Sayre Borough-owned police training simulator to add safety for Valley officers, community

The Athens Borough Police Department, along with a newly hired Sayre Borough police officer, were obtaining real life training experience in using a police training simulator last Wednesday.

The TI Training Corp. simulator is owned by the Sayre Borough Police Department, but Chief Daniel Reynolds related that it is to be used by not only Sayre, but Athens Borough and Athens Township police departments as well as the Bradford County Sheriff’s Department.

Sayre Borough Police Department Sergeant Bruce Hoffman related that, “Our goal is to get all the Valley departments trained the same way.”

Being in such close proximity within the Valley, the three departments work together on a near day-to-day basis.

Having each of the Valley-wide officers trained in the same fashion would add not only safety to the officers, but to the community as a whole.

The simulator provides thousands of scenarios ranging from active shooters to bar fights for the local officers to learn from.

Reynolds related that although the officers may never have to deal with scenarios such as an active shooter, being properly prepared for the situation is still a must.

“It’s very beneficial,” remarked Reynolds about the simulator. “It’s going to save lives and benefit not only the officers but the community.”

On Wednesday, Athens Borough Police officer Derek Dekar went through a multitude of the scenarios, including an active shooter at a high school basketball game and a disgruntled employee refusing to leave his work after being fired.

Through his paces, Dekar treated the scenario as that of a real life situation, giving verbal commands to the actors in the simulator and even using force, such as the use of a pistol, rifle or taser.

The weapons used in the simulator are actual weapons, remarked Reynolds.

They are converted for use in the simulator, but can be converted back to the weapon’s original state.

Reynolds added that the training the simulator offers goes beyond what is offered in the simulator itself. He stated that role-playing can be added as the simulator starts the scenario but it is then acted out in real life, allowing for a more real experience to the officer.

Officers can then practice written reports about the incident that they had taken part in the simulator as well, said Reynolds.

The simulator also allows for the officers to review what they had done in the scenario to highlight the good and what needs to be worked on, to better know how they handle a specific situation.

The scenarios can also be changed by the instructor depending on the officer’s responses and dealings throughout the scenario. For example last Wednesday, as Dekar was training, Hoffman had a person with an active warrant rush the officer with a box cutter. He could have also had the actor comply with police commands and surrender.

Despite the hefty price tag of the piece of equipment, Dekar, following a scenario where he used a taser, remarked that if a taser were to be deployed in a real life training, it would cost the department $29 per trigger pull. He remarked that since the acquisition of the simulator, the training officers have already used the taser alone over 100 times.

Reynolds remarked that he believes, through in kind donations by the other departments — such as the use of a shooting range or spots in trainings — the equipment will be paid for in total.

Reynolds, along with Dekar and Hoffman, thanked the Sayre Borough Council last Wednesday for the purchase of the over $50,000 piece of equipment and its continued support to the needs of the various local departments.