It’s Dustin Garduno’s first semester in the criminal justice and law enforcement/corrections program at Riverland Community College. Only a few weeks into his course work, the new student has already confronted several situations where he’s had to decide whether to draw a weapon.

Garduno was introduced to the program’s Use of Force Simulator Tuesday, an interactive training system designed to assist law enforcement students with making decisions.

To an outsider, the Use of Force Simulator looks like an advanced type of video game. A projector screen shows a high-definition crime scenario, often hostile in nature. Students act as police called to the scene in real time. They talk to the subjects, demand that they put their hands up or drop their weapons and ultimately decide whether the situation calls for the use of a weapon — a Taser, a handgun or Mace.

“The students really gain a lot of extra knowledge and confidence using the program,” said Steve Wald, a full-time instructor in the program, formerly with the Austin Police Department.

Wald said the program has more than 400 scenarios. They include crimes in action at a casino, a domestic argument in a parking lot, going into a home with a warrant, among others.

There are also moving target practice situations, like one called “Skid Row.” In a dilapidated alley, people pop up in windows and behind trash cans, one after another. If the pop-ups have a weapon, the student shoots, if not, they hold fire. They have only an instant to make each decision.

The students are supposed to act like real police, on duty, during the simulation and protect themselves from the subjects on screen. There are prop walls and squad cars in the room to duck behind whenever the scenario demands it.

If not, an instructor or teaching assistant, sitting at a control desk in the back of the room, directing the on-screen simulation, can have a pellet fired at students.

“It’s a bit of a painful reminder to get tucked in,” Wald said.

After each scenario is completed, there is a debriefing. If the student fired a weapon, the simulator tells them whether they were on target. A video camera that tapes every situation plays back the student’s action, so they can see and discuss their timing and decision making.

Wald said Riverland Community College has had the program for about four years and just upgraded it last spring.

“It is a way to supplement the course work with realistic field-type practice,” he said.

One of the system’s pseudo, actual size, nine-millimeter shotguns even kicks back like the real thing. A Taser, mace and flashlight are also made to actual weight and size.

It helps build skills other than imminent decision making and aim though, Wald said. His students benefit from practicing “verbal judo” — speaking and commanding techniques —and writing reports of the action afterward, just like in a real interaction.

Last semester students at Riverland logged 280 hours on the simulator. A high semester can yield 310, Wald said. The program has near 100 students.

The Austin Police Department, the Explorers and the Reserves have used the Simulator at Riverland to practice their skills, and Wald said the department is working on creating more opportunities for shared use.

“I can tell it is going to be a very useful tool,” Garduno said after his first time using the system. “It had me on edge, thinking for a second ‘Wait, is this real?’”