North Platte Police Department
In March of 2023, the North Platte Police Department submitted a grant application to the Nebraska Crime Commission in hopes of receiving a subgrant award to fund the purchase of a virtual reality training system. The grant funds were made available through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
Training in use of force and de-escalation is typically done in a classroom setting. The lack of trained role players makes it difficult for officers to adequately train on these topics and receive constructive feedback that helps them understand how effective, or ineffective, their communication skills are.
Agencies utilizing virtual reality (VR) training simulators to train their officers report a more realistic and immersive training environment for use of force, de-escalation, and crisis intervention training. The agencies using VR simulators report an increase in training effectiveness, an increase in hours spent training, an increase in use of force decision making and an increase in the willingness of police officers to train. The equipment is readily available for agency training without having to travel and incur agency training and travel expenses.
In September of 2023, the department received a grant award for $69,500 that funded the entire cost of the Apex Officer VR training system. The procurement process is complete, and several department trainers were trained last week by Apex Officer personnel in the proper use of the system. The system will be incorporated into the department training process and all our officers will train several times each year utilizing the VR system.
Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S60Pz7qeWuk for a demonstration of the system.