country in recent years, Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa would like to purchase a simulator to train deputies on the methods to deescalate situations that might otherwise result in unwanted tragic outcomes for officers or civilians.
The sheriff needs county legislative approval to purchase the more than $60,000 device from VirTra, Inc., but he said it is well worth the cost.
“It really puts in the forefront of these young officers thinking of what they need to do to deescalate a situation. It also identifies folks that have mental health issues and there are numerous scenarios for that,” he said. “We’ve seen shootings at houses of worship throughout our nation. We have seen school shootings, mall shootings, all these scenarios can be played out using this simulator.”
Figueroa has already made his pitch for the simulator purchase to the county legislature’s Law Enforcement & Public Safety Committee.
