Mendota Officer Ryan Wittenauer, standing, takes part in scenario based training on March 7, guided by trainer Russ Harvey, of the Illinois Public Risk Fund. (Reporter photo by Jennifer Sommer)

MENDOTA - For members of law enforcement, the possibility of having to make a life and death decision is constant. Even though such extreme situations do not happen every day, officers need to always be prepared, just in case. Now, thanks to technology, police departments are able to help their officers gain decision making skills through virtual scenario based training.

On March 6 and 7, the Mendota Police Department held their first such training for all officers. While this type of training is not specifically mandated by the state, Sgt. Jason Stewart said it was a mandatory training for all Mendota officers and also met several other criteria that are mandated by the state. “Our department is very strict on training,” he explained. “If we have something like this, it’s mandatory for every officer to attend. There is a similar scenario based training in May and it’s mandatory too.”

As the scenario based training session begins in a darkened room, the officer is told what type of call they are responding to - anything from a traffic stop to a bank robbery - and then a video is projected onto a screen by the instructor. The officer must quickly assess the situation, determine what steps need to be taken and the video plays out depending on those decisions. Once the threat is contained, the instructor plays back the video, reviews the decisions made by the officer including shots fired, and makes suggestions for improvement, if needed.

The video playback also shows the accuracy of shots that may have been fired, but Stewart said accuracy is not as important as the choices made by the officer. “We want to see the officer making the right decision and the right use of force,” he emphasized. “The first use of force is obviously presence, the officer’s uniform, and the final is deadly force, so we want to make sure they’re making the right decisions.”

In a threatening situation, officers have to consider their surroundings and whether an innocent bystander could be injured before deciding to fire their weapon. If other people are present in the scenario, the review will include discussion of all the steps that could be taken to avoid shooting someone inadvertently. “We want to hear that the officers recognize the dangers well beyond the person,” Stewart said. “And we want to see officers backing off when people are surrendering and hear the officers give good, clear orders. We’re taking all that into account when we’re doing this.”

Unlike the depictions of police work shown in many movies and TV shows, Stewart said police do not shoot to maim. “We don’t give warning shots or ‘shoot the gun out of the hand’ type stuff - that’s all Hollywood,” he said. “We use deadly force to stop the threat - not to kill - to stop the threat. We teach our officers to make good decisions, to understand that the decisions they make can affect a lot of things.”

Even though officers know the training is simulated and not real, Stewart said it can definitely transport them into the scenario. “When I did the training, I found myself going to look around corners and my head was moving thinking that the screen would move with me but it doesn’t,” he chuckled. “This simulator doesn’t react that way. They make that type, but those are more expensive.”

Despite any limitations, Steward said this type of scenario based training definitely helps officers with their decision making. “Seeing a person with a weapon pointed at you is something we can simulate with technology,” he said. “I believe this type of training is highly effective because it gives a little bit of realism to our decision making and gives more personalization to everything we’re trying to do. Even though it’s simulated, it does affect you.

“The biggest thing is decision making,” he again emphasized. “Are they making the right decisions? Are they recognizing beyond that decision? I think it’s a highly useful tool on that basis.”

Stewart said the officers enjoy training, whatever type it is. As part of this month’s training session, MPD’s 15 full-time and three part-time officers also had classroom instruction on use of force, firearm safety, discussion of court cases and power line safety. Stewart pointed out that training also reduces injury, lost hours and litigation. “We try to stay up on things,” he said. “One thing we’ve always prided ourselves on here is our training.”