Issue link: https://let.epubxp.com/i/149261
TRAI NING cal systems. The weapons system was designed after the Glock handgun and M4 rifle. The irM4 is a 1:1 scale replica of the AR15/M16/M4 rifle used by law enforcement and militaries all over the world. "You're not gearing up like Darth Vader for sims or Airsoft, where you either got hit or you didn't; you know if you're hit or you know if you're not hit," says Hausner. SmartMags power the irTactical weapons by using a CO2 cartridge to create live noise and recoil. SmartMags also keep track of ammunition and can be passed from player to player until the ammo runs out. The irM4 is a 1:1 scale replica of the AR15/ M16/M4 rife used by law enforcement and militaries all over the world. When I visited iCOMBAT, a local area SWAT team was engaged in a response drill in which they utilized a 5.11 breaching door and a breakable window. Suspects and victims played convincing roles, and at one point the lights dimmed and it began to storm. Captain Frank McElderry at the Waukesha County (Wisc.) Sheriff 's Office was impressed with the initial runthrough, adding that his SWAT team enjoyed the experience. "Stairwells are a good touch," he said, "and having actual second levels (above the main area) where people can be up [observing] was pretty exciting for the guys who go through. "I think the biggest thing was the opportunity to actually darken the place out; make it loud, make it dark, make it light…change up the environment. Just that adjustment alone gets them on a different level of thinking," he says. The building can also accommodate vehicles, and McElderry hopes to return someday and utilize the place for iCOMBAT's Waukesha, Wisconsin location is code-named "Battlefield Baghdad" and is made up of streets, houses, alleyways…even an embassy. more regular patrol applications like room clearings, stairwells and vehicle assault. When training ends, teams can review video from multiple cameras stationed throughout the premises. Says Hausner: "An officer can do something 7 or 8 times and in his mind he's thinking, 'No, I'm not [doing that].' We've all been there." Software keeps track of who got shot and where, as well as officers' heart rates and stress levels. McElderry adds that the iCOMBAT safety team—consisting of educated tactical instructors in their own right—were supportive, and handy, too. He didn't have to bring in his own staff in order to get useful feedback on-site—an added bonus for small departments in particular. "I think the most important thing I saw is that it's a safe training facility for us, where we can come in, we get double-, triple-checked, we don't have to worry about people coming up on us as we're training on a different...site asking us what we're doing," he says. Andy Rasico, product manager for iCOMBAT, says he hopes to have law enforcement training paid for completely from entertainment-side profits by the end of the year, so agencies can eventually go through for free in their own communities. Who says work can't be fun (sometimes), too? ■ M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N For more information on this company, circle the corresponding number on the Reader Service Card COMPANY irTactical www.officer.com READER SERVICE NO. 82 August 2013 Law Enforcement Technology 17