Police say FATS the way

State-of-the-art video training system helps police practice for real-life situations

By Nick Smith, nsmith@advertiser-tribune.com
POSTED: October 22, 2007

Police officers can come across an intense situation at any time while on the job and have to make split-second decisions with long-lasting effects.

How should an officer react while responding to a school shooting or an incident at the workplace? How could an officer diffuse or resolve a domestic dispute? What should be done at a traffic stop when a driver gets angry and shows signs of becoming hostile?

Training helps officers prepare for these types of situations, and that’s why the Tiffin Police Department decided to train using some of the best training equipment available.  From Oct. 9 to Oct. 16, the Tiffin Police Department rented an advanced Firearms Training Simulator system from the University of Findlay.

Former State Highway Patrol trooper Mike Webber helped set up and train the Tiffin officers. Webber is the law enforcement liaison for the University of Findlay’s Center for Terrorism Preparedness.   Webber said the FATS system offers hundreds of different scenarios for officers to use. The scenarios are meant to prepare them for the wide variety of things that could happen while on the job.  “This teaches officers how fast a situation can escalate in real life,” Webber said.

The training scenarios are projected onto a screen, and officers go through the on-screen scenario, making decisions as the situation plays out.  Officers are exposed to high-risk situations and have to make decisions such as whether to use force. If it comes to using force to resolve the situation, the officer must decide the appropriate level of force. Officers also use the scenarios to work on their communication skills to diffuse a situation.

Webber said when a situation develops, the decisions an officer must make have to be made quickly, and they can’t hesitate. The training provided with the FATS system can help them if or when the time comes to make such decisions.  “We try to instill in them the correct response,” Webber said.

The system comes with a variety of weapons for the officers with which to train. The weapons range from batons, a Taser, chemical spray, handguns and a shotgun.  The guns are modified and have lasers in them so shots are recorded by the computer when officers fire at the screen.

To make the training more realistic, the trainer can cause the officer’s weapon to jam. The trainer also can designate a certain number of rounds in their gun’s magazine.

The system even comes with a “shoot-back cannon,” a type of paintball gun-type gun mounted by the screen that fires high velocity foam balls at the officer whenever a suspect onscreen shoots back. This allows for a sense of realism and to make officers remember to take cover in such a situation

The system also comes with pieces of cover for officers to duck behind. Webber said these added realistic elements of the system are great practice for what could happen when on the job.  “We try to make it as realistic as possible. Better to be nailed by foam bullets than real bullets,” Webber said.

Lt. Rich Gray of the Tiffin Police Department helped train others in the department with the FATS system. He said everyone in the department but one officer trained with FATS; the one who didn’t was on vacation. Gray said everyone had very good things to say about the system.

Gray said one of the nice features that comes with the FATS system is the ability to play back the scenario after an officer completes one. They can play it back and discuss what action was taken and how well they did. They can discuss what could be done differently and how to properly conduct themselves if the situation had been the real thing.

Gray said the training is a good thing given the difficulty of the job.  “It’s not an easy job. You can see how people can make mistakes,” Gray said.

Webber said police departments can rent the FATS system for a week or longer. A department’s training officers can be trained to operate the system so training can be conducted 24 hours a day.

Webber said it is encouraged for departments to share the cost and invite as many local departments as possible to take part in training with FATS. He said by the end of the year, about 2,000 officers across the state of Ohio will have had some use of the FATS system.

Webber said the system goes well beyond the usual police officer’s training and other activities, such as practicing his or her marksmanship at a range.  “In my experience, this is the most effective training a department can receive,” Webber said.

Gray said the Tiffin Police Department split the cost to rent the FATS system with the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office. He said the cost was around $2,500. Gray said they invited other departments in the surrounding area to come and train as well.  He said this was the first time they’d ever rented the system and the department hopes to rent it again, hopefully each year or every couple of years.