MOUNT VERNON — Everybody remembers taking their driver’s license test when they were 16.
Now, take that test, add two more courses and run it maybe 20 miles an hour faster.
That’s what Mount Vernon Police Department Det. Sgt. Justin Willis, alongside two other instructors, did in the Hiawatha Water Park’s parking lot on Aug. 27.
The 10-year veteran cop took the lead in instructing new and experienced officers in three driving courses: a five-point star exercise, a fast back course and a controllable weave course.
“These courses here are all modeled and come off a lesson plan from OPOTA (Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy), so that’s what they are relearning to become proficient in that,” MVPD Lt. Rex Young said.
All of MVPD is mandated to complete the training, but Willis said they also opened up time slots for neighboring agencies as well.
“We extend our training out to other agencies, other jurisdictions,” Willis said. “We’ve had Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Fredericktown PD here training with us these last two weeks.”
“It helps our guys integrate with their guys, and everybody gets to work together better.”
The courses
The star exercise was the only thing somewhat comparable to a normal driver’s license maneuverability test.
Officers practiced parallel parking-like turns in forward and reverse around cones to build confidence behind the wheel.
Feeling confident, officers then moved over to the 15-second fast back course, where one of the two official tests occurred.
Drivers would start at the top of the course in park, bring the RPMs up, punch it in reverse at 20-30 miles an hour and then whip the car into a parking spot.
“The fast back essentially is teaching them to back up quickly through obstacles or whatnot and then get on the brakes and back into a safe space,” Willis said.
The other tested course set up was the controllable weave.
Officers would start in a cone “garage” and weave through cones going forward and backward, briefly stopping in other “garages.”
Willis stated that the goal is for officers to be comfortable feeling the weight distribution of the car and to avoid overcorrected turns.
So, how does an officer pass these tests? Again, similar to a maneuverability test, don’t hit the cones, but drive fast enough to get around a one-minute lap.
The logistics behind the training
Officers must complete 24 hours of training per year; the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission mandates eight of those hours.
This driving training, combined with a class, falls under the mandatory eight hours.
“OPOTA’s big pushes this year were driver’s training, domestic violence and officer wellness, that’s where they wanted to see you doing extra training,” Willis said.
“The state says you will take these online classes through us and then 16 elective. A lot of the elective training is sitting on a computer, clicking through stuff, so we’re trying to get our guys out and get them active.”
Since MVPD is big enough, the department has invested in training officers to be instructors for the various exercises, Young said.
“We’ve had pretty good feedback from everybody that’s taken the training, and a lot of good has come out of it,” Willis said.
