High technology is now helping prepare St. Martin Sheriff’s officers and, eventually those from other agencies, for life and death situations they hope they will never have to face.
On Wednesday, Sept. 26, Sheriff Ronny Theriot and his training staff hosted local media representatives to introduce a new virtual-reality simulator recently installed at the range. The VirTra Use of Force simulator is providing a big step forward in training Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement personnel to cope with deadly situations.
The Sheriff’s impressive new firing range and improved weapons training regimen, is undoubtedly producing highly skilled marksmen, but real-world situations demand much more than marksmanship. The simulator is designed to fill in the blanks by presenting the chaos, noise and changing dynamics of actual deadly-force situations.
The simulator is housed in a building constructed for the purpose on the grounds of the firing range, off of Francois road, near LA 96/Catahoula Hwy. It can place trainees in an array of scenarios that teach officers in threat assessment, multiple-threat situations, identification of innocent people who appear at first to be perpetrators, and even unexpected possibilities like weapon malfunctions.
In a school-shooter program demonstrated by firearms training instructor Lieutenant Kyra Cole, students, some injured and bleeding, run around singly and in groups, adding confusion to the situation. Some shout information at the officer, some of it useful and some not.
The trainee is faced with the kind of fluid scene that can be expected in an actual crisis. As the officer stalks the shooter, other perpetrators or innocent bystanders who appear at first to be perpetrators may appear from the side or behind.
The system uses real service weapons, modified with a special laser-designator barrel and CO2-charged system to simulate noise and recoil. At the option of the system operator, Director of Firearms and Training Captain Cliff Doré, a command can be given to make the
firearm jam. A belt-
worn device called a “threat fire feature” can even administer an electric shock to simulate being hit by gunfire to bring home the risks of failing to maintain a wide enough awareness of the scene.
Up to four trainees may be placed the simulator’s training module at once for team instruction. The scene can be replayed with all shots and actions recorded to allow instructors to critique and fine-tune trainee performance as many times as needed.
Cole said that the system can be customized to show these scenarios taking place in actual area schools or other buildings by entering digital photos of their interiors into the programs.
Other programs instruct trainees on administering aid such as applying a tourniquet to a bleeding victim as a violent scenario continues to play out. Cole demonstrated one that instructs officers to recognize dangerous behavior from dogs. Many more options are available in software packages that can be added.
The VirTra system was purchased by the sheriff’s office and installed after 1½ years of research into the available systems. The $650,000 price tag is high, but it could be the price of saved lives if a worst-case scenario was to suddenly becomes a reality.
