Supplemental Virtual Reality Technology to Enhance Crisis Intervention and Deescalation Training

The City and County of Denver Sheriff Department (DSD) is seeking $208,500 in grant funding from the FY24 Collaborative Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT) Program to enhance the evidence-based CRIT training it plans to begin in calendar year 2024. This grant funding will be used to purchase virtual reality (VR) technology for sworn staff to train in a variety of Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) scenarios, de-escalation scenarios, and situations dealing with persons who have mental health conditions within a jail setting. This will enhance the Department's 40-hour CRIT training and ongoing refresher training and has the capacity to train and improve these skills in the environments DSD's staff need (primarily jail and correctional environments). The expected outcomes include reductions in use of force, higher deputy confidence and competence in dealing with crisis scenarios and situations. Additionally, this VR technology will ensure better outcomes for those in DSD's custody by reducing use of force. DSD has worked over the past several months to modify the CRIT curriculum and training materials to fit the jail-based environment of DSD's staff and believes the grant funding for a one-time purchase of this technology will ensure this training is sustainable. The DSD will further ensure the sustainability of this training by potentially decreasing the use of paid actors or contractors and reduce the amount of training time because deputies can use this technology in any DSD location at any time.