LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Tucked away in the desert is an entire city built just for training. Metro’s Joint Emergency Training Institute, a state-of-the-art, over 110-square-foot facility built to change what happens when officers show up at your door.
When an officer-involved shooting makes headlines, the public usually sees just a few seconds of body camera footage — that final moment when an officer decides whether to pull the trigger. What the public rarely gets to see is everything that happened before that second.
Inside the facility, there’s a motel, a gas station, a trailer park, a middle school, and even a casino. Officers replay the worst things that could happen here, before they happen in real life, with lives on the line.
“We’re giving that stress-inoculated training to our officers. So again, they are stressed here, so they’ll be able to better react out on the street,” said Lt. Casey Clarkson with LVMPD.
Training covers use of force and de-escalation
Part of training involves going over what officers first learned in the academy — use of force law, policy, and de-escalation. Then the class moves over to the mats where officers practice takedowns, even when being met with resistance.
In a role-played domestic call, as tension runs high and the volume increases, officers are expected to remember policy, tactics, and the lessons learned on the mat.
“That’s the reality that officers face every day. So when they come through here, they feel more confident, more prepared, and more capable to serve and protect this community,” Clarkson said.
Life-saving medical training included
The goal, Metro says, is to save lives, and sometimes that involves rendering aid using tools to stop bleeding. Just this year, Metro has used 226 tourniquets on the field — that is 226 lives saved.
Training also includes practicing for the worst-case scenarios. Active shooter drills in a mock middle school where officers have to run towards the sound of gunfire and keep going until the threat is stopped.
In real life, a bad decision takes a second. In the training facility, officers spend days and an entire career trying to get that second right.
“We respond to calls on people on their worst day. So when they see us, I want us to be that hope,” Clarkson said.
Metro police officers return yearly for this training to ensure they have all of the tools they need to patrol the streets.
Metro Police is always looking for new recruits. Applicants must be 21 years or older, have a driver’s license, and pass a background check.
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