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Video: NFL players undergo use of force training with Cincinnati police

The players were invited to test out the firearms training simulator after expressing concerns about officer-involved shootings

By Police1 Staff

CINCINNATI — Bengals safety George Iloka and his teammates struggled to understand the fatal officer-involved shooting of Philando Castile last year.

“The cop asks for license, I hand it over, from what was on the video that’s what he did when he was shot. Makes me feel helpless,” Iloka told WKRC.

But after speaking with an officer who provides security for the team, Iloka said he began to see the shooting from the cop’s perspective as well.

To better understand policing, Iloka and his teammates accepted an offer to participate in the Cincinnati police academy’s firearm training simulator.

The players went through four hours of the shoot, don’t shoot simulator. The department wanted to give the players an inside look at what police officers may face on the beat.

When it was Iloka’s turn, he shot an armed suspect, but in a different simulation, he shot a person who was only carrying a water bottle.

Capt. Russ Neville told the publication it offered Iloka a whole different perspective.

“That person beats you and you look over and there is a touchdown scored, you live another day. Life goes on. We make a mistake, it’s your life or someone’s life,” Neville said.

https://www.facebook.com/WKRCTV/videos/10155069835711992/

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