ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- By the end of February Rockford Police will be using a $50,000 deadly force simulator to train officers -- and avoid officer-involved shootings.

It's like a video game for officer training. It comes with its own pre-set scenarios but can also be programmed to re-enact real life situations like the officer shooting on Jan. 28 on Longwood Avenue in Rockford.

The simulator allows police to train with different types of weapons to see how the outcome could be different.

Rockford Police Chief Chet Epperson says it's an important tool that all officers will have access to. The Department was urged to buy the simulator with grant money after the Mark Barmore shooting in 2009.