uses scenarios to train recruits on proper technique such as holster drills. Their V-300 is equipped with Threat-Fire, which First Sergeant Bice says adds consequences and stress to help trainees take the training more seriously. Stafford County also has VirTra’s V-Author, which has been utilized to develop scenarios based in familiar settings to Stafford Deputies.
Increased Efficiencies, Reduced Costs
Like many other law enforcement agencies, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office previously had to use overtime to keep officers current on their firearms training certifications because there was no on-site training system. Now, First Sergeant Bice is using the V-300 as part of the department’s roll calls, which will reduce overtime costs and make training more efficient.
“All our training had been done on overtime. Now that we have the VirTra system, I can grab two or four officers and have them train in the V-300 during their shift,” says First Sergeant Bice.
The department had been looking at building a live-fire house at their outdoor firing range, but code compliance costs made that option prohibitively expensive. Purchasing VirTra technology was a tremendous cost-savings for the department. The V-300 has been implemented into the department’s annual use of force training, and it also helped lessen reliance on using the outdoor range, where officers can experience freezing temperatures that can make training less effective during winter months.
First Sergeant Bice is eager to do more with their V-300 in 2018. The department will begin implementing the V-300 into Axon® TASER® training this year. First Sergeant Bice would also like to use training in the V-300 to help officers become more descriptive and detailed in report writing.
“It’s not a one-time training tool – the opportunities are limitless,” said First Sergeant Bice.