NCJ Number
143618
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 41 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1993) Pages: 60,62-64
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The San Bernardino County (California) Sheriff's Department's Emergency Vehicle Operations Training Center (EVOC) is paid for, operating in the black, and paying all construction costs, operating costs, and expenses without using tax dollars; this prototype of future departmental training centers is serving as a model for other agencies.
Abstract
When the program was established in 1986 as a joint project between the Sheriff's Department's Driver Training Program and the local community college, the founders set up a trust fund to cover operating expenses for both programs. EVOC used the money to train other area Basic Academy students, to buy used cars and equipment, and to begin construction of a permanent facility. Instructor courses were added to train local officers to teach in-house classes. Car manufacturers donated vehicles to be used in the courses and to transport instructors around the facility. At the new facility, students practice skid recovery at various speeds and in a number of formats. Each student has a vehicle, so several training exercises can be conducted simultaneously. Designed with several alternate routes, the facility allows students to experience freeway ramps, flooded areas, railroad crossings, hills, dips, and hairpin turns. The Sheriff's Department also rents the facility to filming companies, car manufacturers, car clubs, and racing schools. The growing EVOC trust fund will be used to finance a rifle range, additional pistol ranges, tire houses, and a commercial village.