Charleston County Sheriff's Office Virtual Reality De-escalation Site-Based Initiative

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) will implement a site-based de-escalation training curriculum using virtual reality tools. The goal of the training is to improve CCSO officer’s understanding of individuals experiencing crises, implement scenario-based de-escalation training through immersive virtual reality tools, and provide training to improve officer mental health and wellbeing. Officers will learn about the challenges of individuals more likely to experience crises, including those suffering from mental illnesses, substance abuse disorders, suicidal ideation, among others. Inspired by the Bureau of Justice Assistance Crisis Response and Intervention Training model, this weeklong (40 hours) training will consist of classes taught by subject matter experts focused on civilian and officer mental health as well as over 15-hours of virtual reality scenario-based training, requiring officers to enact knowledge gained from the classroom into scenario-based training through virtual reality simulations. The effectiveness of this training will be evaluated using a randomized controlled trial to assess training impact on outcomes such as use of force, severity of force, citizen complaints, and outcomes from contacts with the public. Officers will be matched based on officer productivity levels (e.g., arrests) and patrol area (e.g., high-crime areas) and then randomly selected for the training. Additionally, officers and the community will be surveyed both before and after the training to understand their perceptions of individuals experiencing various cognitive, mental, or behavioral health conditions as well as perceptions of the virtual reality de-escalation training effectiveness.