Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputies, jailers, and reserve deputies received a virtual reality of scenarios last week as they completed mandatory Firearms Training Systems training. The training was in the basement of the Kosciusko County Justice Building, directly underneath Sheriff Rocky Goshert’s office. Officers were required to attend one of the two- hour training sessions held by KCSD firearms instructors Larry Holderman and James Marshall. Lt. Holderman explained that Meggitt Training Systems owns the rights to the FATS system, which has been providing law enforcement visual training for several decades throughout the United States. Holderman said that many officers first meet the FATS system during mandatory basic training at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in Plainfield. “KCSD has been fortunate enough to have remedial FATS training nearly every 2-3 years with the repeated commitment of Kosciusko County sheriffs Al Rovenstine, Aaron Rovenstine and Rocky Goshert,” Holderman said. “FATS continues to update and provide additional scenarios that adjust to today’s varying incidents that officers respond to.” KCSD Deputy Sheriff James Marshall explained that the FATS system allows for more than 220 different scenarios, ranging from domestic disputes, traffic stops, hostage situations, SWAT/tactical involvement, suicides, court and jail security, stun gun deployments, domestic terrorism, vehicle and foot pursuits, and business and school active shooter incidents. Meggitt Training Systems provide exact replicas of current KCSD firearms and stun gun devices for more effective realism during the simulations. Marshall said that the scenarios can be changed and tailored by the instructor as they observe the officers’ verbal and physical responses during the live training. “It provides for real-time, adrenaline-pumping simulations that force an officer to use all his training, observations and common sense to respond to each visual scene,” Marshall said. “I believe that the rental cost is minimal compared to the invaluable training that is acquired by our department officers.” More information on the FATS system is at www.meggitttrainingsystems.com/Law-Enforcement.aspx
