Written by Dee Sheppe and Henry Marshall

MT2 2009 Volume: 14 Issue: 6 (November/December)

The FLETC POs include many DHS components such as the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as other federal law enforcement agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service, Capitol Police, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the National Park Service. FLETC is also home to the Rural Policing Institute and provides support for training to state, local, and tribal police agencies.

The FLETC is headquartered at Glynco, Ga., near the port city of Brunswick. Although Glynco is the main campus for the FLETC, it has grown over the years to include facilities in Artesia, N.M., Charleston, S.C., and Cheltenham, Md. The sites in Artesia and Charleston are residential training sites and the Cheltenham site is a non-residential in-service requalification and advanced training facility. The FLETC has oversight and program management responsibility for the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Gaborone, Botswana, and San Salvador, El Salvador, and supports training at other ILEAs in Hungary and Thailand.

The FLETC’s core mission is to train those who protect our homeland. The vision is to provide fast, flexible and focused training to secure and protect America. With the mantra of serving more students in an era of diminishing resources, FLETC has turned to innovative training technologies and methodologies. The steps taken by FLETC’s senior leaders have been swift and bold.

In 2004, FLETC established a Training Innovation Division (TID). The TID facility architecture is similar to that of a military Close Combat Tactical Trainer and serves as a test bed for driver and marine simulators, desktop simulations, an electronic learning portal, a showcase and lab for testing classroom technologies, and a live performance assessment laboratory.

Additionally, realizing the potential of leveraging the military’s investment in simulation related technologies, the FLETC leadership signed memoranda of agreements with the Army’s Program Executive Office, Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) and the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD), located in Orlando. These agreements were executed in 2004, and shortly thereafter, FLETC opened its Orlando office in the heart of the nation’s premier modeling and simulation stronghold. FLETC’s Orlando team includes a senior instructor and simulation engineer.

FLETC leadership has created an initiative called Train 21, which is exploring methods to transform the training delivery at all levels. This includes modifying the infrastructure to enhance training delivery. FLETC has also established the Training Transformation Office at Glynco for the purpose of exploring new and innovative ways to improve the learning culture at FLETC and to immerse FLETC students in the law enforcement culture.

POTENTIAL TRENDS AND GAPS

The training of law enforcement officers poses many challenges that are different from the military. A goal of simulation is to more efficiently and effectively increase student throughput, while preparing them to achieve the performance objectives and prepare for live practical exercises. This makes full vision-motion complex simulators less practical. Only a fraction of the typical FLETC class of 24 can be on the system at a given time, thus creating a roadblock for class completion. These systems can have expensive logistical, facility and maintenance trails, making return on investment problematic. Additionally, familiarization times required for trainees to become proficient in operating the simulation is critical because it affects the course length. Changes in course lengths and curriculum can require a lengthy approval process among the many supporting training divisions and partner organizations.

There are virtual simulation differences as well. In law enforcement simulations, the suspect avatars are not simply targets; they have civil rights, and they sometimes respond in vulgar language. In the live domain, law enforcement encounters typically occur at close range, often only three to five feet. With longer distance encounters less common, systems like the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System are not feasible solutions. Some emerging trends to note include:

Virtual Human Simulations. One of the final frontiers of simulation is the development of virtual simulations that closely replicate an actual person in a practical exercise or an interview. Challenges remain in areas such as high fidelity avatars, speech recognition, and voice synthesis. FLETC presently has two ongoing efforts in this area: One leverages the Army’s (PEO STRI) Human Intelligence Control Cell (HCC) to conduct FLETC interview training. The HCC is being used by the Army to conduct tactical questioning training and has been well received. FLETC is modifying the current HCC system to support training for its five-step interview process. In this application, the avatar fidelity is critical to show eye movement and gesture variations that may indicate possible deceit. In addition, FLETC is interested in the insertion of technologies that may be able to monitor the interviewer’s reactions and have it play into the behaviors of the avatar. Another current effort at FLETC is the Advanced Use-of-Force Training System. Working with NAWCTSD, this is an ongoing effort to prototype a next-generation use-of-force training system. This system mixes the latest in virtual avatars (using DI-Guy) and voice recognition to create a training experience that allows the law enforcement officer to conduct virtual training that injects all aspects of the FLETC “Useof- Force” labs. These aspects include compliance, voice commands, suspect reactions, and the entire use-of-force continuum (physical interactions, oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, electroshock weapon, and handgun). This system shows the potential to revolutionize useof- force training by having avatars that react like actual role-players as opposed to scripted scenarios.

Blended Learning. In those FLETC classes where lecture and practical exercise remain the sole delivery methods, there are opportunities to streamline and enhance training through blended solutions. Current initiatives that explore optimum methods are of high interest because of the potential to reduce classroom time, maximize instructor resources, and reduce travel requirements associated with export courses. FLETC is implementing a new and robust electronic learning portal to provide online instruction that will be available to students, staff and partner organizations, as well as state, local and tribal law enforcement officers nationwide. The portal is expected to be fully operational in early 2010.

Game-Based Training and Virtual Worlds. Numerous possibilities exist to create training environments with the use of gaming and virtual worlds. One area of concern expressed frequently is the fact that many current game environments don’t support the urban environment required for law enforcement exercises. Also, when compared to live practical exercises instructors say these systems do not afford students the ability to maneuver and engage the full range of senses like a live scenario. Finally, the extensive time it takes users to become familiar with and to operate the game is critical. Use of virtual worlds could assist in efforts to minimize travel and offers the potential to conduct networked exercises as well as show a potential to create a more engaging training experience.

Next Generation Live Training. FLETC has a large number of practical exercise areas that cover a wide range of venues. Some of the areas have cameras for monitoring the scenario and providing multiangle views for playback, which enhance after action reviews. In many scenarios, non-lethal training ammunition (NLTA) and accompanying equipment is used for live fire simulation. FLETC is currently working with NAWCTSD to provide camera coverage, special effects and a controller system to synchronize the scenario. Leveraging systems the military is developing for military operations in urban terrain training to provide the next-generation law enforcement raid house also has great potential. Other areas for potential leverage include live/virtual scenarios such as those used in the infantry immersion trainer to supplement current practical exercises. Another area is current live and virtual live fire technology to support a next-generation live fire training area. One limitation to practical exercises where NLTA is used is the requirement for trainees to wear protective facemasks. This gear can limit or restrict the student’s ability to evaluate all aspects of the training scenario. FLETC would like to explore alternatives to address this gap.

THE WAY FORWARD

The potential for simulation and other innovative solutions for training at the FLETC is in the infancy stage. Numerous potential areas exist to improve training delivery. Many challenges also exist in the areas of changing an organization’s culture, getting instructor and multi-partner buy-in, and continuing to provide high-quality training in a multi-faceted, dynamic training environment during the transition. The FLETC TID and the Orlando team will continue to aggressively prototype systems to streamline this transformation and identify other emerging gaps.

For additional information, contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.fletc.gov.

Editor’s Note: Dee Sheppe is chief, Training Innovation Integration Branch, Training Innovation Division at FLETC. Henry Marshall is currently an IT program manager tasked to work with the simulation community in the Orlando Research Park to identity opportunities to transform the training delivery at FLETC.

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