Laser play

iCOMBAT’s new laser tag facility comes of age and shows law enforcement a new way to train

I rounded a corner and there I was in the middle of a bazaar; this market was selling rugs and fruit, and I noticed ancient script scrawled on old-looking walls. Beyond the market was a modest house…empty, but its contents suggested a family lived here.

It was clear I was somewhere in the Middle East, or so it seemed. Upon even closer inspection, I thought I could be on sound stage on a Hollywood lot and all the actors were on break.

In reality I was in Waukesha, Wisconsin at a brand new laser tag facility called iCOMBAT. They had just cut the tape on “Battlefield Baghdad,” according to their website: “A realistic tactical laser tag experience using state-of-the-art equipment and fully immersible Hollywood style sets.” On the entertainment side, thrill seekers can rent out the venue for parties, fundraisers or Saturday night adventures. Players can earn ranks for completing missions and objectives, similar to a real-life video game. Realistic weaponry and laser combat gear offer easy set-up and multiple sensor locations that light up and beep when hit. Sounds, smells and ambient lighting make your feel as though you’re really on the streets of Baghdad on a dark and ominous night.

But this isn’t all kids play; the more than 12,000-square-foot locations (they are popping up in various places across the country) might be worth looking into on the public safety side, too. The buildings’ generous size and resources offer trainers something different, as well as a safe place for cops to train in a real world environment, so to speak.

Thomas Hausner, a 30-year SWAT veteran, works with iCOMBAT management on the law enforcement end. He says iCOMBAT’s goal is to provide “the entertainment aspect to augment the law enforcement/military training aspect.” It’s not always easy for SWAT teams to find a place to train. Vacant buildings come and go, and weather is unpredictable at best. “When it’s -40 with a wind chill factor, it’s nice to be in a controlled environment,” Hausner says. “…because if you’re worrying about whether or not you’re staying warm, you’re not worrying about your training.”

Another benefit of the all-in-one setup is the departure from old-school laser tag paraphernalia. Hausner likes the realistic weight and feel of the armory, which consists of irTactical systems. The weapons system was built under a Glock system in an M4. The irM4 is a 1:1 scale replica of the AR15/M16/M4 rifle used by law enforcement and militaries all over the world. “You’re not gearing up like Darth Vader for sims or air soft, where you either got hit or you didn’t; you know if you’re hit or you know if you’re not hit,” says Hausner. SmartMags power the irTactical weapons by using a CO2 cartridge to create live noise and recoil. SmartMags also keep track of ammunition and can be passed from player to player until the ammo runs out.

When I visited the facility, a Waukesha SWAT team was engaged in a response drill in which they utilized a 5.11 breaching door and a breakable window. Suspects and victims played convincing roles, and at one point the lights dimmed and it began to storm.

Captain Frank McElderry at the Waukesha County (Wisconsin) Sheriff’s Office was impressed with the initial run-through, adding that his SWAT team enjoyed the experience. “Stairwells are a good touch,” he said, “and having actual second levels (above the main area) where people can be up [observing] was pretty exciting for the guys who go through.

“I think the biggest thing was the opportunity to actually darken the place out; make it loud, make it dark, make it light…change up the environment. Just that adjustment alone gets them on a different level of thinking,” he says.

The facility can also accommodate vehicles, and McElderry hopes to return someday and utilize the place for more regular patrol applications, like room clearings, stairwells and vehicle assault.

When the training ends, teams can review video from multiple cameras throughout the area. Says Hausner: “An officer can do something 7, 8 times and in his mind he’s thinking, ‘No, I’m not [doing that].’ We’ve all been there.” Software keeps track of who got shot and where, officers’ heart rates and stress levels.

McElderry adds the ICOMBAT safety team—educated tactical instructors in their own right—were supportive, and handy, too. He didn’t have to bring in his own staff to get useful feedback on-site. This would be especially beneficial for smaller department who don’t have the resources or tactical people to help them out with various scenarios.

“I think the most important thing I saw is that it’s a safe training facility for us, where we can come in, we get double, triple-checked, we don’t have to worry about people coming up on us as we’re training on a different training site asking us what we’re doing,” he says.

Andy Rasico, Product Manager for iCOMBAT, says they hope to have law enforcement completely paid for by the entertaining side by the end of the year, so that agencies can eventually go through the training for free in their own communities.

Who says work can’t be fun (sometimes), too?