CCC Partners with Law Enforcement to Provide Simulator Training

Friday, January 04, 2008

Plattsburgh - On January 9, 2008, at 9:30 a.m., representatives from the Plattsburgh City Police Department, NYS Police, NYS Environmental Conservation Police, Department of Homeland Security, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, Lake Placid Police Department, and SUNY Plattsburgh Police will join Criminal Justice Project Coordinator, CCC Professor John Mockry, Captain Michael Branch of the Plattsburgh City Police Department, along with Interim President Frederick Woodward and others from the college community to see the Fire Arm Training Systems (FATS) machine officially go into action. The FATS machine, owned by the Plattsburgh City Police Department, was recently installed in its new home in the Annex of the Moore Building at the college. "This is significant because, prior to the installation, space restrictions limited the use of this machine by the department," explained Captain Branch. "It (FATS) is another tool for us to use in officer training, by helping officers’ decision making, allowing the use of verbal commands in a controlled environment and while under the supervision of firearm instructors who have extra training in "use of force." We’ll be able to enhance our own training as well as the training of multiple agencies all in one place through cooperation and coordination. And, it sets the stage for us to build cooperation between the college and law enforcement agencies in the tri-county area."

Ron Santor, training coordinator for the City of Plattsburgh Police Department, offered the following description of the FATS – Firearms Training Systems and how it will be used as a key training tool.

"I see this not only as an excellent community (law enforcement) service and connection between our two groups," expressed Mockry, "but also as a forerunner of things to come in terms of more partnerships with law enforcement and potential education and training opportunities on our campus. Support from our Network Information Systems staff and others here at CCC have also contributed to the success of this partnership."

FATS is a computer that uses various DVD’s to portray police situations. The program, which the officer stands in front of, is projected on a large screen. The officer has a gun and pepper spray for his use in meeting the correct and right amount of force the scenario requires.

The purpose of this equipment is to simulate many real life scenarios that a police officer could face on a day-to-day basis. The "use of force" and the working knowledge of when the officer may escalate to a higher level is a very important part of each officer’s training.

In today’s police training we try to provide police officers with the closest to the actual decision to use force, and at what level. Currently most departments do this in several ways: annual range qualifications, simunitions training scenarios, and computer simulated programs with active officer participation (this is what the FATS equipment does). The police agencies that will be using this equipment now have all of these options available for their respective departments "use of force" training programs.

The FATS equipment also allows for savings from purchasing costly and hard to get ammunition for actual shooting. The promotion of the idea of "green" environmental training is an added plus. The various computer scenarios may also be changed as the situation escalates causing the officers to make split second decisions, as they would on the street.

Interim President Woodward stated, "The installation of the FATS simulator on the campus is yet another example of the positive relationship Clinton Community College has with those it serves. Such outreach efforts exemplify the roll CCC plays in our community. We are pleased to welcome the various law enforcement agencies to the campus and understand this is just a beginning in strengthening the college’s Criminal Justice curriculum and our relationship with the law enforcement community."