WCSO virtually expands scope of training
Published 2:44 pm Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Warren County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Dakota Smothers straps on one of the department’s new virtual reality headsets as he gets ready to practice an active shooter training scenario at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Sheriff’s Office training director Chris Shelton (left) talks about the new virtual reality system the department received in July to incorporate into training for deputies and other local agencies during a demonstration at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Dakota Smothers (left) uses one of the department’s new virtual reality headsets to run an active shooter training scenario beside his spotter Cpt. Curtis Hargett (right) at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Sheriff’s Office training director Chris Shelton (left) selects a transient camp investigation scenario for Deputy Dakota Smothers (center) to train with using one of the department’s new virtual reality headsets beside his spotter Cpt. Curtis Hargett (right) at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Dakota Smothers communicates with a subject in a transient camp investigation scenario as he runs through a training scenario using one of the department’s new virtual reality headsets at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Sheriff’s Office training director Chris Shelton runs through the various training scenarios the deputies can use to train with the department’s new virtual reality headsets, including crisis scenes, traffic stops, active shooters, domestic disputes and other calls, at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Sheriff’s Office training director Chris Shelton (left) talks about the various weapons programed into the department’s new virtual reality system that deputies can train with during a demonstration at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Sheriff’s Office training director Chris Shelton (left) selects responses for a subject in a transient camp investigation scenario for Deputy Dakota Smothers (center) to train with using one of the department’s new virtual reality headsets at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Sheriff’s Office training director Chris Shelton (left) explains the wide range of scenarios the department’s new virtual reality system can create for deputies to train with with VR headsets during a demonstration at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
One of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office’s new virtual reality headsets is set on the ground as deputies practice various training scenarios using the VR system the department received in July at the WCSO office in Sugar Maple Square on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
By the end of a recent morning, a new hire with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office had visited with an unhoused man accused of throwing a brick at a passing car, gone to a domestic dispute in which one of the involved parties pulled a weapon on the officer and ended a hostage situation in an office building by shooting two suspects.
The active, intense morning would test any officer regardless of their experience, but fortunately these scenarios proved to be just that – a test, brought to life through immersive virtual reality training equipment recently purchased by the sheriff’s office.
At a demonstration of the new equipment last Tuesday at Sugar Maple Square, WCSO Deputy Dakota Smothers put on the VR headset, placing him in a diverse array of environments to test his response to certain scenarios.
WCSO Training Director Deputy Chris Shelton sat at a computer, programming the scenarios and clicking on dialogue options for the “people” with whom Smothers was interacting.
“It’s really immersive, you can get really into and kind of forget you’re standing in a room at Sugar Maple Square,” Shelton said.
The sheriff’s office received approval from Warren Fiscal Court back in March to purchase the equipment from Wrap Reality, which creates VR equipment and other technology aimed at training law enforcement on safely carrying out their responsibilities.
Shelton said the equipment cost close to $80,000, with a grant from the Kentucky Association of Counties contributing a portion toward the cost, and of about a dozen agencies in this state with this equipment, WCSO is the only agency set up to enable two officers to participate in the same scenario at the same time.
Since receiving the equipment in July, newly hired WCSO deputies have immersed themselves in any number of realistic virtual environments, from traffic stops to virtual firearms ranges, interacting with avatars who track the officer’s movements.
Shelton, who trained with Wrap Reality officials on the equipment for several days before directing other officers, said Warren County Regional Jail officers have undergone training on the equipment as well.
After officers complete a scenario, they can watch a video playback of their actions, which Shelton said was important when it comes to evaluating areas where an officer can improve.
The gear is reminiscent of the VR headsets you can find in the world of video gaming, and some of the equipment includes prop handguns and rifles, as well as a stun gun retrofitted to operate as a virtual stun gun.
Shelton said shots from the virtual weapons are accurate to within a millimeter compared to actual firearms, but the training is not strictly focused on scenarios that may require force.
“It’s not all about that gun, we can run a lot of scenarios where a gun’s not even in play because it’s about how we talk to people, how we talk to somebody in crisis, how are we helping people get off the street and get resources they need,” Shelton said. “If we can talk to people and we don’t have to use force, that’s a plus.”
Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower said he was enthusiastic when he learned about the VR equipment, saying it would be an invaluable training tool to ensure that everyone involved in an emergency situation remains safe.
“When I got into law enforcement, you didn’t have these types of opportunities where you had the ability to go back and look at yourself, talk about it and reframe how you approach a scenario,” Hightower said. “This is a way to improve how our deputies respond to different calls and how the community perceives us when we show up on a call.”
Hightower said the equipment will likely be made available to surrounding law enforcement agencies for use in the new year.
