Rapid City Police Officer Tessa Zach drew her gun and dodged a dozen armed suspects Thursday in the basement of the police department.

Luckily, the suspects were made of paper with laser targets affixed to them. Zach shot them with a laser gun the shape and size of the firearms Rapid City officers carry.

Going through the training course helps Zach prepare for situations that could happen to her on duty.

"It's excellent practice," she said. "This could happen on the streets of Rapid City."

Sgt. Wayne Asscherick said the laser-marksmanship training system is manufactured by BeamHit, a company based in Maryland.

He said the department bought the system about five years ago, and it cost about $25,000. Asscherick said although the system was expensive, it has saved the department money in the long run because it can be used over and over again without the cost of ammunition.

Asscherick said the system also allows instructors to set up simulated scenarios rather than having an officer fire a weapon on a shooting range. Also, people can wear targets to role-play dangerous scenarios.

"Hopefully, it gives our officers some insight on how to handle live situations," Sgt. Tom Senesac said.

Asscherick said every officer must complete the training course. It is graded on a pass-fail basis.

"We want to see how they move and how they use cover," he said.

Among the dangerous targets are civilian targets, such as a man holding a basket of french fries. The idea is to train officers to be aware of innocent bystanders, Asscherick said.

"We try to get them in situations they might actually be in someday so they know how to react," Asscherick said.

Senior officer Chad Strobel said the laser gun is not exactly like a firearm. It does not recoil after each shot. Even so, Strobel said, the laser-gun course allows officers to be evaluated on their work. And results of the BeamHit system course completion can be printed out.

"The exercise is designed to watch the officer's movement," Strobel said.

Evaluation includes how an officer takes advantage of items that can be used for cover, such as a cabinet or a stack of barrels.

The test course also includes audio from an actual shoot-out that occurred many years ago in California. Senesac said the audio is intended to distract or throw the officer off course.

Police Chief Steve Allender said the last time a Rapid City police officer shot a suspect was in April 2007, when officer Fred Baxter shot a burglary suspect when the suspect drove a Chevy Blazer at him, attempting to hit him.

A routine investigation by the South Dakota Attorney General's Office ruled that Baxter was justified in the shooting.

The suspect, a juvenile, recovered.

Contact Katie Brown at 394-8318 or katie.brown@rapidcityjournal.com