SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Cochise College is back in session on the 18th, and they have a new addition at their downtown center that will help future law enforcement recruits.
The college added 3 new state-of-the-art vehicle simulators to bring new technology to Sierra Vista.
"They simulate driving tactics, driving scenarios," said Cochise College President James Perey.
The Chevy Tahoes are now serving as practice vehicles, allowing students to have a more hands-on learning experience.
"One of the key things about training law enforcement or first responders is really trying to mimic those real-world experiences as much as possible before they even get out," Perey said. “Training that next generation of workforce and truly being able to integrate the newest technology into that. If we can create a better officer, a better EMT, a better nurse, we want to look at technologies in order to do that.”
The Cochise County Sheriff's Office donated the vehicles. The cars then spent two years in Canada being outfitted with the monitors, computers, and other hardware.
"They're the experts in the field that can help us train a better police officer, and at the same time, it's about leveraging resources and expertise to create something that we wouldn't have been able to do alone," Perey said.
The goal is to teach students defensive driving in a simulator before driving on the track. Now that the simulators are in the building, they are fine-tuning what it looks like from behind the wheel.
"The next step, like I said, is, although we've got some scenarios built, is to meet with law enforcement, to design kind of what those other scenarios look like," Perey said.
Cochise College staff will eventually build local cities like Sierra Vista into a program for a more realistic feel.
Cadets will be able to use the simulators in January.
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