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Police departments investing in de-escalation, active shooter simulators

Posted at 4:31 PM, Sep 30, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-30 16:58:25-04

There are questions whether police officers in El Cajon, California could have done more to de-escalate the situation with Alfred Olango, before opening fire on him earlier this week.

Now, one police department has invested in a state-of-the-art simulator to give officers better training on how to de-escalate, or when it's time to use a gun.

The Denver Police Department is the first large department in the country to invest in a nearly 360 degree simulator to help officers learn how to handle hostage, mental health or even active shooter situations.

Denver Police brass showed off the new technology to the media, Friday.

Commander Rick Kyle is the head of the Denver Police Academy's training division.

"By increasing the amount of experiential training, we hope to develop and we will develop, critical thinkers who are better equipped to make split-second decisions in rapidly evolving situations," Kyle said.

The simulator cost nearly $300,000 and may soon start rolling out to other police departments across the country.