Temple University Uses New Simulator to Improve Campus Safety

Simulating Real-World Scenarios

The Temple University Police Department (TUPD) just became the first in the region to use Ti Training simulation technology, a cutting-edge tool that immerses officers in over 900 scenarios designed to prepare them for real-life events.   From mental health crises to active shooter situations, the simulator enables police to make quick decisions in realistic scenarios, increasing their readiness for duty on campus.

“As the police officers go through the scenarios, depending on how they respond, the instructor can change the scenario to send it in another direction. So, this really helps our police officers in a safe environment train more frequently on a vast number of scenarios that they could encounter while they’re working,” said Chief and Vice President of Public Safety Jennifer Griffin. 

In my experience with the simulator, I was placed in a low-light warehouse setting, where I needed to make fast, tactical decisions. “Somebody didn’t show their identification. You made contact with him, and he was not complying,” said Officer Chris DeRose, who supervised the simulation. “He had his hand behind the box. One of the things I wanted you to do was to say, “Show me your hands.”

The Ti Trainer includes a variety of scenarios that Temple police may encounter, including de-escalation, burglaries, robberies, and mental health situations. Officer Austin David explained how this technique improves vital skills for both routine contacts and unusual, extreme incidents.

“It helps sharpen your skills, you know, dealing with day-to-day situations and you know, extreme situations that might happen far as like active shooter situations,” said Officer Austin. 

Officer DeRose went on to say that the simulator provides crucial training for critical thinking under pressure. “It’s kind of like, it trains their brain to not take action and pay attention to what they’re doing,” said DeRose. TUPD’s goal is for officers to participate in simulations regularly to reinforce their situational awareness and response skills. “We’re going to try to get people through once a month,” he said, indicating the department’s commitment to ongoing, high-quality training.

Temple University is using the Ti Training simulator to help officers handle real-life situations, aiming to make campus safer for students.

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