APD Perform Virtual Training on Use of Force, Deescalation Tactics

The Arlington Police Department completed a series of training exercises focusing on when and how to use force and deescalation scenarios, helping to keep their skills sharp.

The APD and its officers, in partnership with the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office, get to use the state-of-the-art training facility each year, which allows them to sharpen and maintain their skills. The Mobile Training Center, housed in a tractor trailer, simulates real life situations and allows officers to run through scenarios they might encounter on the job.

APD officials said they have been very pleased with the technology. “You can’t train any better,” Captain Richard Flynn of the Arlington Police Department said of the Mobile Training Center. “I haven’t heard a single bad thing about it... It provides fantastic training.”

According to police, officers participating in the training run through scenarios and simulate various situations, including nighttime situations, inside buildings, in crowds, at vehicle stops and other low visibility or high-risk incidents. The training center even allows for training scenarios on how to effectively handle ‘suicide by police’ scenarios, Flynn said.

Flynn said the Mobile Training Center has been very beneficial to the APD and it travels from one police department to another in Middlesex County. The training center scenarios can change based on verbal cues during the training and can even grade the participating officer based on accuracy. Additionally, the facility, which allows officers to use live rounds, captures all ammunition discharged and prevents any contamination to soil and groundwater.

“Every day police are put in challenging and extraordinary situations,” APD Chief Frederick Ryan said in a release. “This training provides them with the necessary skills to safely respond to a variety of often dangerous circumstances.”

(Photo courtesy of the Arlington Police Department)