Cleveland police try out simulator training lab

Cleveland police officer Sean Bulow fires upon an armed suspect during an active shooter scenario as part of a training simulation demonstration.
Cleveland police officer Sean Bulow fires upon an armed suspect during an active shooter scenario as part of a training simulation demonstration.

Cleveland police officers found themselves facing an array of dangerous and potentially lethal encounters in an upstairs conference room at department headquarters Thursday morning.

However, their often in-your-face confrontations were just a series of simulated scenarios projected large and loud onto a wide screen as part of a training lab demonstration presented by Ti Training of Golden, Colo.

"It's a realistic controlled situation which teaches your officers not just how to use force, but the best time to use force and the level of force to use," Cleveland Police Chief Mark Gibson said. "It's about the officers thinking outside of the box and weighing the options they have."

The system offers more than 600 scenarios and is "very intuitive" and "instructor-driven," said Scott Barker, a law enforcement representative for Ti Training who retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2004.

At least two-thirds of the scenario catalog can be customized for alternate resolutions, with the interactive path driven by a trainee's words and actions, Barker said.

The video-based training system is expected to cost between $40,000 and $50,000, Gibson said. A final decision has not been made whether to purchase the Ti Training program, he said.

If adopted by the Cleveland Police Department, other local law enforcement agencies would be allowed to utilize the training system, said Sgt. Evie West of the department's community relations unit.

The demonstrations included simple firing range options, as well as scenarios that immersed the participants in situations involving traffic stops, encounters with unidentified law enforcement officers during a chaotic suspect chase, possible break-ins, domestic arguments, hostages and active shooters.

Scenarios typically played out in a relatively short period of time, with officers sometimes having to assess whether an agitated, verbally abusive suspect might draw a weapon. In other scenarios, demonstration participants had to figure out where and who the suspect - or suspects - might be.

"This simulation training system produces a realistic video-based environment for all aspects of firearms handling, including marksmanship, decision-making and tactical strategies," said West in a department announcement. "The system delivers all the realities of a real operation encounter: judgment calls, indecision, sudden fear, partial understanding, blind-side surprise, and eye-blink response that are all part of the training experience that conditions the officer for survival."

Several local elected officials attended the demonstration and voiced praise for the training system.

"I see a lot of positives," said Cleveland City Councilman Bill Estes, who was talked into trying out a nighttime warehouse break-in scenario in which a suspect ultimately drew a hidden staple gun against him.

Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.

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