Interactive Training in the 21st Century

MotoShot | Hit Reactive and Decision-Making Target Training

I remember the first time I heard the phrase, “Interactive training.” Back in the ’80s when I started my law enforcement career, interactive training was learning how to put handcuffs on the correct way. In the ’90s “FATS” training or Firearms Training Simulation was a new and genuinely interactive concept in firearms instruction.

That being said, we have not come that far in firearms training. Some departments still stand static at the firing line and shoot at paper targets. As instructors, we are keenly aware of the pitfalls of that style of training, but to some degree, we feel powerless to change it. Mitigating some of the concerns of static fire by having officers move to positions of cover helps, however, the concept of moving targets is exciting and, shhh don’t tell anyone, but it can be fun.

So what’s new in the world of firearms training? Moving targets, computer-generated interactive firearms simulation, Simunition and/or Airsoft rounds, just to name a few. These are all good training aids but

“to actually take your firearms training to the next level we must get officers engaged in the threat.”  

In other words, the officer needs to interact with the target, and the target needs to react. My E.M.S. partners are light-years ahead of law enforcement in some respects. They have been doing scenario-based training for years. Don’t get me wrong scenario-based training has been around a long time but in the firearms training regiment, not so much.

MotoShot is a device that can provide a level of engagement missing in most firearms training regiments. Controlling the target while the officer moves to a position of cover or concealment to ensure better target acquisition and round place.

by Glen Hartman | Hudson Police Department