{"id":2950,"date":"2026-01-27T21:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T21:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/team-research\/?post_type=projects&p=2950"},"modified":"2026-01-28T15:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T15:38:17","slug":"recode-vr-for-policing-recognize-communicate-and-de-escalate","status":"publish","type":"projects","link":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/team-research\/projects\/recode-vr-for-policing-recognize-communicate-and-de-escalate\/","title":{"rendered":"ReCoDe VR for Policing: Recognize, Communicate, and De-Escalate"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row disable_element=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1596458870957{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1579011887505{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1579011932922{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Teaming for Interdisciplinary Research Pre-Seed Program<\/a><\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=”bg_color” css=”.vc_custom_1642004953070{margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}” bg_color_value=”#004e60″][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1578671862861{background-color: #004e60 !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1762981650248{margin-left: 10px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

ReCoDe VR for Policing: Recognize, Communicate, and De-Escalate
\n<\/span><\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1642018498769{margin-right: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”2951″ img_size=”465×335″ alignment=”right” css=”.vc_custom_1769550029094{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;background-color: #004e60 !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1595855041843{margin-top: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=””]Fatal encounters between police and the public too often involve behavioral-health crises. Police are often the first to encounter community members experiencing acute mental-health crises (e.g., psychosis, severe anxiety) and\/or substance-related crises (e.g., intoxication, stimulant-induced psychosis). In these high-stress encounters, miscommunication can escalate to use of force and civilian fatalities; national estimates indicate that roughly one in four deaths during law-enforcement contact involves a person with serious mental illness, and about one in five decedents show mental-illness symptoms or drug-induced disruptive behavior. The gap we target is communication and de-escalation in moments complicated by psychosis, intoxication, or both. We propose an interdisciplinary, VR-integrated De-Escalation Training Collaborative to design a scalable training-and-assessment blueprint that strengthens officers\u2019 crisis recognition, trauma-informed communication, and step-wise de-escalation to reduce harm to civilians.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Using immersive, co-created scenarios\u2014developed with law-enforcement trainers, behavioral-health clinicians, and community advisors\u2014we will prototype a four-module curriculum covering (1) mental and behavioral health symptoms, (2) substance misuse and co-occurring conditions, (3) crisis-communication skills, and (4) stepwise de-escalation tactics, all practiced and assessed in an immersive VR environment. Pre-seed support will help toward convening the team, run scenario\/design charrettes, align platform\/analytics\/privacy requirements, build an evaluation framework (behavioral competencies and rubrics), launch a project website, and cultivate agency\/funder partners. The outcome would be a fundable package positioning our UGA team for competitive seed and external opportunities (e.g., NIJ, DoD, DOJ-COPS, SAMHSA, NSF, Foundations) and a subsequent multi-site pilot with rigorous mixed-methods evaluation\u2014a path to scalable national dissemination of VR de-escalation training that reduces preventable deaths and harm across communities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Team Lead<\/h4>\n

Lee, Hee<\/strong>
\nhyl82711@uga.edu<\/a><\/u><\/span>
\nCollege: School of Social Work<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

Team Members<\/h4>\n

Ahn, Sun Joo (Grace)<\/strong>
\nsjahn@uga.edu<\/a><\/u>
\nCollege: Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/span>
\nDepartment: Advertising & Public Relations<\/span><\/p>\n

Silk, P. Daniel<\/strong>
\ndsilk@uga.edu<\/a>
\nDepartment: UGA Public Safety and University of Georgia Police Department<\/span><\/p>\n

Clark, Jeffrey<\/strong>
\njclark@police.uga.edu<\/a>
\nDepartment: University of Georgia Police Department<\/span><\/p>\n

Shannon, Sarah<\/strong>
\nsshannon@uga.edu<\/a>
\nCollege: Franklin College of Arts and Sciences<\/span>
\nDepartment: Criminal Justice Studies Program<\/span><\/p>\n

Doshi, Prashant<\/strong>
\npdoshi@uga.edu<\/a>
\nCollege: College of Engineering<\/span>
\nDepartment: Department of Computer Science<\/span><\/p>\n

Soobin, Kim<\/strong>
\nSoobin.Kim@uga.edu<\/u><\/a>
\nCollege: School of Social Work<\/span><\/p>\n

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