Police Departments Throughout the Country Are Implementing VR Training Technologies

An in-depth look at how VR training technologies are being used by law enforcement agencies.

Police and law enforcement training is unlike the training that one would expect for an average white collar employee. Law enforcement officers needs to be well equipped and ready to handle any and every kind of situation that they face. This could be a bank robbery or just an everyday traffic stop. Training can be quite costly and time consuming and while many police departments around the country have used VR training technologies, not all of them have yet.

VR training technologies have been used for many different types of training from military to medical to virtual reality. Police departments have been slow to adopt the same technologies to train their recruits and provide in service training for their officers. However, over the last few years, we've seen a growing number of police departments and law enforcement agencies throughout the country utilizing VR training technologies as part of their training curriculum.

Here is a look at how VR training technologies are being used and what the benefits of these technologies are.

Biggest Driver for Police Departments Adopting VR Training

Advances in virtual reality technology has opened many opportunities for police departments and law enforcement agencies to use VR simulations and scenarios for academy and in service training purposes. Since VR provides the ability to experience realistic simulations and enables the officers and trainees to build practical skills and in-depth knowledge in their field. By providing them with the opportunity to train in a realistic environment, police departments can save time and money that would have been spent on travel to the location and overtime to staff the training.

Advantages of VR Training Simulators

Virtual reality is a leap forward innovation for law enforcement training and preparing, because of its vivid nature and the opportunity it offers to rehearse in practical settings without stressing over results. Advantages associated with VR training:

  • Accelerated Learning
  • Makes Learning More Visual
  • Scalable Learning and Training
  • Increased Engagement
  • Affordable Training

Police Departments Using VR for Training

Once of the first police departments in the country to take a leap forward in their training efforts is the Lodi Police Department. Lodi PD adopted VR training technologies back in the summer of 2018. Another great example, is the Barnstable Police Department located in Massachusetts. Barnstable PD has been a vocal advocate for police and law enforcement adoption of VR training technologies. Recent examples of police departments in the United States that have implemented virtual reality training technology and VR training simulators:

And it's not just local police departments, Maryland State Police recently announced that they have implemented VR training for their academy and in-service training for their troopers. Additionally, Hawkeye Law Enforcement Training Academy is using Apex Officer's virtual reality training simulator to prepare future police officers all across the state of Iowa. CBS News recently visited the Aurora Police Department to check out their new virtual reality training simulator.

What is Apex Officer?

Apex Officer is the leading provider of virtual reality training simulators and technologies for police departments and law enforcement agencies. Apex Officer offers the best VR hardware and technology to create the world’s most realistic and immersive VR force options, de-escalation, and crisis intervention training simulator for police officers and law enforcement professionals on the market.

Police Departments Are Saving Money with VR Training

As a new technological innovation, VR training simulators are proving their use case by delivering significant results. Since VR training is focused on improving current processes, the results of VR can be tested, and a police department can easily compare current methods to a VR training session. Cost savings of VR training can take the form of:

  • Time Savings and Efficiency
  • Coordinating and Logistics
  • Risk Reduction

Getting Started With VR Training

There are many ways that VR training technologies can benefit police departments. If you would like to bring VR training or a virtual reality training simulator to your law enforcement agency, you can speak directly with one of our contracting and procurement specialists and they will answer any questions that you may have in a fast and efficient manner. If you haven't experienced the power of VR training yourself, than you should schedule a product demonstration today. Our of our Apex Officer product experts will be happy to assist you and begin training in the future, today.

Conclusion

Police departments across the country are beginning to use virtual reality technology in a variety of ways to train their officers. Realistic training scenarios in a controlled environment can help the officers in the field make better decisions in a high-stress situation. If you are interested in learning more about how a virtual reality training solution can help your department, please call us at 702.901.5344 or schedule your free product demonstration today to experience the many benefits of VR training for law enforcement training.

About the Author

Carey Rhodes
Marketing Manager

Marketing Manger at Apex Officer