{"id":66752,"date":"2025-04-02T07:58:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T11:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=66752"},"modified":"2025-10-02T16:37:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T20:37:35","slug":"utc-bringing-realistic-police-training-simulation-to-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/utc-bringing-realistic-police-training-simulation-to-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC bringing realistic police training simulation to the classroom\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Officer

Officer Ellen Centers (left) and Dr. Rick Dierenfeldt demonstrate the VirTra training simulation in a 540 McCallie Building classroom. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cTurn around and show us your hands. Drop the weapon!\u201d yelled Ellen Centers, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga police officer.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The suspect, a man at a Halloween party wearing a \u201cJason\u201d costume from \u201cFriday the 13th,\u201d wielded an axe\u2014though it was unclear if it was real or a prop.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, the weapon was fake. So was the suspect and the Halloween party.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the simulation, Centers lowered her prop gun and turned around to Dr. Rick Dierenfeldt, who was manning the fake scenario that projected onto a classroom wall in the 540 McCallie Building.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The program, called a VirTra simulator, is a high-tech simulation that allows trainees to participate in realistic, scenario-based training where their decisions, verbal commands and reactions directly influence the outcome. It will be introduced to the classroom for UTC criminal justice students in the fall.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can tie this into an abundance of different courses,\u201d said Dierenfeldt, a UC Foundation associate professor and head of the Department of Criminal Justice. \u201cWe\u2019ll also bring students in from a research perspective. <\/span>We\u2019ll use written surveys to see when they think police should be allowed to do certain things\u2014like use force or make an arrest\u2014and then compare that to how they actually respond in the simulator.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Participants carry a realistic gun that interacts with the simulation\u2014tracking accuracy, reaction time and shot placement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Dierenfeldt, the simulator offers about 1,000 different scenarios, ranging from noisy parties to mass shooting situations. Users can also practice their shooting at a simulated gun range.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can create profiles for every one of them and track their performance over time,\u201d Dierenfeldt said. \u201cIf you see consistent problems, whether it\u2019s with trigger pull, sight alignment or how they communicate with suspects, you\u2019ve got a detailed record to help guide training and improvement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Dr. Rick Dierenfeldt has over a decade of experience as a former Missouri police officer.<\/p><\/div>\n

Centers, who has served as a UTC police officer for two years, said that while she has done de-escalation and active shooter training, it was always in person\u2014never through a simulation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the training being completely simulated, it didn\u2019t take away from the \u201crealness\u201d of an actual encounter with a suspect.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI noticed that even when I was walking through the simulation, I could feel my own adrenaline,\u201d Centers said. \u201cI pay attention to that so that I remember to breathe and stay focused.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives a very real experience instead of just reading about it. It gives you that practical standpoint.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

VirTra doesn\u2019t want the simulation to feel like a video game. <\/span>Optional attachments make the experience feel even more realistic, like a device that adds recoil to the gun and a \u201csimulated consequence device\u201d that attaches to your clothing and uses a small electric pulse to simulate being shot.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf a trainee hesitates when they should have pulled the trigger, it delivers a small jolt,\u201d Dierenfeldt said. \u201cIt adds a bit of pain and makes the experience more realistic.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the simulation will provide the students with a multitude of learning opportunities, de-escalation techniques will be the most valuable, Dierenfeldt said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as the training goes, the possibilities with this are endless,\u201d he said. \u201cDe-escalation is so important. We have not done a good job of training that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Said Centers, \u201cIt\u2019s important to always train to de-escalate because our job is to be there to support the community and offer help in the best way for the best outcomes for everyone involved\u2014including the officers, the people who may be victims and even the suspect.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Atlee Dean, a first-year student in the Master of Criminal Justice Program at UTC and the daughter of a police officer, explained how this training will be beneficial in the classroom.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn our classes, we learn about law enforcement, laws, police brutality and so much more. Implementing this training into our program allows for students to translate our knowledge into hands-on experiences,\u201d said Dean, who hails from Church Hill, Tennessee. \u201cIt gives students an opportunity to step into the role of a law enforcement officer and to truly see how quick our officers have to make these split-second decisions in high-stress situations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>It truly captures the complexity of the law enforcement profession and emphasizes the need to understand and learn valuable de-escalation skills in conflicts without the real-world consequences that our officers face on a daily basis.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Atlee

Atlee Dean, student in the Master of Criminal Justice program, tries out the simulated shooting range.<\/p><\/div>\n

Another significant component of the training is that it will provide research opportunities for students to explore how people respond under pressure and how biases may affect decision-making.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dierenfeldt, who served as a police officer for over a decade in Missouri, understands that studying human behavior in high-stress environments is critical, especially when it comes to how officers make decisions in the moment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can account for things in these scenarios like suspect race and sex,\u201d he said. \u201cAre we more likely to pull the trigger in any circumstance? Are we firing more rounds? Are we firing more quickly? Are we delaying if the suspect is of a certain demographic?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Centers expressed how serious this research is, saying, \u201cWe\u2019re accountable for every single bullet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In her experience as a police officer, Centers said <\/span>she often thinks back to her training during those high-stress situations that make her heart race.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWeapons can kill people,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you pull that trigger in the scenario you may accidentally shoot somebody who\u2019s not pointing a weapon at you. It\u2019s obviously better to make that big \u2018oops\u2019 on the simulation than in the field.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

UTC Criminal Justice<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Introducing the Violence Reduction Initiative: How research is reshaping criminal justice in Chattanooga<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo gallery by Angela Foster<\/h4>\n
\"Weapon <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Weapon <\/a> <\/div>
\"Weapon <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Weapon <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Weapon <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A high-tech simulation, VirTra, will be introduced to the classroom in the fall. The program trainees to participate in realistic, scenario-based training where their decisions, verbal commands and reactions directly influence the outcome.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":66763,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,15,61,50311,122419,122493,122313,7712,72949,661],"tags":[125367,123827,124452,125366,124776,123829,95900,48102],"class_list":{"0":"post-66752","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-campus","9":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","10":"category-criminal-justice","11":"category-criminal-justice-college-of-arts-sciences","12":"category-education","13":"category-experiential-learning","14":"category-faculty-and-staff","15":"category-news","16":"category-social-cultural-and-justice-studies","17":"category-students","18":"tag-atlee-dean","19":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","20":"tag-dr-rick-dierenfeldt","21":"tag-ellen-centers","22":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","23":"tag-operating-with-excellence","24":"tag-rick-dierenfeldt","25":"tag-utc-police-department","26":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nUTC bringing realistic police training simulation to the classroom\u00a0 | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A high-tech simulation, VirTra, will be introduced to the classroom in the fall. 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