Law enforcement training at Wake Tech to help officers make 'best' decisions

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Inside a classroom on Wake Tech's public safety education campus sits a room designed to help law enforcement officers make the best decisions when using their firearms.

The system is called Meggitt FATS 100P, a real-life simulator that mimics police scenarios filmed by law enforcement agencies for law enforcement agencies. Instructors will select one of hundreds of scenarios and have the ability to alter the outcome based on the officer's decisions.

"It could be that situation required the officer to take immediate action at the moment," said Wake Tech range instructor Robert Windsor. "They didn't have a choice."

Instructor Travis Baker and Windsor are part of a team that conducts the training and encourages local law enforcement agencies to take advantage of the software. Both instructors agree this training is especially helpful and encourage departments to use it often.

"We have (officers) that maybe overreact in other areas," said Windsor. "We bring them in here and find out what's the cause of that."

The software also tracks how many shots officers take and the type of shot (lethal, non-lethal, missed shot) that was taken.

One of the best benefits, per Windsor and Baker, is the training is free to any law enforcement agency that wants to try it out.