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.

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