Feature Story: Megan Smith's virtual reality

Abstract

There's potential for emotions to run high whenever an RCMP officer responds to a call. Their decisions can sometimes mean life or death. So how can cadets best prepare to de-escalate a situation when a suspect feels trapped, angry, and afraid while bystanders are near? How do they stay focused around distractions? How do they keep a level head when responding to potentially dangerous situations? These are some of the questions the RCMP's Greg Krätzig thinks about, and what ultimately led him to reach out to the University of Regina to study scenario training using virtual reality (VR).