MONMOUTH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE INTRODUCES HIGH-TECH VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING FOR RECRUIT AND VETERAN OFFICERS
/MONMOUTH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE INTRODUCES HIGH-TECH VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING FOR RECRUIT AND VETERAN OFFICERS
By: Cynthia Scott, Public Information Officer and Ted Freeman, Executive Undersheriff
Monmouth County (NJ) Sheriff’s Office
On Nov. 10, 2021, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden made the following announcement during a news conference at the Situational Training And Response Simulator facility (STARS) in Freehold, New Jersey: “The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office is in the forefront when it comes to cutting edge technology, and, it is our priority that members of law enforcement receive the highest level of training possible, which is why we are implementing this new virtual reality training equipment that enables recruits and veteran officers to develop skills and de-escalation techniques, in a controlled environment, when split second decisions need to be made.”
The virtual reality training system that has been installed at the STARS facility is known as Apex Officer, a 360-degree fully immersive virtual reality simulator that enables both basic recruits and veteran officers to train for difficult real-world scenarios including active shooters, use of force situations, terrorist attacks, de-escalation techniques, crisis intervention and other critical law enforcement responsibilities.
Through the Apex Officer training platform, officers are fully immersed in a virtual reality situation with headgear, backpack and other accessories. As soon as officers don the Apex Officer equipment, they forget that they are in a training room. Instead, they are virtually placed inside the crisis situation to which they are responding. Another officer creates the scenarios, with characters, and can change the narrative at any moment. The variety of scenarios are endless, ranging from traffic stops to domestic violence calls to active shooter situations. A debriefing is held at the end of each scenario.
Beginning in 2022, all Monmouth County Police Academy recruits will be trained with the Apex Officer virtual reality equipment at the Situational Training and Response Simulator Facility, along with veteran officers throughout Monmouth County and beyond. The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office is the only agency in New Jersey to have a dedicated building for virtual reality and hands-on training. The two complete Apex Officer training units were purchased through the law enforcement officer trust fund, a grant provided by the State of New Jersey.
The need for virtual reality training was brought home on Nov. 5, 2021, just five days before the unveiling of the Apex Officer at the STARS Building, when a detective from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office was shot in the leg while attempting to serve a search warrant in a Monmouth County community. The detective was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released. Meanwhile, the suspect of the shooting created a stand-off by barricading himself in his residence, requiring the MOCERT (Monmouth and Ocean County Emergency Response Team) to be deployed. The suspect was eventually taken into custody without the use of firearms by law enforcement.
Other virtual reality training available at the STARS Building include the L-3 Driving Simulator and the Virtra Simulator – both offering virtual interaction and positive learning experiences.
The Virtra Simulator offers interactive training involving active shooter scenarios, domestic violence situations, dealing with suicidal subjects, suspect interaction, traffic stops and hostage situations. In these situations, de-escalation skills to use of force levels are discussed and simulated during the scenarios.
The L-3 Driving Simulator provides basic driving skills and identification of surroundings, various law enforcement and EMS vehicle operation and driving, routine patrol awareness driving and emergency response vehicle driving.
In addition, the STARS Facility has rooms in which domestic violence situations can be simulated, a mock courtroom, actual classrooms and hallways for active shooter training, a cell extraction area for correctional police officer training, a section for breaching and force entry of doors, a defensive tactics gymnasium and a K-9 training yard and obstacle trails.The STARS Facility is available to all Monmouth County law enforcement agencies for in-service training needs as well as the Monmouth County Police Academy for Basic Recruit Training.
The Situational Training And Response Simulator Facility of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office offers a plethora of possibilities for simulated training, both with role playing and virtual reality training. Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor said, “The more accurately we can simulate scenarios officers may actually encounter in the line of duty, the better they’ll be able to face them.” Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said, “We are proud to be the first to deploy this new virtual reality innovative training in New Jersey which is now added to the existing framework of our STARS Facility to ensure officers are performing at their very best.
For information about the STARS Facility or Apex Officer, please contact Training Officer Wesley Mayo, Jr. at 732-431-6400 extension 1715.
Cynthia Scott is a former Emmy Award Winning journalist and the Public Information Officer for the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office
Ted Freeman is the Executive Undersheriff of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office
