JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS (April 12, 2019) — Think fast: Do you shoot or not? The decision you make in that crucial instant could mean life or death and will forever affect your community. What is it really like to experience that type of stress and split-second decision-making with such far-reaching consequences?
The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) State Lodge's Project Blue Life will provide the opportunity to safely experience potential law-enforcement shooting-scenarios by making use of force-simulation machines available to key community-leaders and members of the news-media in Illinois. These machines allow participants to experience what it's like to be faced with a potential threat, the exceedingly brief time available to make a life-or-death decision, and the physical and emotional response that occurs before, during, and after the incident.
The first Project Blue Life demonstration was held Saturday, April 13, for the Jacksonville Citizens Police Academy, a civilian group that supports law-enforcement in the community.
“We want to familiarize community-leaders with the most difficult job in law-enforcement, the most serious few seconds of a police officer’s life,” said FOP State Lodge President Chris Southwood. “These leaders are often asked to comment on or get involved with the aftermath of a police-shooting, and we want them to have a better appreciation for what these nightmare situations are really like.”
The FOP will schedule these use-of-force machine-opportunities at various Illinois cities in the near-future. These sessions are geared toward government-officials, judges and state's attorneys, clergy, members of the news-media, and others who may be involved when a police-shooting incident occurs. Qualified speakers and instructors will be provided to support each session. The FOP Disaster Response Unit trailer will be used to move the machine to each location.
The use of force-machine-simulation is free, although a $200 donation would be welcomed to help offset costs. The machine will be scheduled by request through local FOP lodges, and agencies who feel the simulation would be beneficial are encouraged to contact members of their local lodge.
The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law-enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police-organization in the country. The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing more than 34,000 active-duty and retired police-officers — more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide. Visit www.ilfop.org for more information.
