Simulator helps Neb. cops train for real-life scenarios

Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner points his gun at the suspect in the warehouse and tells him to show his hands.

“I work here,” says the man, keeping one hand behind a box.

Wagner repeats the command several times before the man steps forward, hands in the air.

“It’s cool,” the suspect says before cursing at the sheriff.

“That’s how people talk to us,” the sheriff says, laughing.

Wagner isn’t actually in a warehouse this Thursday morning. He’s in front of a video screen, helping demonstrate his office’s new firearms simulator, a high-tech training program that teaches cops how to make better decisions in dangerous scenarios.

“That decision may be simply negotiating with the suspect, or going for cover, or maybe escalating to … a TASER or pepper spray,” Sgt. Andy Stebbing said. “Or even in some of the videos you might use deadly force.”

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