Firearms Training for Students and Police at Beckfield College
Firearms training at Beckfield College is not just for students. Area police on both sides of the Ohio River have taken advantage of the training tools available through the Criminal Justice program at the College based in Greater Cincinnati. Ohio’s Lincoln Height’s Police Department and Kentucky’s Kenton County Police Department and their Citizen’s Police Academy all spent time training on the Firearms Training Simulator (FATS) this spring.
The FATS Simulator generates real-life experiences through state-of-the-art virtual technology and provides the most advanced hands-on training possible. This highly realistic, interactive HD simulator trains people in real-time shoot-don't-shoot, judgmental use of force scenarios involving policing situations, jail experiences, and simulated security circumstances. For police officers, it offers time efficient training with computer driven information to help assess trigger control, accuracy of shooting, decision making skills in varied situations, and more.
The Kenton County Police Department had more than thirty officers log training hours on the firearms training system in March. Steve Jarvis, the College’s Firearms Instructor, worked with the police department’s training instructors, guiding officers through a series of drills on the simulator. They started out with general range work, progressed to moving targets and finally to field action scenarios where use of force decisions would be necessary.
“I really like the FATS training because you get a lot more training in a condensed period of time, “described Captain Darrin Gilvin of the Kenton County Police Department. “We just went through an hour of training. If we had been on the range, it would have taken 4 to 6 hours.”
Jarvis, a 31-year police veteran and specialist in weapons and tactics, oversees the training and guides each officer through the drills. Utilizing computer data from the simulator and his vast experience, he reviews results and discusses ideas for improvement while maintaining individual agency procedures and regulations. The training involves intense review of responses from officers during real-life scenarios, enabling discussion about when to use force and when other options may be better suited for the situation.
“It’s a cooperative learning environment based on experience, specific agency regulations and individual strengths and weaknesses,” described Jarvis. “The simulator provides computer generated feedback which can lead to more precise and accurate shooting while examining optimal gun position, response to varying situations and maintaining active engagement with their firearms for on-the-job preparedness. “
Aside from ensuring that area police department have access to this advanced firearms training system, the community has had the opportunity to see it as well. Kenton County Police Department spent one session of their 10-week Citizen’s Police Academy course at Beckfield College to learn about use of force and take a test drive on the simulator with a Glock 17.
Jim Brown, a strategic business consultant with Duke Energy, took the course to better understand what the police do and the decisions they have to make.
“I have gained a better appreciation of what the police face on the job,” noted Brown. “This training enabled me to step into their shoes.”
Beckfield College’s Criminal Justice Program has been expanding its faculty and technology to ensure that students receive the most thorough educational offerings. Instructors teach and mentor students using years of practical experience coupled with state-of-the-art technology and fully equipped crime labs.
About Beckfield College
Beckfield College is a private, career college accredited with Honors by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) that has been evolving to meet the educational needs of its learners while meeting the demands of the community and area businesses since 1984.
With a campus in Florence, Kentucky and another in Tri-County Cincinnati, Beckfield College focuses on career paths in Business Administration, Cardiology Technician, Computer Network Administration, Electrocardiography Technician, Criminal Justice, Health Care Management, Health Information Technology, Hospitality Administration, Medical Assisting, Medical Office Technology, Nursing (RN to BSN, PN, Associates in Nursing) and Paralegal Studies. Instructors bring years of real-world, practical experience and education into the classrooms to enhance the students’ education. For further information, visit http://www.beckfield.edu and follow Beckfield College on Facebook.
5/4/2010 1:57:00 PM