MATC Law Enforcement Program Targets Training

MATC Law Enforcement Program Targets Training
Simulation Room Offers Real-Life Scenarios

Updated: 8:08 am CDT October 13, 2009
CHANNEL 3000.COM

MADISON, Wis. -- The firearms simulation room at Madison Area Technical College's west campus is far from a typical classroom for future law enforcement officers -- it employs real firearms modified to work with a video training system.

The system is as close to real as future officers can safely get to the real thing.

"This is an actual Glock 17. It's been modified with a recoil kit and a laser to provide simulated recoil every time they press the trigger," said Todd Brown, vice president of Ti Training based near Denver, Colo.

His company makes simulation systems that allow those hoping to become officers, like those at MATC's Law Enforcement Academy and those already on the street to come face-to-face with life-size video representations of everything from domestic disputes, robberies and even an active shooter.

The system also tapes the officer or trainee, which allows an instructor to help them review their actions and learn from them.

"Once I start this scenario, I have the ability then to take it down different paths based on how that officer's interacting with it," Brown said. "I can have this bad guy show his ID, pull a knife and attack, or pull a gun and shoot."

Garilyn Truttschel, who heads MATC's academy program, said the program is designed to teach recruits to answer several questions: "Looking at that use of force, that split second. Does that hand have a gun in it? Doesn't it have a gun in it? How are you going to react to it?"

Systems like MATC's cost around $50,000, but Truttschel said people can't put a number on training like this.

"Because this is the place to make the mistakes. This is the place where we want to be involved in as much stress as we possibly can, because you can make the mistake, you can correct in this environment," she said.

"Things can happen pretty quickly, so part of this is teaching officers to recognize cues they can use out on the street that something might be about to happen," Brown said.

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