Police1’s What Cops Want in 2025 paints a clear picture: assaults on officers are climbing, many patrol alone, and backup can be far away. In 2023, the FBI logged the highest assault rate in a decade—79,091 officers reported an attempt to injure them—while agencies wrestle with thin staffing and a less-experienced pipeline. And 40% of surveyed officers say they were assaulted on duty in the past year, some more than once.

A large share report waiting five to fifteen minutes—or longer—for help to arrive, and most say those delays have compromised their safety. Meanwhile, 82% work solo, even though 92% say a partner improves safety. Two-thirds link rising safety risks to a younger, less-experienced workforce, citing insufficient training, over-reliance on senior officers, and team-dynamic challenges. Rookies are hitting the street alone before they’re ready because rosters need bodies.

Drivers behind assaults reflect what officers see daily: mental health crises (92%), drug influence (87%), alcohol intoxication (86%), and gang activity (39%)—compounded by social pressures like public distrust (61%), homelessness (36%), economic strain (29%), and policy changes such as bail reform and lighter sentencing (60%). Training has to match that complexity.

Agencies need a workable plan for these conditions. That’s where MILO fits.

 

What the survey says officers need—and how MILO closes the gap

Scenario realism and frequency: Despite legal mandates requiring scenario-based training, only 13% of officers report regular simulation training; 54% get it infrequently, and 32% get none. Yet 79% say simulation improves recognition of high-risk incidents, and 63% say it improved their ability to de-escalate.

MILO’s “train as you fight” realism comes from immersive HD video with real human actors—often filmed in local settings—and scenarios built with trainers and community stakeholders so protocols and context mirror the street. Instructors can branch scenarios live, capture body-cam–style after-action video, and tag moments for cue recognition, distance, and cover. Each rep produces concrete evidence for coaching and defensible training records.

Decision-making with live-fire: Officers asked for moving target practice (75%), more frequent reps (73%), decision-making under pressure (69%), stress inoculation (62%), and accuracy drills.

MILO Live’s Pulsar™ Target Retrieval System delivers moving-target realism to live fire: wireless, self-propelled carriers on 100+ yard lanes, patent-pending contactless charging, programmable courses, multiple target motions (90°, 180°, 360°) with lighting, automated shot detection and scoring, and touchscreen control for up to 48 lanes. On the simulator side, instructors can integrate firearms, less-lethal, communication, and policy articulation in a single evolution, so officers practice judgment, not just marksmanship.

Preparedness for working alone with delayed backup: Many officers wait 5–10 minutes for assistance; some wait 15+ minutes. Training has to reflect that timeline.

Every MILO simulator includes long-form conversational scenarios—hostage negotiations, domestic disputes, behavioral health calls—with no artificial time limit. Scenes can de-escalate, stall, and re-escalate, building the endurance and judgment required to manage prolonged solo contacts until help arrives. Trainers can script timed backup arrivals and role-switch mid-scenario, so officers practice the handoff from solo stabilization to coordinated tactics the moment units hit the door. Only 45% of officers feel well-prepared to recognize pre-assault indicators. Extended scenarios give them the time and repeated exposure to see these cues develop naturally. Officers can practice identifying subtle shifts in a simulated environment, reinforcing their ability to respond effectively.

Roll-call reps and cross-agency collaboration. Leaders in the survey push for short, frequent roll-call drills and shared training to stretch budgets and increase consistency.

Regional agencies and colleges with criminal justice programs often form training consortiums to co-procure a MILO system—either housed in a shared facility or rotated on a portable schedule. This lowers costs, tailors locally relevant content, and strengthens mutual-aid coordination because everyone trains from the same playbook. Some agencies, like the Illinois State Police, share their MILO with other agencies to help them benefit from the same level of training they’re able to access. Day to day, a ten-minute briefing cadence—one judgment scenario, one skill injector—builds steady reps without disrupting the watch schedule. Portable kits make it feasible across precincts and partner sites.

 

Make it work operationally

Program to your risks: Build a 90-day calendar around your top call types and known hot spots, with weekly behavioral health and weapon-in-proximity scenarios. Align branching outcomes to policy and local prosecution standards so AARs reinforce articulation.

Measure what matters: Track time-to-first command, cue recognition, distance and cover management, communication quality, force option selection, and policy articulation. Compare performance when scenarios inject 5–15 minute backup delays.

Close the loop: Use quick checklists and annotated Trainee Action Capture video during after-action review to highlight decision points and alternatives. Revisit the same call type two weeks later to test retention and tighten skills.

Upgrade firearms from qualification to training: Many officers report “qual-only” range time. Pair MILO Live moving-target work with scenario judgment blocks and report-writing drills. Build in stress inoculation and timed decision requirements to reflect real conditions.

 

Bottom line

Officers are telling us what they need: realistic reps, decision-making under pressure, and training that accounts for solo patrol and delayed backup. The survey shows simulation is both underused and effective when delivered; agencies can close that gap fast with structured, frequent MILO sessions and disciplined after-action review.

If you want a program outline tailored to your call profile, staffing model, and policy set, we’ll build it with you. Help your officers train the way they work, and they’ll get to go home at the end of the shift and come back tomorrow.