Deputies: Emergency simulator important in saving lives

It’s the hardest decision law enforcement officials can make: whether to take the life of someone putting people in danger in order to save the lives of many.

It isn’t a situation officers get involved in every day, but there is a machine at Colorado State University, Pueblo to get them ready for the situation.

Pueblo Sheriff’s Deputy Jim Boley has close to 30 years of experience at the Sheriff’s Office, but has never been part of an officer-involved shooting.

That’s where the use-of-force simulator comes in to get him ready if the day ever comes.

“It allows you to put individuals in life-like situations and allows them to interact and make decisions under stress,” Boley said.

Those situations include the three officer-involved shootings in Pueblo County this year and the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.

“It’s just the world has become more violent,” Sgt. Rick Rhodes said.

Deputies said it takes about a fraction of a second for a law enforcement official to decide to pull the trigger.

“It’s one of those things where you don’t have very long to think about what you have to do. You have to save your life and that of others,” Rhodes said.

He has never been part of an officer-involved shooting, but he said other law enforcement officials have told him being part of one is life changing. And, deputies hope the active killer situations can stay in the simulator.

Deputies said anyone issued a gun at the Sheriff’s Office has to be trained on the use-of-force simulator.