The Temple University Department of Public Safety (TUDPS) has introduced cutting-edge simulation technology to enhance officer training, marking the first time a Ti Training system has been used in a university setting in the tristate area.

“Make no mistake about it: Technology plays a critical role in public safety as a crime-fighting tool. Now, we’re also using technology to train our police officers,” said Jennifer Griffin, Temple’s chief of police and vice president for public safety. 

The tech company Ti Training is behind the immersive platform that simulates more than 900 real-world scenarios, Griffin said, ranging from routine traffic stops to crisis intervention incidents to more stressful situations like an active shooter. Users may be provided a simulated gun, taser or other tools that they would use in the real world as they face simulated incidents. 

“Temple police officers constantly train to protect the public and maintain law and order,” Griffin said. “The Ti Trainer will make our training even more robust, as this technology provides over 900 scenarios. Our police respond to a multitude of different situations from roommate verbal disagreement on campus to responding to an incident off campus to back up Philadelphia Police.”

More than 2,000 police departments across the country are currently utilizing Ti Training systems, including approximately 100 university and college campus police departments. Some that benefit from the platform are Colorado State University, the University of Texas, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

However, Temple is the first university police department to utilize a Ti Training system in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware according to Todd Brown, one of the creators of Ti Training.

“Whether a Ti Training system is in a big or small department, the job of police is always the same: To keep everybody safe,” Brown said. 

Older models of training simulators often focused training on when an officer should or should not fire their weapon. However, Brown said that the new system incorporates more scenarios, allowing police officers the opportunity to practice everything from de-escalation to mental health interventions to use-of-force situations. 

“It teaches them to resolve conflict as quickly and peacefully as they can. Just like any other skill set, the more you practice, the better you become,” Brown said.

Temple Police Officer Christopher DeRose is a senior trainer and said that the trainee must be challenged in order to learn.
 
“It’s important to let our police officers try different approaches on their own, to let them figure it out. It’s clear that the more they do the simulation, the better decision-making abilities they will have in the real world,” DeRose said.

Chief Griffin added that the tool will help to continue building a safer Temple community as law enforcement often face unpredictable circumstances.

“In high-pressure situations, split-second decisions can make all the difference,” Griffin said. “Police officers frequently deal with the unknowns in a situation and using platforms like the Ti Training is continuing our work of building a smarter police force by training on the range of scenarios and decision-making responses.”

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