ORLANDO, FL– The Orlando Police Department
has a new training tool where 65% of its simulator scenarios
require de-escalation. The
VirTra V-300 4K simulator surrounds trainees 300 degrees with 5
giant screens and more than 300 scenarios with an average of 85
different outcomes and paths towards resolution.
COMMUNITY POLICING: This week
members of Orlando’s Citizens Police Review Board & @MLKOrlando
stepped into our new 4K simulator to experience the training
scenarios enhancing officers’ de-escalation techniques &
decision-making. pic.twitter.com/fLJCOAY5bp— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice)
August 1, 2020
The Orlando Citizen Police Review Board was
recently invited to test out the different scenarios, and
witness first-hand what officers truly face when they must make the
decision to use force or not. Board member Tom Keen had the
opportunity to try three different scenarios.
In one scenario, he attempted to calm a virtual disgruntled
worker with a gun at City Hall. In another scenario he tried to
calm an irate man threatening to harm a baby, and in the last
scenario he had to reason with a man who pulled off his shirt
looking for a fight.
After going through each of the training scenarios, Keen
said:
“It’s kind of hard to pop into it and know what’s
going on, but it does look like it does provide some good training
opportunities for police to de-escalate.â€
ONE-OF-A-KIND: The only 4K
officer training simulator in the world launched last week at OPD.
Our training staff met with the media & community stakeholders
to give them an interactive demo of some scenarios that enhance
de-escalation , situational awareness, and communication. pic.twitter.com/AdkStCX56e— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice)
August 1, 2020
This new, cutting edge training tool tests trainees to see if
they can effectively de-escalate a situation with their
interpersonal communication skills. If the situation continues to
escalate, and force is deemed necessary, the simulator helps train
officers to apply the right amount of force for that given
situation.
According to Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon, many of the
more than 300 scenarios test de-escalation tactics.
He said:
“De-escalation is one of the biggest and hottest
topics right now across the nation. 65% of the modules in the
system are de-escalation related.â€
There’s been a lot of talk
about de-escalation tactics. Members of OCSO’s African American and
Hispanic Citizens Advisory Committees recently had the chance to
experience de-escalation training by stepping into the shoes of our
deputies and into our state-of-the-art simulator. pic.twitter.com/Y0x2GU2mZW— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff)
August 3, 2020
After the board members tried various simulator scenarios, they
had the opportunity to de-brief with the training officers. During
the de-briefing, in thinking about their decisions, some of the
members suggested in hindsight what they could have done
better.
One board member said:
“So I guess the idea was he was going to attack me,
but I wasn’t ready.â€
Orlando Mayor’s Municipal Labor Committee Commission member
Reggie McGill also had the chance to test out the simulator.
In reflecting on the training, he said:
“It’s nothing like what you see on television. I
thought it would be much easier.â€
Afterwards, Keen called the simulator training an
“eye-opener.†He added:
“Each one of you put your life on the line trying to
protect others, so I have a greater appreciation for OPD after
experiencing this personally.â€
Members of the OCSO African American and Latin American Citizens
Advisory Committees also had the opportunity to test
out the new simulator training tool. Sgt. Melvin Huggins, with
the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, said that the citizen groups
wanted to learn more about why and how law enforcement officers
have to do the job they do.
He said in a statement:
“We do train at a high level, at a high standard to be
able to de-escalate situations to hopefully end all, as many as we
can situations with less than deadly force. That would be the
ultimate goal if possible.â€
After the training, Cynthia Brown, a member of the African
American Citizens Advisory Committee said:
“There’s a lot of misconceptions going on right now
and they’ve been going on for a while, so sometimes you need to
be a part of it and seeing it from both sides and not just one side
to understand it.â€
David Rucker, another member of the African American Citizens
Advisory Committee said:
“I am a community activist and I need to talk about
different things that happen in the neighborhood. So, by me going
through this training, I will have my own
knowledge.â€
Paulo Dias, a member of the Latin American Citizens Advisory
Committee said:
“I was very nervous because you stumble on the words
because you don’t know exactly what to say and how the machine is
going to react. And I didn’t know what to expect.â€
Dias added:
“It was really realistic, you need to talk to the
machine. Communication is key.â€
Huggins reiterated:
“Many times we come to these scenes and it’s not any
of our weapons that are able to solve the problem. It is very much
our mouth, our verbal skills, our empathy and hopefully talk them
to a place where we can get them the help they need if they need
help.â€
He added:
“We teach our recruits when we do our program how to
do that through the simulator and through live one-on-one scenarios
with role players.â€
ICYMI: Many of our deputies
have gone through 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training, which gives
them tools for helping people in crisis. Our deputies care deeply
for this community, and on this day, they were able to literally
talk this teen off the ledge. https://t.co/0pL8bhSqeS— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff)
August 5, 2020
Chief Rolon said that the simulator tests training, and teaches
trainees how to control their emotions and adrenaline during
situations that cause “sensory overload.â€
He said in a statement:
“Of course law enforcement officers have to make
split-second decisions when they go out there and things can change
and escalate real quick.â€
He added:
“It is key for our citizens to understand what it is
that our offices confront out there. The unknown is the biggest
obstacle for officers when they go to a situation, things can
change very quickly and that’s the message we need to deliver and
be very clear about.â€
.@OrlandoPDChief
welcomes the next group of members of the Citizens Police Review
Board and the MLK commission to view the new 4K training simulator.
Thank you to everyone who joined us today! pic.twitter.com/G1TUvrNOom— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice)
July 30, 2020
An Orlando Police spokesperson also provided some important
information about the simulator training.
They said:
“That the interactions in the simulator are so real
that officers can also practice managing their psychological
responses to high-intensity stressors like elevated heart rate,
rushes of adrenaline, and the physical impact of weapons
discharging.â€
According to Chief Rolon, OPD was already looking into
purchasing the simulator training tool back in 2019, long before
the nationwide protests and civil unrest started. After graduating
the academy, newly sworn in officers will go through an additional
seven weeks of training before they hit the streets. This training
will include using the simulator tool.
The OPD training center and simulator are open 24 hours a day
enabling all officers, regardless of their time on the job to hone
in on certain skills to better help them de-escalate
situations.
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