DANVILLE, Va. – For law enforcement, making split-second decisions in life-or-death scenarios comes with the territory. That’s why the Danville Police Department is using the MILO simulator as a crucial part of their initial and remedial training.

“You walk through it once; it’s very difficult to even hit a target under those stressful situations. And in that split second, the decision to shoot or don’t shoot, that’s the first question,” said Sgt. Evan Wilson.

While using the simulator, officers are put in real-life scenarios like a traffic stop or a domestic violence call.

The goal is for the officers to learn how to quickly de-escalate the situation and respond properly. Each outcome differs and the trainer has the opportunity to analyze the officers’ response afterward.

“When they’re exposed to situations like this, they can see very quickly how to succeed and not succeed or what is a good behavior and what is a bad behavior,” said Capt. Steve Richardson.

 

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Rae, Alyssa. “Danville Police Utilize Simulation Training for Quick, Effective Response: While using the simulator, officers are put in real-life scenarios.” WSLS 10, October 7, 2022, https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/10/07/danville-police-utilize-simulation-training-for-quick-effective-response/.