2012 WPA Task Force Commander Jerry Cooper On FATS Training

 

Jerry Cooper is a law enforcement trainer who has been a continuously sworn law enforcement officer for more than 36 years. The majority of that time was spent with North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE). He currently serves as a reserve officer with the Cleveland, N.C. Police Department. Jerry’s training specialties include Subject Control & Arrest Techniques, FATS (firearms training simulator), and Anti-Terrorism. He earned a B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Education.

Jerry Cooper is the commander of the Writers’ Police Academy Violent Crimes Task Force, and your FATS instructor.

FATS (now known as Meggit)

FATS is a virtual training system that prepares law enforcement officers to properly apply use-of-force options. Scenarios are keyed into a FATS primary simulation computer and are played out on an eight-foot screen.

Using voice commands and various lethal and less-lethal weapons, participants will negotiate stressful scenarios. Upon completion, the learner will have a more thorough understanding of issues faced by law enforcement officers who often must make split-second decisions regarding the application of force.

Lee Lofland has done a wonderful job of preparing you for your Task Force assignment. This training has been difficult to schedule. Lee’s special orders to you reflect expert planning. His commitment to making this project work will surely result in an exciting time for all of us. Please follow Lee’s instructions carefully. I would like to reiterate a couple of things Lee has communicated to you, and expand on some others.

Please remember to present the required waiver to the perimeter officer at the entrance to the FATS room. The FATS room is located in room # 130 in the Public Safety Building. (Waivers will be provided to you prior to the training).

It is crucial that you report on time. Help us keep things moving so everyone has an opportunity to benefit from this training. Listen to all instructions carefully, whether they originate with me, the perimeter officer, the safety officer, or the scenario narrator. We have to crunch about eight hours of instruction down to less than 30 minutes. We can make this work.

Although time is short, we want you to profit from this experience. Relax, and listen to the safety officer. The tools you will be using are real weapons, but they have been retooled with a LASER, and are no longer capable of firing live ammunition. I will not turn on the shoot-back system (I don’t like to see grown people cry). Do not worry about belts or pockets; wear something comfortable.

You and your teammate will be given a couple of scenarios. One will probably call for the use of lethal force. Another can probably be resolved with less lethal force. If time permits, you might even get another surprise scenario.

When your time is up, and it is time for the next team to run through their scenarios, please do not linger in the FATS room. I will try to answer as many of your questions as I can. If I cannot answer them all, I will give you one of my business cards and you can feel free to contact me later. If you are ever back in this area, we might even be able to steal a few more minutes on the FATS simulator.

When your team is “on deck,” watch and listen carefully. You can learn a lot in this type of training by simply letting your brain absorb what is happening and form those neural pathways.

Take the scenarios serious. Do not approach this experience as you would a video game. Let your heart rate go up, and you will reap the rewards of training under stress.

Demonstrate a command presence. Use concise, simple voice commands – what the F.B.I. refers to as alpha commands (e.g., “drop the knife”; “stop”; etc.). (Sorry, writers, but do not use the beta commands like on TV and in the movies – “Get your M_F_ing _ ass on the ground!”)

Unless you have a big “S” tattooed on your chest, use the cover we provide for you. Cover stops bullets. Officers who take cover during shootings survive 95% of the time, even when they do not return fire.

 

Relax. No one really gets killed in the FATS room.

Learn. You do not have to negotiate the scenarios perfectly. The U.S. Supreme Court only requires we act “reasonably” (Graham v. Conner, 1989).

Jerry Cooper, Task Force Commander

ALE officer Jerry Cooper at his first liquor still capture in Wilkes County NC (the “Bootleg Capital of the World”) in January 1975. This type of still was known as a “Wilkesboro burner.”

2012 FATS SCHEDULE

*Shooters MUST arrive 15 minutes prior to their shoot time. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of your session. No exceptions and no refunds!

Instructors ~ Jerry Cooper, Andy Russell, Stan Lawhorne

 

FRIDAY

8:30 to 8:50

Stacy Allen, Mary Edelson, Mary Barker, Cynthia Barwin

9:00 – 9:20

Meagan Beaumont, Mary Behre, Sarah Bewley, Judy Bird

9:30 – 9:50

Janet Boshell, Lisa Bouchard, Felicia Brown, Mary Burton

10:00 – 10:20

Julie Candoli, Kimberly Ciamarra, Ann Ciemnoczolowski, Lindsey Cosimano

10:30 – 10:50

Lindsay Curcio, Lori Dandrea, Melissa Dicker, Anna Draves

11:00 – 11:20

Sherry Jones, Michael Fanning, Joya Fields, Grace Greene

11:30 – 11:50

Korey Hagans, Laura Handy, Laura Hayden, April Henry

 

LUNCH  12 – 1:00

1:10 – 1:30

Debbie Henson, Patricia Hoffman, Rachel Hall, Alexandra Hughes

1:40 – 2:00

Andrew Italia, Michelle Johnson, Vy Kava, Jeanne Ketterer

2:10 – 2:30

Mona King, Mary Ann Laverty, Suzanne Link, Amanda Little

2:40 – 3:00

Linda Lockhart, Melinda Loomis, Edith Maxwell, Portia McCracken

 

SATURDAY

9:00 – 9:20

Elizabeth Mugavero, Sylvia Nickels, Melanie Noto, Katherine Nyborg

9:30 – 9:50

Ellen Oberth, Jennifer Oberth, Jean Osborn, Cathy Ott

10:00 – 10:20

Susan Paturzo, Patti Phillips, Luisa Prieto, Howard Lewis

10:30 – 10:50

Bonnie Riley, Susan Ritenbaugh, Myra Ross, Sylvia Salas

11:00 – 11:20

David Schlosser, Diane Schultz, Hannah Schwartz, Ursual Shand

11:30 – 11:50

Susan Sitze, Alexandra Sokoloff, Lynn Steinmayer,  Lydia Stone

LUNCH 12 – 12:45

1:00 – 1:30

Reserved

1:40 – 2:00

Karen Herbelin, Melissa Zbikowski, Karla Telega, Karen Pullen

2:10 – 2:30

Tina Whittle, Cathy Wiley, Rhona Waldron

2:40 – 3:00

Kate Thomas, Vonda Valasky, Francine Wehlman

*If you paid and signed up for FATS and do not see your name on this list, contact me at lofland32@msn.com, immediately. Please do not post the message to this blog.