In response to public outcry for more police training, Vector Solutions surveyed police officers in 2023, “Do you want more training, and if so, what kind?”
The majority of officers responded yes! More communication and mental health training, please! Unfortunately, multiple barriers exist between police departments and access to more training, especially the high-demand courses they requested. For one, live-action scenario training requires plenty of staff to serve as scenario actors and instructors. These officers must be equipped, paid for their time, and experienced enough to provide quality, confident instruction on these topics. Quality role-players make or break your event; volunteers may not give the quality needed. The tools, resources, ammo, and cartridges require budget and logistics. As a byproduct, training is expensive.
Consequently, many police departments, especially smaller ones, may struggle to secure the resources to provide their officers with training beyond the minimum required.
What if there was a way to bypass these issues and get training right to where it’s needed?
VirTra and the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST) asked the same question. We decided on a mutual mission – get elite training to agencies that need it and let’s give it away for free.
This idea drives our Taskforce Santa project, which we launched last year, to great success. A small agency based outside Memphis, Tennessee, Atoka PD, received the simulator and has been using it to great effect. The improved training helped the agency train and retain its staff members, with one former officer even returning after leaving to gain more experience and training elsewhere. Sgt. Chris Covarrubias, the department’s training coordinator, spoke about how his agency used the V-100 simulator.
While there are 40 years of experience between me and my two sergeants, our patrol officers have only about 5 each. We all run scenarios in the simulator, but those patrol officers see the most benefit. It’s a really good way to get them the exposure they need.
While we are encouraged by last year’s mission's results, we could improve it in several ways. So, for this year's Taskforce Santa, VirTra is allowing more organizations to apply by accepting nominations early. In fact, you can nominate an agency today. Do you know of an agency that could use improved training technology? A simulator that already comes with 90+ hours of NCP-certified curricula? A simulator with third-party tested ballistic accuracy and test-retest reliability on multiple dimensions by Ohio State University? Nominate a police agency or your own agency for a free VirTra V-100 simulator here. Winners will be announced on December 3rd.
