CHESAPEAKE, Va. — New training in Chesapeake has officers learning in the virtual world.
The Chesapeake Police Department received a virtual reality system through federal grant money. The department hopes it will help train its officers.
"It allows us to do use of force training with minimal staffing," said John Fleischer, a range firearm instructor for the department.
Fleischer said it could take up to 15 officers to help with face-to-face training sessions. This equipment knocks it down to two: the system operator and the trainee.
More importantly, he said it will train officers to de-escalate several situations out in the field.
"Trying to minimize the physicality of the event that we're involved in, if we can at all," Fleischer said.
Police Officer Allie Montross is one of the first to get accustomed to the software. She'll help to train other officers within the department.
"Traffic stop scenarios, domestic complaint scenarios, active shooter scenarios, she said. "There's so much that we can do with this."
Montross said she's become more alert after using it only a few times.
"It makes it more realistic, it's 360 (degrees), you're physically walking," she said.
This equipment is set to replace one-dimensional software the department also used to train officers, but leaders say it won't get rid of in-person training. This will be another tool in the department's back pocket.
The department is still working out the kinks with the system.
Department leaders said the class currently in the police academy will be the first group to use it for training.