KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With a new piece of technology, the Knoxville Police Department can help officers develop their de-escalation skills by giving them the opportunity to experience situations almost hands-on.
The VirTra V-300 Simulator was purchased through the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services Office De-Escalation Grant program. It is made up of five screens that surround officers in training, providing 300 degrees of virtual coverage that takes them through tense situations.
"This is just another one of those technological advancements that helps us to train folks to that next level," said Jimmy Wilson a sergeant at the Knoxville Police Department Training Academy. "They're dispatched to a call, then they'll hear the dispatch coming on. So, they don't know how this scenario is gonna play out."
Officers go through real-life situations in the VirTra simulator, putting them in stressful but safe environments. They need to think on their feet with little time, responding to scenarios in real time while looking for ways to de-escalate situations.
"It trains officers to be able to make those very fast decisions under the most stressful event they've probably ever had in their lives," said Wilson.
The simulator has more than 600 scenarios loaded in, ready to show officers what it's like to be in situations where there's a possibility somebody can be hurt. The scenarios are controlled by an officer and a computer. The officer can dictate the path each scenario takes as officers respond.
"Depending on the performance of the officer, I have the option to de-escalate or hostile," he said.
The simulator is located inside the Public Safety Complex, and some staff have already undergone training through it.