A Unique Partnership between an Educational Institution, a Mental Health Facility, Police Services, and a Regional Municipality: Using Simulation to Educate Frontline Police Officers.

This presentation highlights a unique partnership that began with a regional police service (Durham Regional Police Service), a mental health facility (Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences) and a university (University of Ontario Institute of Technology) collaborating on several educational initiatives. Following these successes, the partnership was awarded a grant to create four simulations with interactive videos and an adaptive learning system that places police in realistic simulated situations and provides them with opportunities to respond to the scenarios and also receive detailed feedback. Developed within a Flash framework, the simulations also have a self-contained library with additional learning resources and are based on actual police experiences. The purpose of these learning objects is to educate police about mental illness and how to interact effectively with individuals living with mental illness. In 2010, York Regional Police Service joined the collaboration and educational sessions were developed for their frontline officers. In 2011, the partnership expanded again with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Regional Municipality of Durham (Department of Social Services) volunteering to take the lead in developing a simulation that focused on elder abuse and the community resources that are available to address some of the safety issues facing seniors. Research studies have been conducted to evaluate the educational effectiveness of these simulations and to determine whether officers are actually applying their knowledge on-the-job. Currently mandatory training for DRPS and OPP officers, the simulations are also being used by a variety of other police services and community and educational organizations. A demonstration of these interactive video-based learning objects will be provided. The key research findings as well as the challenges/benefits associated with maintaining and expanding the partnership will also be included in this presentation