NCJ Number
213956
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 30-32,34
Date Published
April 2006
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the features of the Valhalla Shooting Club and Training Center in Montrose, CO, which is used to provide firearms logistical training in simulated settings likely to be encountered in on-duty encounters.
Abstract
The Scenario House portion of the training center includes simulations of a contemporary American house with bedrooms, kitchen, and living room; an urban setting with a newsstand, parked car, and streetlight; and the first-class cockpit of a commercial jet. The floors of the two-story shoot house are constructed of 1/4-inch steel, and the walls are composed of 1/8-inch steel, making it suitable for 360-degree firing. Areas that receive a lot of rounds are reinforced. There are also portable steel plates that can be moved around each "set" to increase versatility. To provide safety, only frangible ammunition is used. It provides accuracy and disintegrates completely upon hitting the target. Mannequins are used to simulate humans in the constructed scenarios. The officer in training only knows the general circumstances to which he/she is responding, but does not know where or how threats will be presented. Lighting, sound, vision barriers, and a variety of other variables add to the realism of scenarios and increase the stress level of the shooter. Targets can move via activation by remote control.