New Simulator Designed To Improve Officer Training, Safety

DENVER (CBS4)- The Denver Police Department has a new tool that is designed to prevent deadly shootings and improve public safety.

The 300-degree training simulator is part of a redesign of the police department's entire training program. That redesign has an emphasis on improving critical thinking in a scenario that requires split second decisions.

What makes the simulation different is that a person is controlling the scenario, deciding what happens next based on how the trainee is handling the situation.

CBS4's Jamie Leary described the simulator as very real and graphic. The simulator has about 100 different scenarios in which officers have the ability to use a number of tools. Some of those include verbal de-escalation and less lethal options like pepper spray or tasers.

With the new simulator, police will be able to create scenarios using local settings like the 16th Street Mall.

The simulator cost about $300,000 and was purchased by the Denver Police Foundation. The new training tool will be available not just to Denver Police Department officers but also regional law enforcement.