LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Inside the St. Matthews Police Department, officers are temporarily trading in their issued weapons for simulated ones. 

It's part of an annual training happening at the department on Grandview Avenue aimed at helping people train to respond to different types of calls.

Officer Troy Armstrong is the department resource officer and is responsible for running the whole department through the training. 

"We train with firearms that are identical to ours. They have CO2 cartridges in them so it does give us a little bit of recoil," he said. 

Simulation training weapons stored in protective case

The weapons used during the simulation are designed to look and feel like the real ones found on an officer's duty belt. 

Along with firearm replicas, the simulation comes with other tools an officer would find on their duty-belt like tasers and flashlights.

The equipment is provided by the Kentucky League of Cities, a nonprofit based in Lexington. The simulation consists of weapons that calibrate to a projection screen on one side of the room. 

Armstrong says the single screen helps replicate the "tunnel vision" one experiences during a serious situation. 

"If you are in a situation like that, everything comes into center. A lot of times you can't hear. I want to get your heartrate up because when that happens, even though you know it's a screen, things start to shut down. Somebody could walk in the door and you may never know," said Armstrong. 

When St. Matthews Police has the equipment each year, Armstrong is also responsible for offering the trainings to three other area departments and civilians. 

"One of my roles as the department resource officer is to bring people from the community in and go through some of the training that we go through," Armstrong said. "For us that's important because if we come across a scene that they're involved in, whether a victim, a suspect or a witness, we want them to understand why we're doing some of the things that we do."

St. Matthews Police Department Simulator Training

Officers and some civilians in St. Matthews both partake in simulator training annually. 

Since open carry is legal in Kentucky, Armstrong says community trainings like these are even more important.

"They may be put in a situation or in a position that they may have to act and we want to try to explain to them why certain actions aren't justified or why maybe just being good witness would be a better option for them," said Armstrong. 

While the simulation does involve weapons, Armstrong says the best weapon isn't the gun but rather the officer. 

He says most scenarios are made so that the officer or responding civilian can train on how to talk down a suspect and de-escalate a situation.

Officer Troy Armstrong runs St. Matthews Police Department simulator training

Officer Troy Armstrong runs St. Matthews Police Department simulator training.

"Talking them down, that's a win for us," Armstrong said. "That's all built in the training and as the officer talks to them, we change those outcomes. 

Armstrong says he would like to be able to offer the trainings more often to people in the public to help them better understand police officers "aren't just training to make a good shot."

The better I can bring people in off the public and they understand that, it makes them understand us a little better," said Armstrong. 

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