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New technology trains police on judging when to shoot

Posted at 10:09 PM, Aug 29, 2014
and last updated 2014-08-30 01:29:07-04

A Valley police training company is receiving more product inquiries since the controversial police shooting in Ferguson, Mo.

VirTra makes police and military training simulators that offer instant feedback: pain.

Electrodes hooked to the hip shock whoever is training when mistakes are made.

“We're trying to simulate them being injured, them being hit, and how are they're going to respond to that,” said Scott DiIullo, content department manager for VirTra.

DiIullo was a Scottsdale Police officer before joining the company.

Seconds are “life and death, in decision-making processes,” DiIullo said.

And it is realistic training, DiIullo said, that can help refine that decision making.

The company’s top-end simulator, which costs up to $300,000, is in use at departments across the country.

No Valley departments currently use the product, according to Virtra CEO Bob Ferris.

The technology helps to keep both officers and civilians alive, DiIullo said, because better training enables officers to be more likely to only use deadly force when it is necessary.

“It's just like everything else, the more experience you give somebody, the better they are to handle that situation,” DiIullo said.