Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office First In NJ To Use The Latest High Tech Virtual Reality Training For Officers
Freehold: Sheriff Shaun Golden is proud to announce the latest state of the art virtual reality platform that the Monmouth County Police Academy is now using to train members of law enforcement. This high tech equipment which includes head mounted gear, along with accessories, is designed to improve and enhance police response during crisis situations.
“The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office is in the forefront when it comes to cutting edge technology, and, it is our priority that members of law enforcement receive the highest level of training possible,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “We are proud to be the first to deploy this new virtual reality innovative training equipment in NJ, which is aimed to ensure officers are performing at their best. It enables officers to develop skills and de-escalation techniques, in a controlled environment, when split second decisions need to be made. ”
Through the Apex Officer training platform officers are fully immersed in a virtual reality situation with head gear, a back pack and other accessories. As soon as officers suit up they forget they are in a training room and instead are virtually placed inside the crisis situation to which they are responding. Another officer creates the scenarios, with characters, and, is able to change the narrative at any moment. The variety of scenarios are endless ranging from traffic stops to domestic calls to active shooter situations. Officers conduct a debriefing at the end of each scenario.
“The more accurately we can simulate scenarios officers may actually encounter in the line of duty, the better prepared they’ll be to face them,” Acting Prosecutor Lori Linskey said. “Infusing our existing training with this technology puts us on the cutting edge in this respect, and we are excited to get started with our partners at the Sheriff’s Office and make this training available to all of our police officers. We appreciate Sheriff Golden’s efforts to bring this invaluable tool to Monmouth County.”
“The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office are once again providing the highest quality training and resources to our local law enforcement officers through the state-of-the-art Apex Officer training program,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone. “The Apex Officer training program is an innovative way to prepare our officers for scenarios they may encounter in the field. I commend Sheriff Shaun Golden and Acting Prosecutor Lori Linskey for spearheading this program.”
All Monmouth County Police Academy recruits will be trained on the new equipment at the Situational Training And Response Simulator Facility in Freehold, along with officers throughout Monmouth County and beyond. The Monmouth County Sheriff Office remains the only agency in NJ to have a dedicated building for virtual reality and hands on training, with the APEX Officer being its latest initiative. STARS is equipped with two of the APEX Officers. They were purchased through the law enforcement officer trust fund, a grant provided by the State of New Jersey.
For a downloadable copy of this press release, click here: News Release – MCSO First in NJ to Use Latest High Tech Virtual Reality Training for Officers
