School Shootings Become Focus of Police Training Across the Country

With more than twenty-three separate school shooting incidents in 2018 so far, the issue has taken center stage across the country. What can be done?

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Behind the scenes, many police departments are now updating their training to incorporate new virtual training technologies to improve their officers’ response to these life-threatening situations.

Law enforcement agencies are training their officers with rigorous, virtual school shooting scenarios to help improve their judgment and responses in the real world when seconds count.

Officers are trained in an immersive environment with multiple life-size surrounding screens, hi-fidelity audio, highly-realistic video scenarios, and weapons that look and feel like the real thing.

With Meggitt Training System’s simulated environment, officers are faced with threat scenarios, such as an active school shooter, that trainers can seamlessly modify in an instant, forcing officers to quickly respond. With trainers changing up the video scenarios in real time, they are providing officers with simulated training that’s as close to reality as possible.

Ben Scott, Program Manager, Safety & Security, University System of Georgia, helps train the law enforcement officers on public university campuses throughout Georgia and has witnessed school shooting incidents. According to Scott, “The more training we can provide officers, the better. Virtual training systems and simulators such as Meggitt’s FATS® 100P help officers respond quickly and accurately, no matter the situation. It improves their judgment skills, helps them eliminate the threat or de-escalate a situation whenever possible.”

The portable FATS 100P can also be used to train school resource officers on site, allowing them to hone their skills in virtual school environments with training that can save lives.

Matt Cunningham, Director, Virtual Systems, Meggitt Training Systems, says their systems are always being updated, “We learn from what’s happening from officers on the street and are constantly changing our video scenarios to reflect current, real-life incidents and threats. Our FATS 100P and our new FATS® 300LE out this summer, are the next-generation training tools officers need to sharpen decision-making skills and behave more decisively and successfully on the streets.”

About Meggitt Training Systems

Meggitt Training Systems, makers of FATS® and Caswell technologies, a division of Meggitt PLC, is the leading supplier of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training systems. Following the acquisition of FATS® virtual training systems and Caswell International's live-fire ranges and services, Meggitt Training Systems has continued to grow its capabilities based on the legacy of these two industry leaders. Over 13,000 Meggitt live-fire ranges and 5,100 virtual systems are fielded internationally, providing judgmental, situational awareness and marksmanship training to the armed forces, law enforcement and security organizations.

Meggitt Training Systems employs more than 400 people at its headquarters in Atlanta and at facilities in Orlando, Canada, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, UAE, Australia and Singapore. It can deploy service personnel anywhere in the world for instructor training, system installation and maintenance.

About Meggitt PLC

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Meggitt PLC is an international group operating in North America, Europe and Asia. Known for its specialized extreme environment engineering, Meggitt is a world leader in aerospace, defense and energy, employing nearly 11,000 people at more than 50 manufacturing facilities and regional offices worldwide.

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