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"We want to shy away from say- ing 'right answer' 'wrong answer,'" says Connors. "Really, the only thing we're after is to make you think about being in the moment, what choice you're going to make, and how you're going to make it… based on [certain factors], and being able to talk to other officers." The full-body approach Another way to do interactive video is to put oneself—physically—in the middle of the scene. If you can't get to a staged active shooter drill, or want to do some- thing in between events, interactive train- ing simulators offer another way to prac- tice. The company Milo Range recently introduced a 300-degree, 5-screen ver- sion of its simulation program. Michael Steinbeck, Milo Range's marketing manager, says "You can see what's going on to your right and to your left, and look down hallways." The company's live-fire version allows officers to use their own weapons and shoot live rounds at a screen in the range. Trainers can choose from about 650 off-the-shelf scenarios, or even make their own. And the quality is about to get even sharper as the company makes the transition to shooting in high-quality 4k video. To create a scene producers shoot true-to-life "worst-case-scenarios" and all the twists and turns they could possibly take over the course of a few seconds to several minutes. "You're going into a school shooting and there are teachers being held hostage, or kids held hostage. It forces officers to make a decision," says Steinbeck. It's his job to ensure these scenes are as realistic as possible. "If any- thing takes you out of it you kind of lose the training value," he says. Companies in this business strive to provide a realistic experience that engages both mind and body. The March ILEETA Conference (International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association) in Lombard, Ill. showcased plenty of products meant to supplement active shooter training, including simula- tors, training weapons and software. Exhibitor StressVest explained how it aims to fire up synapses connecting learned tactics with all-important mus- cle memory with its black, lightweight vest system that fits over one layer of clothing and administers five levels of laser pulse "pain" at center mass when officers are "hit"—1 being a mere annoyance while 5 is more of a hard shock. Commanders can control up to 12 vests (or stress belts) with a tablet during the course of practice. They can also monitor officers' heart rate or play back a drill, as captured by vest-mount- ed cameras. Donning vests and belts, as opposed to helmets, makes it easier for officers to detect important emotional facial clues and hear sounds clearly. When it's time to apply Snyder's experience at the capital drove some of the passion behind a new app that alerts on- and off-duty officers within a 10-mile radius of an active shooter. "If you're an officer and there's a mass murder taking place down the street from where you are, and this tool can let you know what's happening, I'm trying to make it simple—do you want to know, yes or no?". Vetted officers can choose to receive alerts from Hero911 when something happens; however, they need not enter personal information such as an address. "We encourage [law enforce- ment] to use these tools with their school safety drills," says Snyder "The information is situational awareness; at the time you receive the alert you have to kick in your own department policies and training and decide what you're going to do." The idea is to get someone there...fast. Sometimes a lifetime of learning can help to generate the decision of a moment. How many ways are there to train for an event as brief—and cata- strophic—as this? And how will training continue to evolve down the road? ■ COMPANY READER SERVICE NO. Active Continuous Training (ACT) 42 Hero911 43 Milo Range Training Systems 44 StressVest 45 For more information on these companies, circle the corresponding number on the Reader Service Card M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N Circle 41 on Reader Service Card The ORIGINAL M-9 Assault Medical Backpack Only at tssi-ops.com Sign up to receive TSSi emails and get 20% of your frst web order! Red is a special order item; stocked in ACU, Black, Coyote Tan, MultiCam and Ranger Green. LET_24-28_ShooterTraining0514.indd 28 4/18/14 3:27 PM