A rendering shows the exterior of the expansion Johnson County Sheriff’s Office training center.
Photo provided
A state-of-the-art training center expansion is underway at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
County commissioners recently green-lit an agreement with C.R. Stafford and Associates for the expansion and renovation of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Training Facility in Franklin. Renovations include the construction of a virtual reality room, expanding restroom facilities, expanding the classroom and enhancing the shooting range, said Brian Baird, commissioner. While the training center is the county’s property, it is opened up to be used by police departments all over the county.
Construction has been ongoing for several months and the commissioners recently approved the second phase of the expansion, which includes virtual reality equipment. For the first phase, $1.4 million was allocated and $1.1 million has been spent so far. Phase two has $1.6 million allocated and Baird expects the project to come in under that amount, he said. Both phases are funded with a general obligation, or GO, Bond.
Baird and Sheriff Duane Burgess are both hailing the new training center as among the most advanced in the state.
“It will be one of the few virtual reality training stations in the state and probably in the country,” Baird said. “We’re ahead of the game and moving forward.”
Virtual reality, or VR, is typically used for video games but is now being increasingly applied to training scenarios. In VR simulations people put on a headset and arm and leg bands that allow them to move around within the game using their physical body rather than a joystick. In this case, the virtual reality technology will put deputies into training scenarios and allow them to target practice without using ammunition.
VR training offers comprehensive training opportunities and the ability to practice before facing today’s crime challenges in real life, Baird said. It provides heightened realism and bolsters officer safety, he said.
The technology is “as close to real life as you are going to get,” Burgess said. It will improve how deputies respond and do their jobs, he said.
“They can be given different situations. It is tough, but the computer is driven to give different scenarios,” Burgess said. “It is going to be cutting-edge technology for us in Johnson County.”
Burgess tested the VR training himself at an outside facility and in the scenario he tried, he was faced with a person approaching him with a knife. The scenario allowed him to put the office’s training protocols into practice.
The system is expected to cut the department’s live ammunition costs by up to 75% and reduce the total amount of live round training sessions. Although this will save the department money, Burgess nothing can completely replace live ammunition training.
“You still have to feel what that gun is going to do,” Burgess said. “Some people, especially new officers, anticipate that gun going off. We can’t replace that training.”
The training center is expected to benefit agencies across Johnson County as well as around the state.
“We’ll have departments from all over the state wanting to come down and use this facility,” Baird said. “Virtual reality is so real today. Our officers’ adrenaline levels will rise higher than during regular training.”
Johnson County officials have invested in this technology at the right time, Burgess said.
“I am just happy that we have some commissioners and council members that are willing to work with us to get this technology,” Burgess said. “Law enforcement is changing. We see the policies that come down from the training board and all of the new training we have to do. This is just something that will take us over the top.”
Construction for the second phase of department facilities is set to begin in the coming months.
