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Simulators help prepare officers for worst-case scenarios in the field

Lois James
Lois James

Long before such officer-involved shootings as those in Ferguson, Missouri, and North Charleston, South Carolina, researchers at WSU’s Sleep and Performance Research Center were using a simulator to study officer-involved shootings.

Mount Vernon, Wash., Police Lt. Chris Cammock said he spoke earlier this month with Lois James, research assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, about her research. Cammock hopes members of the Skagit Multiple Agency Response Team (SMART) may be able to visit the University’s deadly force simulator. » More …

Research shows sleep loss impedes decision making in crisis

Paul Whitney
Paul Whitney

The difference between life and death in the operating room, on the battlefield or during a police shootout often comes down to the ability to adapt to the unexpected. Sleep deprivation may make it difficult to do so, according to a Washington State University study published this month in the journal Sleep. » More …

WSU lab studies the science behind police shootings

Lois James
Lois James

The Spokane lab recreates simulations of actual officer-involved shootings to help improve police responses.

Inside an old warehouse on Washington State University’s Spokane campus, police officer Nick Briggs is being fitted with an imaging device to monitor what’s happening inside his brain as he makes life and death decisions. » More …