March 20, 2017
Today, after a tour in Douglas County Jail, we headed to the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Foundation, a location created with the purpose of providing firearms training for the officers. We had the chance to go into the Tactical Training Building, where the digital firearms simulation system is located. This system was created for actual officers that have to face challenges based on real life situations, and react accordingly to what they think is appropriate for each case.
Our group had the opportunity to try the system and feel what it’s like to be an officer, from giving verbal warning commands to shooting threats displayed on the screen with our modified digital glock. This was an incredible experience. It helped everybody learn a lot about how the police officers need to react in different situations they can face in their duties.
It may sound like an easy task to do this simulations and just eliminate the “bad guys” but the officers explained how they really need to proceed in each case. They must be confident about themselves in each decision they make. No hesitation is allowed; they don’t have any margin for error in this job, and that is one of the things that makes it so exciting. Being an officer can be very difficult, dealing with the bad perspective created by the media, reacting in the very best way you can for every single thing you have to do, and they do this just to keep us safe. This job requires so much sacrifice, and after watching all the things they have to do and how they have to do them, I came to the conclusion that to be an officer, you have to be self-confident, and have a very big heart to risk yourself for everybody else.
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