Danbury police explore virtual reality in officer training - Danbury News Times

Nov. 17, 2022

“It’s really, truly realistic,” Mayor Dean Esposito said aft trying 1 of Axon’s grooming modules.

After putting connected a virtual world headset, Esposito was immersed doubly successful a script involving a schizophrenic antheral — archetypal from the constituent of presumption of the man, past from the constituent of presumption of an off-duty constabulary serviceman encountering him.

Virtual world is 1 of the latest products Axon has been moving connected to amended policing, on with serviceman and assemblage safety. The institution began n 1993 making stun guns arsenic Taser International, past moved connected assemblage cameras successful the mid-2000s.

Axon Senior Regional Manager Mark Swenson said constabulary departments don’t get capable training, but virtual world instrumentality and simulation exertion tin assistance “fill the spread betwixt what officers are and are not getting.”

Danbury constabulary officers are equipped with Axon assemblage cameras, but the section has not purchased the company's virtual world and simulation exertion — not yet astatine least.

“If it tin acceptable successful the budget,” Chief Patrick Ridenhour said, adding  incorporation of virtual world could amended officers' training.

Axon solution specializer and erstwhile instrumentality enforcement serviceman Clint Collins agreed, adding virtual world and simulation exertion grooming tin lead to amended outcomes alternatively than relying connected accepted grooming methods similar schoolroom acquisition and role-playing.

Traditional methods beryllium time-consuming, limited, costly and unrealistic, Collins said, but those trained utilizing virtual world thin to clasp accusation amended than those who don't.

“Virtual world is the solution to effectual constabulary training,” helium said, adding retention rates among virtual world users is astir 80 percent.

Collins said virtual reality's immersion makes a quality due to the fact that it “creates a memory.”

In summation to reinforcing situational learning objectives and deescalation tactics, virtual world tin assistance officers sharpen firing-range skills and signifier deescalation techniques.

With simulator training, the extremity is to hole officers to marque well-informed, split-second decisions, Collins said, adding “proactive reasoning alternatively of reacting” tin forestall escalation.

Simulation modules, similar the 1 Esposito tried connected Thursday, springiness officers the accidental to signifier responding to antithetic types of calls — from those involving individuals who are mentally sick oregon cognitively impaired to officer-in-crisis situations and home unit situations. 

Danbury Police Officer and Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator Peter Elste said having virtual world exertion could assistance officers and the community.

“The CIT team, we respond to situation situations mundane — from radical dealing with depression, mania, homelessness — adjacent things that aren’t successful our wheelhouse,” helium said.

Esposito said helium favors investing successful virtual world grooming instrumentality and exertion for Danbury's constabulary force.

“The extremity is to get you the champion grooming possible. It keeps you harmless and the assemblage safe,” helium said. “I enactment that 100 percent.”