Prairie du Chien police test skills in simulation training
Prairie du Chien Police Officer Jeremy Cliff reacts to a domestic disturbance scenario in which a woman pulls a gun on a man. (Photos by Correne Martin)
Officer Kyle Mezera of the Crawford County Sheriff's Department tries to calm down a man he suspected was trying to steal a bicycle, before the man "attacked" the officer with his bolt cutters.
A school shooting scenario ended with two shooters firing back at the officers involved in the training.
By Correne Martin
In an effort to reinforce Prairie du Chien police officers’ training on marksmanship skills, judgmental training objectives, concealed carry, less lethal and general weapons familiarization skills, the police department and BNSF Railway Police offered a one-day, virtual training simulation exercise, Tuesday at city hall.
A single screen was set up and showed videos of various scenarios officers may encounter while on duty, from a school shooting and a domestic abuse situation to interaction with a mentally-disturbed individual carrying a knife as well as someone attempting to commit a theft. About 15 officers—including one from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department—went through the simulation individually and faced about six videos apiece.
Prairie du Chien Sgt. Kyle Teynor, accompanied by BNSF Senior Special Agent Scott Poundstone, were able to customize each video’s on-screen reaction/outcome, via the computer, based on how each officer handled the situation.
“It’s a test of the officer’s interaction and de-escalation of the incident,” Teynor stated. “It utilizes all use of force: pepper spray, taser, baton, handguns, firearms.”
Following every video, Teynor and Poundstone discussed with the officer the pros and cons of his response and suggested ways to improve his actions.
The TI Training Lab in Boulder, Colo., creates the videos, and authorities within BNSF Police can request certain scenarios as they wish. Poundstone said new CDs are released every quarter containing 12-15 scenarios at a time. He noted that he expects the next CD to contain more videos featuring protests and other examples depicting situations similar to the recent national hate crimes.
BNSF then offers the simulation exercise to police departments in the many communities across its railway nationwide. It has four computerized systems throughout its territory. BNSF provides the equipment and the department facilitates the training.
“We’re trying to provide excellence in training,” Poundstone said. “We want officers to be prepared for what they may encounter and we want them to know how to act most appropriately.”
According to Teynor, it’s been about nine years since this type of simulator training was available in Prairie du Chien.
