With the FY25 safer outcomes grant award, the sacramento police department (SPD) will continue to build on its commitments of both enhancing training for its officers and increasing the quality and…

The Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Program awarded the Sacramento Police Department $500,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants program (CFDA 16.710) to develop and expand the DRIVR Program (De-Escalation and Results in Virtual Reality).

The DRIVR Program delivers virtual reality training scenarios to police officers and immersive community engagement experiences. Officers receive state-of-the-art VR training at increased intervals covering high-difficulty call types including active shooters, quick response drills, and de-escalation encounters with individuals experiencing mental health crises. Community members engage in parallel real-world scenario simulations designed to deepen their understanding of officer decision-making and strengthen community-police relationships. The funding supports a professional consultant to track program performance, conduct research, and guide program revision as it develops.

The program operates in Sacramento, California, with a period of performance from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. The assistance type is a Project Grant.

With the FY25 safer outcomes grant award, the sacramento police department (SPD) will continue to build on its commitments of both enhancing training for its officers and increasing the quality and quantity of outreach to the community IT serves with the development of the innovative drivr program: DE-escalation and results in virtual reality. Through this funding opportunity, SPD will dramatically expand its virtual reality training availability to its officers and create an interactive and safe environment for community members to experience the challenges, obstacles, and decision points that the officers who serve them face every day. Project activities are tailored to the appropriate audiences: officers will be given state-of-the-art virtual reality training scenarios at increased intervals to ensure exposure to a variety of the most difficult types of calls for service including active shooters, quick response drills, and DE-escalating encounters with those who have mental health issues; community members will be given the opportunity to engage in the same type of real-world scenarios that test their abilities and impact not just their perceptions of the circumstances that officers find themselves in but provide a direct link between SPD and themselves that can be constructive. Funding will also provide for a professional consultant to be brought on to track the program, conduct research, and help revise the program as IT develops. The drivr program would have three primary impacts for the department and the community. First, IT would provide training in a virtual environment that would otherwise be a logistical and costly burden to achieve as no additional personnel or physical structures would be needed. Second, experience shows that the more veteran an officer is, the less likely they are to use force unless absolutely necessary. The drivr program can speed up that process for younger officers by helping them acquire the muscle memory that becomes critical in the proper handling of intense, challenging situations. Third, the drivr program will help the department better connect with the community IT serves and help IT develop a shared understanding of the challenges law enforcement faces. Community members will be allowed to go through real-world scenarios and get an authentic feel for the types of situations that officers need to be able to deal with on a daily basis.