For the first time, officers will be taught in a new Tactical Training Village built at McClellan Park in North Sacramento. It’s a 20,000 square foot building that includes mock-ups of a school, apartment building, business office and bar.
Deputies recently demonstrated a scenario in which they confront an armed suspect.
Training Coordinator Sergeant David Coffman says responding in a realistic setting like this helps the officers achieve something he calls “stress inoculation”.
"In other words, we’re exposing the officers just a little bit more to that level of stress and once they’ve been exposed to that in a training environment they’ll be able to more effectively make appropriate decisions involving life and death on the streets in a real situation."
The building includes a digital video system to record and playback the training so officers can review their performance. The tactical village is also used for training by Sacramento police and fire agencies.