NCJ Number
70574
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 47 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1980) Pages: 25-28
Date Published
1980
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The use of laser weapon simulators for the tactical training of police under fire, and the development of a model system in Orlando, Fla., are described.
Abstract
The traditional police firearm training which includes range firing at fixed and pop-up targets does not reproduce actual field situations where the targets fire back. Therefore, interest has increased in the development of weapon simulators which used coded laser beams to simulate the ballistic rounds. Typically, a laser transmitter beam is mounted on the real weapon which then fires both blanks and laser rounds. A detector/receiver system decodes and signals hits on the target. The range of the laser pulse is keyed to the range of the weapon being simulated. The simulators were developed under Department of Defense contracts and may be purchased for about $2,500 per unit. For the system in Orlando, information from actual field incidents was used to generate training scenarios. Cases were subjected to classification analysis by type of incident, participant involvement, and location/prop requirements. The scoring methodology involves check-off scoring. Standardization was accomplished by consulting with experienced officers and by modifying the expected responses as the training exercises were conducted. Each scenario was partitioned so that subscores could be obtained by major events. These events were weighted to reflect their relative values in their contributions to the solution of the exercise. A pilot training exercise was conducted with only one scenario: a convenience store robbery. Participants found the training concept to be effective. A proposal for a prototype regional training system for central Florida has been submitted to the Office of Criminal Justice Education and Training of LEAA. The program would include six weapon fire simulator systems and five basic training scenarios, each of which could be modified via minor changes in the scenario script. Photos and a drawing illustrate the equipment involved. Footnotes with references are included.