Cheney Mason / Winonan

Jim Parlow, a Winona State University instructor and retired police officer, led an active shooter simulation for criminal justice students on Winona State’s campus to provide adequate training for the students and give other members of the university a chance to watch officers’ decision-making processes.

The simulation, hosted in partnership with Rochester Community and Technical College and Winona State, was held Thursday, Nov. 17. on the second floor of Minné Hall, and attendance to observe the process was encouraged.

According to Parlow, the simulation is used to train future police officers and occasionally current officers on active shooter events.

“The unique thing about it is that it’s portable, and so I knew the value of bringing it over and offering it up to my students,” Parlow said.

Parlow explained that before this portable simulator, students in the police operations class used simulators at Gander Mountain Academy in Onalaska, Wis., but it eventually became  too expensive.

“We got help from other agencies and the sociology department,” Parlow said. “But unfortunately that money has dried up.”

When Rochester Community and Technical College offered to bring the portable simulator to Winona State free of charge, Parlow said he was overjoyed about the training it would provide his students.

“My grin must have been ear to ear,” Parlow said.

Police operations students were required to participate in the simulator and go through multiple different simulations.

“This is not only to shoot or don’t shoot, that decision making process, but it’s also to help you with your command voice and your verbalization skills,” Parlow said. “It’s the decision making process of whether you would defend yourself or try to seek cover.”

Parlow said it was also important to make this simulation accessible to not only law enforcement students but all students or faculty in general.

“The purpose of this is to basically share with other students that are learning more about law enforcement and how fast that decision has to be made,” Parlow said. “Whether to use deadly force or maybe become a victim of deadly force.”

Parlow said he noticed some students walked away with a new perspective on how fast the officers participating in the simulator had to make a judgment and how many other variables are involved.

“Some people’s knowledge of law enforcement is either what somebody has told them or what they’ve seen on TV,” Parlow said. “To have them be able to stand in here and actually have to make that decision to draw a weapon, to point it, and to pull the trigger is eye opening and takes a toll on some students.”

Parlow said the people who sat in on the simulator for even just a 20 to 40 second scenario now have more knowledge than most people who would be on a jury deciding if an officer was right in their action or not.

Parlow said, overall, the simulation was successful, and he is glad to see students outside of the law enforcement department who came to view the simulation as well.

This real life or death scenario is beneficial for people to learn about, Parlow said.

“It’s not a videogame,” Parlow said. “The impact that I got from students and the faculty that went in and saw it, everybody overwhelmingly, was thumbs up.”

-By Cheney Mason