Local law enforcement prepares for real-life scenarios at renovated Maywood facility

MAYWOOD, Ill. (WLS) -- Local law enforcement officials are making new training adjustments in Cook County.

The sheriff's office has a newly renovated range and training center in Maywood. It's a $1 million investment to prepare deputies for all real-life scenarios.

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"We invest in training so we don't have to deal with litigation," said Bradley Curry, chief of staff for the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

At the facility, police can get a feel for experiences like the precision and timing that come with a SWAT barricade situation in which a door must be breached.

The recent investment in the range is the first since 1977, giving the department a much more modern touch on training for situations.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office, as well as several other state and federal agencies, now have access to this training.

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The new technology in the shooting range allows them to create different scenarios and moving targets, similar to what law enforcement faces in the field.

"The goal is to always communicate, deescalate, try to never use lethal force. And if we have to, we want to use the least amount of force possible," Curry said.

The average target an officer faces is usually less than 15 feet away, with split-second decisions being the difference between life and death.

The simulations varied, and included active shooter scenarios and how to deescalate certain situations.

Body cameras are more important than ever, not only for transparency for the public, but also as a pivotal role in training.

The active shooter or use of force simulators have been created based off of actual experiences caught from body cameras.

Now, 40 departments across Cook County are using these simulations and programs to continuously deescalate situations without using force.