Georgia’s Statewide Police Academy Selects Meggitt Training Systems to Upgrade De-escalation Training
SUWANEE, Ga.-- The Georgia Public Safety Training Center and its Georgia Police Academy have chosen Meggitt Training Systems’ five-screen, 300-degree FATS® 300LE advanced simulation system and BlueFire® wireless weapons to help law enforcement officers understand complex situations, then be able to de-escalate or make the right use-of-force option. GPSTC’s Police Academy, which trains officers from more than 100 Georgia agencies, believes relevant scenarios and realistic weapons will dramatically improve split-second decision-making.
“The GPSTC strives to provide the best training options to our students that will prepare them for situations they will face while on patrol and answering calls for service across the state,” says Bruce Stanford, division director for the Georgia Police Academy. “For certain, every possibility or situation cannot be predicted; we do however want to place officers into situations that are tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving. These situations require not only good decision-making skills, but also the tactile skills necessary to either diffuse a situation or eliminate a threat.”
“The Meggitt FATS 300LE provides the most realistic weapons platforms, response driven scenarios, and feedback capabilities of any system that we have evaluated,” added Stanford. “Additionally, the technical support and customer service will allow us to operate with little or no downtime in the event of a system malfunction.”
To immerse the trainee, the simulator projects high-definition imagery on all five screens. The trainee then gets exposed to a myriad of challenges encountered on duty. This provides a genuine immersive experience that highlights realistic conflict situations and awareness, while BlueFire weapons match the form, function and feel of equipment officers are likely to use. Each student will use the FATS 300 for approximately 20 hours during most GPSTC courses.
“GPSTC chose Meggitt Training Systems because of our superior product quality, continuously innovative systems, as well as responsive customer service based here in Georgia,” said Matt Cunningham, director of virtual systems sales for Meggitt. “They specifically selected the FATS 300LE and BlueFire weapons to upgrade their systems for the most realistic and immersive training experience.”
The FATS 300LE is one of Meggitt’s newest offerings. Immersion is provided via five borderless 150”x84” flat screens arranged in a hexagonal format, 5.1 audio, plus sounds in any direction added by the operator for increased realism. The system also has ultra-short-throw projectors that allow the trainee unprecedented freedom of movement within the training area, all while maintaining a smaller footprint than rear-projection systems. The system, which utilizes the same high-fidelity ballistic engine validated by the U.S. Army and other military customers, will be installed in the Academy’s new facility scheduled to open in September 2019.
About the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC)
GPSTC offers public safety personnel in Georgia the highest quality training programs, taught by the best instructors, at little to no cost to local agencies. Each year, GPSTC’s training divisions host more than 1,500 on- and off-site training courses covering a wide range of public safety topics. With its central location, on-site amenities and premier facilities, GPSTC is the top choice when it comes to public safety training.
About Meggitt Training Systems
Meggitt Training Systems, makers of FATS® and Caswell technologies, a division of Meggitt PLC, is the leading supplier of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training systems. Following the acquisition of FATS® virtual training systems and Caswell International's live-fire ranges and services, Meggitt Training Systems continues to grow its capabilities based on the legacy of these two industry leaders. Over 13,600 Meggitt live-fire ranges and 5,100 virtual systems are fielded internationally, providing judgmental, situational awareness and marksmanship training to the armed forces, law enforcement and security organizations.
Meggitt Training Systems employs more than 400 people at its headquarters in Atlanta and at facilities in Orlando, Canada, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, UAE, Australia and Singapore. It can deploy service personnel anywhere in the world for instructor training, system installation and maintenance.
About Meggitt PLC
Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Meggitt PLC is an international group operating in North America, Europe and Asia. Known for its specialized extreme environment engineering, Meggitt is a world leader in aerospace, defense and energy, employing nearly 11,000 people at more than 50 manufacturing facilities and regional offices worldwide.
