Why Police Departments Should Have the Most Realistic Firearms Training Simulators Available

1. Why Police Departments Should Have the Most Realistic Firearms Training Simulators Available Firearms training in police departments across the country has rarely been more than regular trips to the shooting range for target practice. Though this certainly can improve marksmanship skills, it does very little to help officers learn to make snap judgment calls under stress. This is exactly why every police department in the nation needs the most realistic firearms training simulations available today – to teach them to think critically and quickly under pressure. The Most Immersive Experience Possible Police officers across the nation face previously unimaginable situations every single day. Things like active shooters, armed robberies, and even hostage situations occur with startling frequency, and police officers are the first line of defense. Traditional firearms training can help with target practice, but it simply cannot compare to immersive firearms training simulations. Rather than aiming at a target that cannot make decisions, police officers can participate in a wide variety of scenarios. When the situation can change at any moment, officers must remain aware of their surroundings and make good judgment calls. This sort of training is far more effective than training at the firing range. Simulations Can Provide Mock Consequences If a police officer misses her target at the shooting range, there is no real consequence other than lost ammunition. In a firearms training simulation, should that officer miss her target, the simulated target can “return fire” so to speak. This gives officers a completely different incentive to stay focused and make the right choices at exactly the right times. If the officer is “hit,” the equipment can vibrate or produce a mild electric shock that simulates the return fire and entices the officer to make the right choices during his or her next simulation. Teaching Recoil When utilizing firearms in a simulated environment, it is imperative that these firearms look, feel, and behave just like the real thing. Officers must be able to anticipate the recoil from a Glock 17 or from an M16 (depending on their training) in order to really burn the scenario into memory and mimic their responses during a real encounter out in the field. A wide variety of recoil kits can make training even more realistic than ever before and provide unsurpassed realism. Access to Unlimited Customizable Scenarios Though we see terrible crimes on the news every single day, the truth is that many officers deal with incredibly stressful and complex situations that they may only experience once in their lives. Because of this, there is no real way to train for them outside of simulations, and if a simulation isn’t realistic, it simply cannot prepare officers for those situations in the same way. In other words, simulations provide police officers with the opportunity to relive a specific scenario over and over again until he or she is confident in his or her ability to handle the same situation in the field. Firearms training simulators are a far cry from the standard firing range, and they are more realistic now than they have ever been in the past. They provide access to dozens of scenarios that completely immerse officers in the encounter and provide them with skills they may not otherwise be able to learn.