ODESSA, Texas —
The Odessa College Law Enforcement Training Academy has unveiled a new way for officers to sharpen their skills through virtual reality.
The VirTra V-100 simulator they will be using allows users to train on responding to high-stress situations like active shooters, domestic violence and many others in locations like a movie theater, a courthouse or a school campus.
Training Coordinator at the Law Enforcement Training Academy, William Misczak, said the simulator will help students decide whether they are on the right path.
“We feel it's very important, again it gives the student the opportunity, if they need to make that decision of whether this is for me or not for me, because it's giving them real-life based scenarios,” Misczak said.
Situational outcomes depend on the actions of the officer and occur in real-time. The system also recreates the psychological stressors that one might face in reality.
The academy believes that overall the system will help keep West Texas communities safer.