Law Enforcement Agencies Turn to Virtual Reality to Improve Split-Second Decision Making

AURORA, Colorado – 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 technology company Axon, and more than 1,500 law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada are using Axon’s virtual reality training program to achieve this.

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

“You can really be in the scene, move, feel everything,” said recruit José Vázquez Durán.

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Fellow recruit Tyler Frick described it as “Almost like…a 3D movie. Except this is exactly what we’re going to do when we graduate from 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 recreating scenarios. And we have a lot of content focused on a wide range of topics, from mental health to people suffering from drug overdoses or facing 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 is becoming more advanced and easier to use, helping to free up other resources.

“It really helps manpower-wise for my staff, the training staff, when we can have, you know, 10 or 15 recruits doing the exact same scenario at the same time. That means we’re 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 most recent training program can adjust the way virtual suspects act, making them friendly, aggressive or anything in between. They may answer questions, retort, or even refuse to cooperate, just like in real life.

Each session is different, depending on how the agents handle the situation.

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A PwC study found that virtual reality can accelerate officer training and increase confidence in applying new skills compared to their classroom-trained counterparts.

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