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Council approves virtual-reality training contract for police department
Summary
The council approved a 43-month contract for virtual-reality microtraining integrated with the department's evidence platform; the chief said VR scenarios support de-escalation and implicit-bias training and cost roughly $350 per officer per year when amortized.
Chief Moynihan presented a 43-month licensing and training arrangement for virtual-reality (VR) goggles that integrates with the department's existing Axon/Evidence.com systems. The chief said the system allows "microbursts" of scenario-based training (15'20 minutes) for officers and stores training records in evidence.com so supervisors can review performance and identify areas for focused coaching.
Council members asked whether the scenarios address implicit bias, and the chief said bias and de-escalation modules are part of the licensing package; other members and the chief described national department reviews that show scenario-based training can identify and reduce biased responses. The vendor relationship leverages the town's existing Axon equipment and cloud storage to reduce operational complexity.
From a fiscal perspective the chief and staff said the per-officer amortized cost is roughly $350 per year; the contract term aligns with the town's other Axon contracts. Council voted to approve the contract by voice vote and asked staff to explore whether the licensing agreement allows limited community or university demonstrations.
What happens next: the police department will begin procurement/contract execution consistent with the approved terms, integrate VR into routine training, and bring a demonstration to council members interested in seeing a scenario.
