• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
        California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
        Small town North Carolina police officer rescues man from house fire
        Boulder police recover $400,000 in stolen paintings, drug stash in...
        California police officer rescues three people from car teetering on...
    • Labor
      • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
        San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
        Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
        Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
        Cops leave NYPD in highest number since 9/11
    • Tech
      • Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
        West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
        FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime...
        Wisconsin law enforcement warn of iPhone crash detection feature...
        Snapchat sued for facilitating sale of fentanyl that led to fatal...
    • Training
      • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
        Running your patrol rifle like a champion
        Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
        Defensive tactics
        Mechanics, consistency and aggression
    • Policy
      • Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
        President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
        California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
        Texas law enforcement leaders say the state has too many police...
        Justice Department launches new language initiative after resolving...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
        Coping with internal investigation or legal action
        The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
        What officers love, hope and worry about
        Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
    • Community
      • North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
        “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
        Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
        LAPD chief bans “Thin Blue Line” flag from department use
        Friday Night Lights duty
    • Offbeat
      • Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
        “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
        “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
        Wyoming police officer restores classic Chevy Bel Air as police...
        Santa Cruz police arrest 19-year-old for handing out fake parking...
    • We Remember
      • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
        Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
        Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
        Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
        At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • On the Job
    • “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
      California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
      Small town North Carolina police officer rescues man from house fire
      Boulder police recover $400,000 in stolen paintings, drug stash in...
      California police officer rescues three people from car teetering on...
  • Labor
    • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
      San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
      Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
      Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
      Cops leave NYPD in highest number since 9/11
  • Tech
    • Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
      West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
      FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime...
      Wisconsin law enforcement warn of iPhone crash detection feature...
      Snapchat sued for facilitating sale of fentanyl that led to fatal...
  • Training
    • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
      Running your patrol rifle like a champion
      Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
      Defensive tactics
      Mechanics, consistency and aggression
  • Policy
    • Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
      President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
      California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
      Texas law enforcement leaders say the state has too many police...
      Justice Department launches new language initiative after resolving...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
      Coping with internal investigation or legal action
      The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
      What officers love, hope and worry about
      Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
  • Community
    • North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
      “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
      Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
      LAPD chief bans “Thin Blue Line” flag from department use
      Friday Night Lights duty
  • Offbeat
    • Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
      “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
      “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
      Wyoming police officer restores classic Chevy Bel Air as police...
      Santa Cruz police arrest 19-year-old for handing out fake parking...
  • We Remember
    • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
      Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
      Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
      Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
      At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Tech

Iowa State University simulation training module offers de-escalation training

APB Team Published March 11, 2022 @ 9:00 am PST

ISU Police Chief Michael Newton runs through a scenario with the VirTra-100 simulator. (Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University)

Iowa State University has unveiled a new on-campus simulation module to train criminal justice students and law enforcement in de-escalation tactics and other methods to respond to a variety of scenarios officers face on the job.

Professors and law enforcement experts hope the tool will better prepare future and current members of the profession for responding to the growing mental health crisis in the country.

The VirTra-100 training simulator, a 10-foot-wide screen that projects videos of real-life scenarios, gives officers and students a chance to train their decision-making abilities and prepare for incidents law enforcement personnel encounter every day.

Kyle Burgason, an associate professor of criminal justice at ISU, along with sociology professor David Peters with the ISU Extension and Outreach, used grant funding to purchase the simulator. The professors say it will be used to train criminal justice students and members of the ISU Police Department, as well as other officers from rural police departments in the near future.

Burgason told ISU News that he believes the simulator will help law enforcement with de-escalation tactics to defuse dangerous situations and respond better to mental health crises.

“Mental health and de-escalation are huge now in law enforcement. VirTra-100 has specific curriculum to tackle that, along with an extensive library of other realistic scenarios for experiential learning on verbal commands, use of force and its social intersections,” Burgason said.

The simulator enables officers to interact and engage with individuals in the video undergoing a mental health crisis by offering several options for how to de-escalate the crisis or respond to a similarly dangerous situation. Based on the officer’s decision, the situation can have a different outcome.

ISU Police Chief Michael Newton said the tool has already been useful for his officers. “The more training we can do on de-escalation, the better off we are. This is just another tool we can use to put officers through real-life-like situations and hopefully learn and develop new skills.”

Newton said that while ISU officers’ traditional training includes role-playing exercises of various common scenarios, the simulator offers a unique advantage, as it allows officers to run through more scenarios per session with less preparation time.

Kyle Burgason (left), associate professor of criminal justice, and ISU Police Chief Michael Newton set up the simulator. (Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University)

Newton explained that the scenarios still feel realistic even though they are projected on a two-dimensional screen.

“You immediately feel like you’re really there in the situation. You feel your heart rate increase, your respiration increase. Some officers have tunnel vision,” he said.

The police chief added that the training allows officers to evaluate their physiological response to situations so they can then learn to regulate their physical and emotional reactions and prevent a situation from escalating.

Burgason hopes that using the simulator will provide an experiential approach to learning for criminal justice students so they can have a practical understanding of the use-of-force continuum, from verbal tactics to lethal force. It can also improve communication skills.

“One of the most important things a lot of new recruits don’t know is how valuable written communication is for law enforcement,” Burgason said. “You have to turn police reports over to a detective to help solve a case, and you have to turn it in as evidence used in court.”

ISU sociology professor David Peters said the plan for the future is to move the simulator to a larger space so the college can host symposiums for training rural law enforcement agencies to handle the growing mental health crisis.

“There’s a huge mental health care shortage in rural areas. People may be hours away from a health care professional who can help, so police departments usually have to stabilize the situation and transport that individual an hour, hour and a half, sometimes two hours to a facility that can do an evaluation and help them address an issue,” Peters said.

The use of high-tech simulation training by law enforcement agencies is a growing trend. Agencies across the country, from Wisconsin to Florida, are using simulators for de-escalation and firearms training.

Categories: Tech Tags: de-escalation, mental health crisis, technology, Simulation training module, simulator, VirTra-100, Iowa State University, Kyle Burgason, Michael Newton, training

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man out of jumping off bridge
  • North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Announces December 2022 Officer of the Month
  • “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on patrol after surviving stage-4 ovarian cancer
  • Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
  • West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a bird’s-eye view of crime scenes
  • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost recruiting and diversity
  • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for first responders
  • FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime crackdown
  • San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to avoid “cata-strophic” staffing shortage

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.