New training center will help North Charleston officers prepare for high-stress scenarios

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday at a new training center for the North Charleston Police Department, which will teach officers how to better respond to high-stress scenarios.

The center includes classrooms for instruction and large training rooms where officers can learn and practice compliance maneuvers. There is also a 2,200-square-foot “house” that officers can walk through, simulating various scenarios.

The virtual reality system called “VirTra” allows officers to be fully immersed in different scenarios they may encounter. 

“Anywhere from domestic violence, car stops, active shooters, all the way down to interaction with citizens on the street. Autism is a big one for us,” said Tom Cameron, Southeast Regional Sales Manager for VirTra.

Officers use training guns with verbal commands to try and de-escalate various situations.

Trident Technical College provided the space for the center. 

“It’s really a groundbreaking endeavor. We were approached by the North Charleston Police Department some months back- they wanted to expand their training base, and we had a vacant facility. They wanted this reality-based training and so we all got together and literally made a deal. The college leases them the space for one dollar a year,” explained Shawn Livingston, Dean of Law Related Studies at Trident Technical College.

Their law enforcement studies students will be able to learn at the facility as well.

“That opportunity to come in here, we can teach our officers some ground defense work, teach them de-escalation, teach them how to talk to people, how to de-escalate situations, how to handle mental health calls, things like that. All that occurs here,” said Sgt. Brandon Brooks with the North Charleston Police Department.