New Training Simulator for Arkansas Sheriff's Deputies

New training technology is coming to police officers and law enforcement agencies across the state of Arkansas.

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office is rolling out a new training system, teaching deputies how to deescalate through virtual reality.

Earlier this year, Pulaski County Sheriff's Office purchased two new virtual reality training simulators from Apex Officer, a Las Vegas based technology company specializing in VR training simulators for law enforcement agencies. The Department started using the equipment about two months ago becoming some of the first in the state to do so.

How Arkansas Sheriff's Office Uses VR for Training

Using Apex Officer's virtual reality training simulator, Pulaski County Sheriff's Office says it can drop a deputy at a random location and initiate a new storyline each time.

“I can’t make this room look like a hospital, I can’t make it look like a detention room, I can’t make it look like a school but in the VR system, I can,” said a lieutenant leading the training.

“It puts you in that environment and everywhere you turn around and look around or look up, you’re in that system,” said Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins.

Apex Officer Allows for More De-Escalation Training

What if there was a way to more realistically train officers on the job, without spending lots of money? That's where Apex Officer VR Training comes in. As the leading provider of custom law enforcement training, Apex has developed a virtual reality training simulator that's already being used by Police Departments in Arkansas,  and it has been reported that the officers have found this training tool highly beneficial for themselves.

The department says it has two VR sets which mean four can participate at the same time. Higgins says the new equipment helps increase the number of hours trained and makes training easier to conduct.

“Whether its intoxication, whether its mental illness, whether they’re just having a bad day, we give deputies the opportunity to deescalate the situation,” said the lieutenant.

“It’s not just about shoot, don’t shoot, it is about how do we bring the situation down so we can resolve it,” said Sheriff Higgins.

‍