Law enforcement using virtual reality training to improve decision-making

AURORA, Colo. – Police departments across the country are turning to virtual reality training to help officers make split-second decisions in difficult, and sometimes dangerous, situations.

The goal is to help officers respond quickly and safely to any call, according to tech company Axon, and more than 1,500 police agencies across the United States and Canada are now using Axon’s virtual reality training program to make that happen.

Recruits at the Aurora Police Department in Colorado are among those training with the technology. 

“You get to be actually in the scene, move around, just feel for everything,” recruit Jose Vazquez Duran said.

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Fellow recruit Tyler Frick described it as “Almost like… a 3D Movie. Except this is exactly what we are going to be doing when we graduate the academy.”

Aurora PD uses Axon’s virtual reality program to prepare recruits for scenarios including de-escalation, Taser use and other high-stress interactions.

“It’s filmed with live actors who are re-enacting scenarios. And we have a lot of content there focused on a wide range of topics, from mental health to people who are experiencing drug overdose or encountering domestic violence,” said Thi Luu, vice president and general manager of Axon Virtual Reality.

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The Aurora Police Department has used Axon’s virtual reality training program for three years. Officials say the technology keeps getting more advanced and easier to use, which helps free up other resources.

“Really helps on manpower for my staff, the training staff, when we can have, you know, 10 or 15 recruits all doing the exact same scenario at the same time. That means we are getting the most out of our training hours and having well-trained, well-rounded officers is really important,” said Aurora police Sgt. Faith Goodrich.

Axon said the artificial intelligence in its newest training program can adjust how virtual suspects act – making them friendly, aggressive or anything in between. They can answer questions, talk back or even refuse to cooperate, just like in real life.

Every session is different, depending on how officers handle the situation.

A study from PwC found that virtual reality can speed up officer training and boost confidence in applying new skills compared with classroom-trained counterparts. 

According to the study, VR learners showed a four times faster training rate and a 275% boost in confidence when applying learned skills compared to their classroom-trained counterparts.