Virtual Reality is Preparing West Virginia's Future Police Officers

Virtual reality de-escalation training simulators are being used to provide the future police officers in the state of West Virginia with the experience and knowledge needed to perform under high stress situations. Apex Officer, the leading provider of VR training simulators for law enforcement, military, and first responders has announced that Roane-Jackson Technical Center located in Leroy, West Virginia has installed the Apex Officer virtual reality training simulator.

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VR Training Simulator for West Virginia Police Academies

With the national focus on de-escalation and use of force training for law enforcement officers, the Roane-Jackson Technical Center saw an opportunity to implement futuristic and innovative law enforcement training technology in the classroom that will aid the development of West Virginia's future police officers.

Criminal Justice Programs Across the Country Are Using VR Training Simulators

Today, many criminal justice programs, police academies, and law enforcement training programs are using VR training simulators to help train officers for real-life situations. The VR training allows students interested in a law enforcement career to experience a wide range of scenarios, from traffic stops to crisis intervention scenarios, in a safe and controlled environment. This helps reduce the risk of injury or death during training, while also giving recruits the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. High school criminal justice programs across the country are turning to Apex Officer’s VR training simulator for a more accurate version of police training and experience building for future officers.

Roane-Jackson Technical Center

The Roane-Jackson Technical Center is dedicated to improving students’ academic and workplace skills while preparing them for post-secondary education and/or the workforce by providing meaningful technical training and skills for a lifetime with support from business, industry, and the community. In this day and age, homeland security and criminology are essential to the well-being of our citizens. The Law & Public Safety Program at Roane-Jackson Technical Center focuses on methods used by public safety leaders to protect a democratic society.

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De-escalation Training for West Virginia Police Officers

“As local governments and communities across the nation grapple with vacancies and calls for police reforms, it is amazing to see police academies take proactive steps to assist future officers stay in the communities they know,” said Chase Dittmer, co-founder of Apex Officer. “It’s a great way to have officers that not only represent their communities, but are also familiar with the unique challenges and residents. I believe no other training simulator allows vocational and technical schools and police departments to focus training specifically to their state and communities.”

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The Apex Officer training simulator improves officer’s decision making in high-pressure situations by placing trainees into immersive three-dimensional environments and experiences. Students develop a foundation of positive community policing, de-escalation, use of force, and implicit bias skills prior to joining a law enforcement agency. Effective policing is an acquired skill that requires repeated exposure with experience to improve skills and confidence. With the Apex Officer VR simulator the students at the Roane-Jackson Technical Center will have a training tool that can help them put their skills learned through traditional classroom methods to use.

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"With many law enforcement academies not having access to high-end training for their recruits, it was an impactful decision to provide students in the Criminal Justice Program with the best training tool available," said Chase Dittmer. "As the future of law enforcement in West Virginia, students will have a training platform that was designed in the field with law enforcement for law enforcement , that will help save lives and positively impact West Virginia communities."

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