VirTra in the News

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Billings Police Department

The Billings Police Department recently received the green light from council members and will move forward with their VirTra use of force purchase. Police Chief Rich St. John said that this simulator is the right tool for his officers, providing realistic scenarios to train officers in de-escalation techniques, judgment related to use of force and situational awareness.

Bonner Springs Police Department

The Bonner Springs Police Department is maximizing their training by utilizing the branching scenarios. “With this type of training, if you do go down the wrong path—say you are in the scenario shot or shot at—at the end of the day you still get to go home”—Sgt. Jeff Weissman. This prepares officers for real world crises while teaching how to best de-escalate situations.

Camden County Police Department

Recently, Camden County Police Department was covered on CNN Anderson Cooper’s 360 program. Watch here as Camden’s officers and the reporter both interact with the simulator and perform the best use of force.

Utah Attorney General’s Office

During Autism Awareness Month, the Utah Attorney General’s Office published this article discussing how critical autism awareness training is. “We’re astonished at the positive comments from our officers. They feel much better prepared to handle calls for service involving persons with autism and to practice empathy in an effective way.”—Chief Ken Wallentine, West Jordan PD.

Cape Fear Community College

The Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) has installed a new VirTra system. The reason is two-fold: to expedite the time it takes to train officers in their Basic Law Enforcement Training program and provide better training for current officers. “Our law enforcement partners can now practice in a simulated but realistic environment that allows trainees to get the decision-making experience necessary in contemporary policing.”—Jim Varrone, CFCC Department Chair of Public Service.

Racine Police Department

What do you do when there’s no training for “when a suicidal man points a gun toward his own head and walks toward City Hall after being fired from his job”? As Lt. Adam Malacara points out, the best thing to do is train as much as possible in a variety of stressful situations to prepare for anything that may occur in the field.