Tribe Purchases Training Simulator for Officers
By Ryan Schlehuber

Sault Ste. Marie Tribal Police Officer Rich Cullen operates the new Milo-Pro shooting simulator, purchased by the tribe in August, for U.S. Coast Guard Station St. Ignace officers Wednesday, October 10. With the computer, a projector with laser guide technology, and a movie screen, Mr. Cullen can operate about 300 shooting scenarios. The tribe has allowed all local law enforcement agencies the chance to improve their shooting skills with the equipment.

The MILO Range Pro shooting simulator system that the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Police Department purchased in August is every video game player's dream, with lifelike action, surround sound, and real weapons. The purpose of the simulator, however, has nothing to do with entertainment, and everything to do with improving public safety and security.

The tribe purchased the $54,000 system in August, setting it up at the tribal youth facility in St. Ignace, and has since offered its use to all law enforcement agencies in the surrounding area at no charge. Officers from the U.S. Coast Guard Station St. Ignace, for example, participated in the simulation last week.

U.S. Coast Guard Officer Alessandro Dimaio of Station St. Ignace takes aim during a shooting simulation, which involved an outraged man holding a baby. It is one of the more difficult scenarios the Milo- Pro offers, said system operator Rich Cullen.

The aim of the training is to help officers hone reaction times and critical thinking skills in several simulated crime situations taking place on a screen.

Officers can use a real .40-caliber gun, 9 mm pistol, a pepper spray can, and a flashlight during the simulation, although all live ammunition is removed. A laser receptor, no bigger than a pen, is inserted in each weapon. The device is honed into the system's sensory box, which connects the officer with the big-screen scenario. Two small speakers and a subwoofer enhance the real-life feel of the training simulator.

The system offers more than 250 scenarios that can be alternated in six ways, depending on how the participant reacts, said Rich Cullen, a tribal police officer and coordinator of the MILO Range Pro system for the department. Scenarios range from vehicle stops to domestic violence, to active shooters in public facilities.

"From the computer, I can control whether the suspect will comply with the officer, run away, or shoot at him," said Mr. Cullen. "It depends how interactive and vocal the officer is to the suspect. If he's not being interactive enough, I let him have it."

The scenarios are set up with the camera angle representing the officer's line of sight. For example, the officer may be peering over the shoulder of another officer or walking through a hall of office cubicles.

One Coast Guard officer, during a simulation Wednesday, October 10, shot one of the onscreen officers in a hallway scene, mistaking him for the perpetrator.

"This is meant to train for every day, situational awareness," said Mr. Cullen. "Some scenarios are meant to fail to show officers how out of control it can get sometimes. The simulator helps reiterate your surroundings, helps you see the whole picture, and not just what's in front of you."

U.S. Coast Guard Officer Alessandro Dimaio of Station St. Ignace, after going through one simulation involving an angry man holding a baby, said the training is most helpful in honing his shooting skills and controlling his anticipation.

"There are situations where you have to think a lot," he said. "The baby scenario was really hard, because it's a hostage situation and you are just waiting for an open shot."

Mr. Cullen is hoping to create new scenarios that feature actual locations in the area, which he can do with the MILO Range Pro technology.