Oak Harbor is a city located on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington. Oak Harbor Police Department serves a population of over 22,000 residents. With the national spotlight on police and law enforcement use of force and de-escalation, many law enforcement agencies feel they need to ensure that their officers are properly trained.

Oak Harbor Police Department set out to acquire a new training simulator for their police force. OHPD evaluated all of the training simulators available, and they ultimately saw Apex Officer is the top choice for a virtual reality training platform. The Apex Officer training program is designed to supplement the training police receive, especially in regards to de-escalation tactics. The city council approved the use of American Rescue Plan Act funds for the purchase of the equipment and software.

Oak Harbor police officers are very excited about this new form of training and the additional training opportunities that are now available with the Apex Officer system.

“Apex Officer helps us not only to train our officers in semi-realistic environments in a safe manner but also, rather than just putting up cardboard cutouts and stuff, here you actually see things that look more realistic,” Police Chief Kevin Dresker said.

“We can do it here, easier, quicker and more frequent than trying to set up locations and actors,” Dresker said, adding that it can also be used to train the records staff at the department and teach how to de-escalate an angry person who comes into the station.

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