Virtual Reality integrated into American police training
At the Tulsa Police Department, Virtual reality indeed contributes to the officers’ intense training. Here, VR headsets that simulate various scenarios are integrated into honing their skills.
Officer Ben Brandt said that it allows them to recreate scenarios really fast and it helps them save time. He said, “With virtual reality, all we have to do is hit a reset button, and we can just start another iteration.”
Tulsa Police using virtual reality for training https://t.co/NqcdoqMBg6
— 2 News Oklahoma (@KJRH2HD) March 2, 2023
A month ago, the Mingo Valley division of the police department started VR training for officers. It involves trainees wearing a set of VR goggles, headphones, and a mock gun.
Traffic stops and active shooter situations simulate various police scenarios so that officers can practice communication and de-escalation. Moreover, another officer controls the scenarios to provide different types of training.
To give context, 2 News Oklahoma reported Tulsa Police conducted VR training that involved a man going through a mental health crisis. Officer Ben Brandt explained how it works. He said, “I can hit the button, and when I talk, this guy’s mouth moves.”
An officer could control characters in virtual scenarios to simulate suspect behaviors. Imagine a VR scene involving a traffic stop. The controller could speak like a reluctant DUI driver. With this, the trainee could practice handling such people.
Officer McGlynn elaborated on VR training versatility, “It’s the same call notes, and it’s the same situation, but it all evolves differently. We’ve got probably 25 different environments that we can use, and inside those environments.…”
“…we can set up any number of situations from domestic abuse, hostage rescue, active shooter, to car stop situations or DUI,” the officer added.
In addition, Officer Cameron Roy underwent VR Training. He said that it is more versatile and convenient than setting up conventional training sessions. Officer Roy noted that it cannot replace “real-life scenario role players training.” Nevertheless, he said it could speed up the learning process.
“If you’ve got 30 minutes, it’s unbeatable because in 30 minutes we can go through 10 or 15 repetitions on the device… that would take us at least three hours to set up in real-life role-playing scenarios.”
