I was standing in a warm warehouse waiting to be outfitted with a host of VR equipment. I was told that this new technology could recreate a stressful situation that police trainers have been building without the use of role-players and in a fraction of the time.
I was doubtful that this experience would create the stress necessary to provide valuable training for me, especially since I had been training police officers for the better part of two decades.
I was wrong.
To recognize the value of recreating stress for the training of police officers, we must first understand the types of stress officers experience. Research has identified three main types of stress that first responders experience:
Pretraumatic- Stress created during training during the academy and in-service to prepare officers for the stress they will experience during their careers. This includes high stress inspections where training officers yell in the faces of recruits who must recite information that they memorized prior, as well as scenarios meant to recreate stressful situations.
Peritraumatic- Trauma related stress that officers experience during critical incidents while working. This involves intense emotions such as fear, anxiety, vapor lock, and the horror of seeing injury and death.
Posttraumatic- The psychological damage felt after experiencing a traumatic event. This can happen in the weeks, months, or even years after a critical incident.
Today we are going dive into pretraumatic stress and how important it is for officers to experience this in a controlled environment. Historically, this stress is recreated through the formation of a stressful environment in the academy and field training.
After the academy and field training is completed, there is a lack of this type of stress created for our officers in a training environment. Some large agencies conduct scenario training once a year, but that is the exception, not the rule.
Like anything else, managing stressful incidents is a perishable skill. Preparing our officers to maintain emotional composure during critical incidents will build resilience and increase favorable outcomes, thus decreasing department liability.
A scenario-based training should not be one dimensional. Past scenario training focused on the shoot-or-don’t-shoot situations that are low frequency but high liability. Although there is a place for this in training, as police leaders we also must focus on the events that lead up to those split-second decisions.
Verbal de-escalation, creating distance, and retreating all need to be incorporated into training under stress to prepare our officers for most situations they may face.
How can agencies recreate stress in training for officers? They can:
Include critical thinking in scenario training. It is imperative that officers use their best tool when confronted with a controlled situation…the brain.
Provide a variety of use of force tools to use during a scenario. If you give an officer only a simunition firearm, they will be more likely to just use that. This can create training scars that carry over into real life situations.
Make sure all role players are briefed on different ways a scenario can play out. If multiple officers are yelling conflicting commands, something we see so often during the arrest phase of a critical incident, then the role players should respond accordingly.
The environment is important for realistic training. The more real the scenario feels, the more stress will be induced on the trainee.
Utilize technology. As I mentioned in the opening of this article, I was able to go through virtual reality training. I was skeptical that it would feel realistic enough to be of value. The second the scenario began, my skepticism faded. I was in the scenario, and it felt real. It was a truly immersive environment and I saw a lot of value in this type of training.
If a training failure happens, remember that it is a good thing. Failure in training is an opportunity to learn. Debrief the scenario and redo it with clear expectations.
This is not an all-encompassing list, but training under stress carries over during an incident, as well as after. It builds a more resilient workforce and provides officers with the tools to succeed.
Scenario training is not the only way to recreate stressful situations for police officers. In the age of body cameras, real incidents can be dissected and debriefed to prepare officers for what it will feel like during a dynamic incident. A quality critical incident debrief with accompanying videos will provide students with real life experiences that they can call upon when faced with similar situations.
Regardless of the structure of training, stress should be a component used to prepare officers for a real-life response. We learn in training, so we don’t fail when it matters.
Bitsko Consulting offers training that prepares students for the real-life emotions that they will feel during the most difficult situations. We provide tools to mitigate these emotions in the moment, increasing the chances of a favorable outcome. Contact us today to bring this training to your agency.
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