The Regional Transportation District Transit Police Department is taking simulation training a step forward by adopting a virtual reality system using computerized goggles and equipment that can simulate confrontations and situations to improve transit police officers’ skills in proper, effective taser deployment.

The system is made by Axon, a technology company that makes law-enforcement-related products, according to a news release.

The reality-based program is taught by two of RTD-PD’s certified Master Taser instructors, Cpl. Jacob Schubert and Cpl. Chance Fitzgerald. During training at Axon’s Master Taser Instructor School in spring 2024, Schubert and Fitzgerald became certified master TASER instructors for the Transit Police.

“RTD-PD is dedicated to advancing technology to better serve our officers and the community,” RTD Chief of Police and Emergency Management Steve Martingano said in a release. “This training equips our officers with the skills they need to effectively handle real-world situations they may encounter in the field.”

The program can present up to 12 real-time VR scenarios that allow training and proficiency without having to use live taser rounds. The system’s training device is built to represent the identical size, weight and capabilities of real-life TASER counterparts.

Requiring only a computer tablet and VR goggles, the system can be used in many different physical locations, allowing virtual reality training at almost every in-service training.

The system’s flexibility enables in-service refresher training that takes just 15-to-20 minutes during a shift, thereby expanding the opportunity for officers to utilize the equipment.

The department expects that the available number of scenarios will expand over time, with future modules allowing for two-way communication with virtual suspects to prepare officers for real-world scenarios.

“We are now able to put an officer in a virtual reality environment so that they can be on the range without any live TASER cartridges and have similar, if not better, training in a static environment,” Schubert said.

The virtual reality program costs RTD-PD approximately $170,000 a year for six headsets and tablets to directly view an officer’s actions in the simulated environment, and it provides access to performance metrics.