Law enforcement training managers are routinely confronted by a wide variety of challenges when developing innovative and cost-effective methods to deliver training, particularly in the area of incident command. Effective methods play a critical role in preparing law enforcement officers for the dynamic operational scenarios they encounter on the streets.
Simple callouts can rapidly escalate into complex, critical incidents. For managers to adopt powerful, new techniques, they need to take advantage of mixed reality production. They can gain deeper insights by examining the challenges and possibilities relating to the use of cutting-edge technology in law enforcement training.
Effectiveness and simplicity
The challenges of today and the future require a responsive approach capable of addressing specific areas. Both supervisors and officers need realistic training that immerses participants and elicits true-to-life responses. I can state without a measure of doubt that immersive technologies like pseudo-3D web conferencing that employ a single generic webcam provide law enforcement training managers with an effective tool.
The use of an ordinary webcam eliminates the need for complex sensor and multi-camera setups, thus reducing the overall cost of incident command training. Law enforcement agencies can use almost any computer with video conferencing capability. In turn, this allows officers deployed at remote stations to participate in training sessions. Higher costs coupled with decreasing budgets often force law enforcement agencies to consider less effective training options to meet ongoing needs.
Incident command training is designed to give trainees an understanding of how to make quick and responsive decisions in a variety of scenarios, including riot control, hostage events, multi-vehicle road accidents and biological threats
In the future, trainers will be able to demonstrate the dynamics of each scenario through high-fidelity simulation, mixed reality production and photo-realistic graphics without the need to invest in expensive equipment. The immersive nature of pseudo-3D web conferencing helps bolster attention spans of trainees. It provides law enforcers with a two-in-one solution.
Virtual simulation
The greater dependence and familiarity with technology of new generation officers should boost adoption levels. Familiarity minimizes the learning curve often associated with advanced training systems. The training exercises are open-ended, unscripted and interactive. I believe they have the capacity to bridge the gap between video game based virtual reality systems that are already deployed by some law enforcement agencies.
The pseudo 3D web conferencing systems switch between interactive theoretical lessons mode to incident command simulation. This gives trainees an opportunity to experience the practical aspects of lessons covered by trainers in video conference classes. The single generic webcam placed at each end enables interaction between the trainer and course participants.