The split-second decision whether to pull the trigger or not can change lives forever on both sides of the badge.
That is why the Denton Police Department continually trains for active shooter scenarios. Manpower to run manned drills is expensive and takes officers off the street, though, which is why they invested in Virtra three years ago.
Virtra is like a video game on steroids, providing a 300-degree view of what is happening around a police officer in some very tense situations.
"We can introduce them into situations that they might see on the street. It causes for the decision making shoot, don't shoot," Denton Police Department Sgt. Keith Olson said.
Training supervisors can choose from 80 different scenarios and a variety of weapons.
"These are actual functioning weapons that the barrel has been removed and has been replaced with a laser beam," Olson said.
The exercises are so effective other law enforcement agencies come to Denton to use Virtra. It saves time and manpower.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"I can pull somebody in for maybe 25 minutes and not short the shift, give them a little training and then send them back out there on the street," explained Olson.
Most officers in Denton have been through this training and one of the keys is to repeat the training as often as possible so they know exactly what to do if a threat ever rises.
