Fayetteville police officers tested their skills behind the wheel this
week in a computerized driving simulator offered by the city’s insurance
company.
Officers faced situations from the everyday to the extreme, all the
while dodging vehicles, pedestrians and animals en route to the scene
or trying to stop a vehicle.
Designed to provide realism, the console looks like the interior of
the standard issue patrol car, with a front windshield and side windows
along with the control panel for lights and sirens.
In certain circumstances, the squealing of tires and thump-whump of
negotiating street curbs added to the realistic sound affects. A speaker
under the seat provided engine noise linked to the speed of the vehicle.
The steering and braking systems in the simulator as the same as in
the patrol cars, Crawshaw said.
At times, shifts in the simulator led to humorous moments as officers
chided themselves and each other for their performance.
“Radio, I’m going to Grady,” joked officer Warren Hartley
after he wrecked when a vehicle headed in the opposite direction crossed
into his lane.
“They’re having a good time, but every one of the officers
who has used it has said it’s realistic and it makes them realize
their reaction times,” said Det. Steve Crawshaw, who is in charge
of training for the department.
After each simulation, the scenario can be played back if necessary
for the officer to learn how to correct any flaws.
The simulator is run by David Trotter, a certified police instructor
who has specialized certifications in emergency vehicle operation and
railroad grad crossing incident management. Trotter also provided advice
to officers who experienced difficulties, and he sometimes complicated
the task at hand by radioing instructions to the officer as if he were
a real-life 911 dispatcher.
“You’re supposed to treat it like you would normally, including
stopping at stop signs and normal radio communication,” Crawshaw
noted.
The simulator can add different types of weather into the mix, including
snow, rain and fog, Crawshaw noted. It also simulates various driving
areas including downtown and residential city streets along with rural
roads and interstate highways, he added.
The hour of simulator time was preceded by four hours of classroom training,
Crawshaw said. The training covered regular and emergency response driving,
vehicle handling characteristics, physical driving conditions and driving
techniques for emergency response situations.
The classroom work also covered departmental policies, Crawshaw said,
noting that everyone in the department will have taken the training course.
The training and simulator experience was provided at no charge by Local
Government Risk Management Services, Inc., an organization of the Georgia
Municipal Association and the Association of County Commissioners of
Georgia.
The scenarios programmed into the simulator’s computer were taken
from real-life incidents the company has handled, noted Lt. Beverly Trainor.
Although there is no direct discount to the city’s insurance rates
for putting police officers through the course, that could happen in
the future, Trotter said.
“Obviously, they see it helps lower liability so it’s more
cost effective,” Crawshaw said.
