CHEROKEE COUNTY – Deputies and School Resource Officers with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office recently completed advanced scenario-based training using the VirTra V-300 simulator at the Jacksonville State University Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement.
According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the training placed deputies and SROs in realistic, interactive situations requiring quick decision-making, effective communication, and sound judgment while operating under stressful conditions.
Training scenarios included active shooter incidents as well as a variety of other critical situations law enforcement officers may encounter while serving the community and protecting local schools.
The Sheriff’s Office said the goal of the training is to help officers sharpen the skills needed to respond safely and effectively during high-pressure incidents.
Unlike traditional classroom instruction, the VirTra V-300 system immerses officers in a five-screen, 300-degree environment where scenarios unfold in real time. The simulator presents officers with realistic encounters using professional actors, requiring trainees to assess threats, communicate with victims and suspects, make split-second decisions, and determine the appropriate level of response. Each exercise is followed by a detailed debriefing that allows instructors and officers to review their decisions and identify opportunities for improvement.
The VirTra system is designed to improve judgment, de-escalation techniques, situational awareness, and decision-making before officers face similar situations in the field. Training scenarios can range from active shooter incidents and domestic disturbances to traffic stops, encounters involving individuals experiencing mental health crises, and other critical law enforcement situations.
The training was conducted at Jacksonville State University’s Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement, which was established in 2017 to provide supplemental education, technical expertise, investigative services, and specialized training opportunities for Alabama law enforcement agencies. The center offers a wide range of professional development programs designed to help officers stay current with emerging crime trends, investigative techniques, leadership development, and community policing strategies.
Jacksonville State University’s VirTra simulator was unveiled in 2022. Through funding provided by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the university made the system available at no cost to law enforcement agencies throughout Alabama, allowing even smaller departments to access technology that might otherwise be beyond their budgets.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Jacksonville State University Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement for providing access to the training facility.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, opportunities like this allow deputies and School Resource Officers to continually strengthen the skills necessary to protect both the citizens of Cherokee County and students throughout the county’s schools.
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