Las Vegas NowI-Team: Inside the Nye County Holodeck

I-Team: Inside the Nye County Holodeck

PAHRUMP, Nv. -- Crime is on the rise in Pahrump. The sleepy, quirky hamlet just an hour's drive from Las Vegas has seen a hostage situation, a hostile car theft, a convenience store hold-up and a car chase-turned-shootout all in one day.

Thirty-seven thousand residents could be quaking in fear, knowing the Nye County Sheriff's Office faces wave after wave of crazed lawbreakers, yet they do not. All the crime is on a computer. More than a computer, actually. Nye County uses one of the most sophisticated training simulators on the market -- the Virtra System. Installed eight months ago, it acts as a gigantic videogame system with endless scenarios for recruits.

Stadium-grade subwoofers pound out gunfire while twinkling 180-degree high definition screens wrap around the recruit's peripheral vision.

"You never know where somebody's going to come out of -- from behind the van or the person who runs out with a cell phone," said Jennifer Jonas. She is one of the half a dozen recruits using the system for the first time.

They grab any number of modified weapons, from a Glock pistol, to pepper spray. "You have to utilize it in the exact same way as you would every other shotgun," Deputy Chief Jim Scott said as he cocks the weapon's compressed air into place.

Advanced cameras and light tracking systems pinpoint each shot with lasers. The computer can register hits and misses, giving instant feedback.

Scott and other trainers create encounters with suspects and victims and then craft multiple outcomes and twist endings. Scott tweaks the scene on the fly, depending on the actions of the recruit. "She is not listening to you. But she's not being threatening," he chirps as one recruit focuses too much on a suspect.

Throwing the unknown at recruits keeps them fresh. The simulator is one of the few ways trainers can surprise would-be cops. Then there is the shock belt. "If we get shot, we're going to have to try to work through some pain," Jonas said.

Recruits wrap a thick black belt just above their waist. One rectangular pack sits in the small of the back. The other rests on the side. Scott and the trainers revel in letting the belt jolt recruits who are not quick to the draw. "It's negative reinforcement. Basically, if you fail, you'll feel it," Scott said, holding the belt gingerly. "There is a threat. There is a real threat. You're not just on a stage."

Nye County estimates the system cost around half a million dollars. The most advanced training system in the state helps a county just 1/45 the size of Las Vegas. Scott says it is not overkill; a smaller force means more officers will get access to Virtra.

Taxpayers also do not have to pay for the system. Using drug forfeiture money and grants, Nye County cobbled together the needed funds. Scott says he wants to use the system for years to come. "It might cost a lot, but how long will it last? We don't want to just have to get a new system in five years because it's broke," he said.

Until it breaks, crime will continue to rise in Pahrump, just in a dimly lit room filled with bits and bytes.