Neighborhood Watch Learns About LAPD's New Training Trailer

A Los Angeles Police Department officer briefed local residents about Devonshire Division's new Force Option Simulator (FOS) training trailer.

"Two times out of the year officers have to qualify on ... an FOS machine," Officer Mike Judge told the Chatsworth Neighborhood Watch during a meeting Thursday at . "The FOS allows officers to simulate using not only a handgun, but the taser and the [pepper] spray. You can use all those devices on the screen and they are interactive."

A live-action wall screen offers laser-guided target practice for firearms and an assortment of weapons available in the LAPD arsenal.

"The laser beam is reflected off the screen back into a reader that tells whether there was a hit or no hit, or whether the officer took action or did not take action," said Judge, the division's tactical training coordinator and a Simi Valley councilman. "It is as accurate as real shooting. You could actually practice your firearms marksmanship on this machine."

Prior to the trailer, the simulator was set up in an office at the station, Judge said. The YMCA donated the new mobile facility, which is now located in the station's parking lot.

"Devonshire is one of the older ... stations in the city, so we don't have extra room," said Judge. "Every square inch of floor space is taken."

The FOS replaces a system called FATS, or Firearms Training Simulator, which only tests proficiency with guns.

Devonshire Division is currently seeking donations through neighborhood councils to finish the facility, Judge said. A $30,000 contribution came from a group called SOLID, Supporters of Law-Enforcement in Devonshire, which has been the major donor so far.

Judge wasn't sure of the simulator's total cost, but the sophisticated computer equipment and other related expenses can push the overall value of the facility into six-figures, he said.