Yarmouth Police Department installs state-of-the-art video simulator in basement

A new training center opened at the Yarmouth Police Department, with a new, interactive form of police training through a state-of-the-art video simulator in the station's basement.

The basement used to be empty space, but it now calls itself home to the simulator that features 800 different scenarios to test an officer's judgment, reflexes and accuracy.

"We can do a motor vehicle stop and put the officers here and like they're standing out on the road," Yarmouth Police Lieutenant Kevin Lennon said. "It's the closest thing we can get from being out on the street in our training center."

Lennon showed Boston 25 News how it works, with target practice and an active shooter situation.

The simulation proved to be intense and stressful, and Yarmouth Deputy Police Chief Steve Xiarhos said that's the point of the whole process.

"It's not like, 'Shoot, don't shoot,'" Xiarhos said. "It's, 'How do you react when you're dealing with the public?' The better you can get here, the better you'll be on the street."

The Yarmouth Police Department said the simulator was made possible by selling hundreds of little, stuffed K-9 Nero toys, and other donations made in the name of fallen Yarmouth Police Sergeant Sean Gannon, who was shot and killed in April of 2018.

>>MORE: Yarmouth officer fatally shot while serving warrant for firearms violations

The department said they've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars since Gannon's death, and they named the center the Sergeant Sean Gannon Training Facility in his honor.

Xiarhos said they've raised more than half a million dollars, and Yarmouth Police wanted to use that money to protect its officers.

The department hopes the simulator in the basement is just the first part of the facility, as they hope to break ground on a new building for K-9 and SWAT training later in 2019.

Cox Media Group