An officer’s first exposure to a critical situation should never be when the situation is real.
Police officers routinely face situations that can change in seconds. A routine call can become a confrontation. A person who initially appears cooperative can suddenly become a threat. Officers must assess what they see, communicate, make decisions and determine an appropriate response, often with very little time to think.
The challenge for police leaders is simple: How can officers gain more experience making those decisions before they have to make them in the field?

Increasingly, the answer includes realistic, scenario-based simulation.

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) recommends that scenario-based training be prevalent, challenging and realistic. Its training programs emphasize giving officers opportunities to assess situations, make decisions, communicate and learn from their actions.

Simulation makes that kind of repetition practical. An officer can encounter a scenario, make a decision, review the outcome with an instructor, and then face another scenario with different circumstances. Instead of simply discussing what an officer should do, training can provide an opportunity to practice doing it.

That repetition can cover far more than firearms proficiency. Officers can practice threat recognition, communication, de-escalation, judgment, use-of-force decisions and responses involving less-lethal options, all in a controlled training environment. Research into scenario-based decision-making has also demonstrated the potential for training to influence real-world officer behavior.

For police agencies, simulation can also address the practical challenge of providing frequent training. Range availability, ammunition costs, weather, facilities and staffing can all limit opportunities for live training. Portable simulation systems can bring a complete training lane into an academy, training room, squad room or substation, allowing agencies to train throughout the year.

Laser Shot Simulations provides law enforcement agencies with portable, single-screen and multi-screen simulation solutions designed for realistic, judgment-based training. Its Judgmental Training Software and simulated firearms and less-lethal training devices allow agencies to create repeatable training experiences focused on the decisions officers must make in the real world.

No simulator can reproduce every element of an actual encounter. But simulation can give officers something they cannot afford to lack when the stakes are high: experience.
Because the moment may be unpredictable. The preparation doesn’t have to be.