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When officers respond to a call that seems routine — like a mental health check — they often have no idea how quickly that encounter could escalate. For Officer Alessandra Winterbauer of the Lincoln (Nebraska) Police Department, what began as a calm conversation with a confused subject turned into a life-or-death confrontation. Her ability to remain composed and rely on recent virtual reality training helped avoid a deadly outcome and led to her recognition with Axon’s 2025 Jack Cover Save of the Year Award.
Officer Winterbauer and a colleague were dispatched to check on a man experiencing a possible mental health crisis. After a calm 20-minute conversation, the man abruptly asked, “If I come at you guys with a knife, will you shoot me?” Moments later, he sprinted toward officers. Winterbauer deployed her TASER 10 from over 30 feet away — just minutes after completing VR-based TASER training. Her successful response neutralized the threat without serious injury, demonstrating the real-world value of immersive, high-frequency training.
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This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by OfficerStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting OfficerStore.com.
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Tune in to discover:
- What happened when a man in crisis asked, “If I come at you with a knife, will you shoot me?”
- How VR-based TASER training helped Officer Winterbauer make a split-second, life-saving decision
- Why identifying roles — lethal vs. less-lethal — is key to team-based response during high-stress calls
- What support systems helped Lincoln PD officers process the incident and recover mentally
- How Officer Winterbauer’s story challenges assumptions about physical size and gender in policing
Key takeaways from this episode
- VR training can make the difference: Winterbauer completed Axon’s VR TASER training just 30 minutes before the encounter. The repetition helped build muscle memory, allowing her to react quickly and effectively under pressure.
- De-escalation doesn’t always look like conversation: Though the subject appeared calm initially, a sudden behavioral shift revealed suicidal intent — highlighting the need for vigilance, adaptability and team coordination in mental health calls.
- Clear roles and communication are critical: Lincoln PD officers vocalize their equipment roles — lethal vs. non-lethal — before engaging. This clarity helped Winterbauer’s team avoid crossfire or confusion during a fast-moving threat.
- Support after critical incidents matters: Winterbauer praised her agency’s culture of peer support, noting immediate check-ins by supervisors and access to confidential debriefs and 24/7 emotional support resources.
- Confidence overcomes doubt — especially for women in policing: Winterbauer, a 5’4" officer who once doubted her place in law enforcement, encourages women to pursue the profession, emphasizing that physical size doesn’t determine success — training, mindset and purpose do.
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