Photo courtesy of the College of DuPage

The College of DuPage, a 40-year-old institution in Glen Ellyn, Ill., recently finished building it's state-of-the-art 60,000 square-foot Homeland Security Education Center. The center features...

The College of DuPage, a 40-year-old institution in Glen Ellyn, Ill., recently finished building it's state-of-the-art 60,000 square-foot Homeland Security Education Center. The center features multiple special training rooms including an indoor street scene equipped with training-technology-savvy company Cubic Corp.'s urban instrumentation system, laser sensors and ballistically accurate laser transmitters mounted on actual weapons to realistically simulate gun battles.

Photo courtesy of the College of DuPage

On August 17 the college hosted a full-scale reenactment of the North Hollywood bank robbery to demonstrate the HEC's training abilities. HEC has forensic and cybercrimes labs, a mock courtroom, a...

On August 17 the college hosted a full-scale reenactment of the North Hollywood bank robbery to demonstrate the HEC's training abilities. HEC has forensic and cybercrimes labs, a mock courtroom, a smoke room with moveable walls for firefighter scenarios and a debriefing room with floor-to-ceiling viewing screens.

Photo courtesy of the College of DuPage

For the Hollywood shootout demo, officers from West Chicago, North Aurora, Braidwood and Bloomingdale played the four officers and two assailants. The role players exchanged "gunfire" in the 4,500...

For the Hollywood shootout demo, officers from West Chicago, North Aurora, Braidwood and Bloomingdale played the four officers and two assailants. The role players exchanged "gunfire" in the 4,500 square-foot indoor street scene using Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) equipment from Cubic Corp.

Photo courtesy of the College of DuPage

Theo Darden, an associate professor of criminal justice at the College of DuPage explains that the facility is intended for dual learning to give students the benefit of classroom instruction and live...

Theo Darden, an associate professor of criminal justice at the College of DuPage explains that the facility is intended for dual learning to give students the benefit of classroom instruction and live practice. "[The facility] is capable of bringing the theory of criminal justice, fire science, and emergency management to practice," Darden says.

Photo courtesy of the College of DuPage

Officers participating in the reenactment were outfitted with Cubic's MILES Individual Weapons System kits, worn by trainees and laser transmitters for pistols and shotguns.

Officers participating in the reenactment were outfitted with Cubic's MILES Individual Weapons System kits, worn by trainees and laser transmitters for pistols and shotguns.

Photo courtesy of the College of DuPage

Brooks Davis, a reserve officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and sales and marketing manager for Cubic, says the North Hollywood shootout (which originally took place in...

Brooks Davis, a reserve officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and sales and marketing manager for Cubic, says the North Hollywood shootout (which originally took place in 1997) was chosen for the reenactment to demonstrate the evolution of law enforcement since that incident. "With the right training, using the right technology with the right weaponry, officers can bring a similar incident to a much quicker, and hopefully much safer, close," he says.

Photo courtesy of the College of DuPage

The Hollywood shootout role players in formation during the demo.

The Hollywood shootout role players in formation during the demo.

Photo courtesy of the College of DuPage

Davis explains Cubic technology at the August 17 event. The tech elements incorporated into the HEC include Cubic's Advanced System Architecture for Urban Live Training (ASAULT), and the MILES After...

Davis explains Cubic technology at the August 17 event. The tech elements incorporated into the HEC include Cubic's Advanced System Architecture for Urban Live Training (ASAULT), and the MILES After Action Review System (MAARS), used to create debriefing sessions after an exercise.