Medway police officers complete interactive, scenario-based firearms training in mobile training trailer

Education and training techniques in all career fields are rapidly changing every day, and policing is no exception.

The Medway police department takes training very seriously, to better prepare it officers they bring in a mobile firearms trailer. This trailer is equipped with a state of the art computerized judgmental firearms system (virtual reality) where each officer is faced with a number of different scenarios and must decide, within a split second, whether to use force or not. The system records all of the officers shots, evaluates the officers’ actions and reaction time. Each officer undertakes this training annually.

The Medway Police administration feels this judgmental training is absolutely necessary, with the understanding that “When our officers go out to a situation, they don’t know what they’re going to find. They often have to respond and make instantaneous life or death decisions.”

The system presents officers with any number of unique scenarios where they essentially have to use all of their training skills to resolve the problems, anywhere from verbalization all the way up to lethal force. The scenarios are so engaging and true-to-life police officers use their department issued handgun and tools in the simulator firing real bullets when required.  

Police officers are under more scrutiny than in recent years, “It’s no secret that law enforcement in our country has been under the microscope regarding use of force, “A judgmental use-of-force system is very important.”  This type of real world training will better instruct officers to protect themselves and the community.