They protect us everyday and do their best to make sure our communities are safe, but the skills of a police officer go far beyond what many people see on a daily basis.

On Thursday, they let a WYMT reporter sit in on a training session at the Laurel County Sheriff's Office where an officer's skills were put to the test.

They have to make decisions about whether to use deadly force or a non-lethal weapon.

A simulated training system for officers has been stationed at the Laurel County Sheriffs Office for two days.

It's used in addition to training at the shooting range.

"It puts them in a decision making capacity that they may not get on the range," said Kevin Vermillion who works with Small Rural Travel Border Regional Center.

The simulator can put officers in a real life situations where the officers can have conversations with the offender. It can also be used as target practice.

"We can put them in front of static targets or just moving targets, and then we move up into a little more real life scenarios where it's more video based," said Vermillion.

The sheriff's office hopes this simulated training will help keep the community safer.