EATON —The Eaton Police Division held its annual driving training at Eaton High School on Friday, July 17.
The driving, according to Sergeant Steven Hurd, who acts as the departments driving instructor, is a good way for officers to practice technical driving techniques.
“We do have a stringent pursuit policy but this is also technical and not just pursuit. We drive fast to people in danger who need our help so today is about honing our skills to make sure we do that safely,” Hurd said.
There were three courses Hurd said came from Butler Tech where he takes classes for driving techniques and they each provide their own benefits to hone officers’ driving skills.
Hurd said Butler Tech teaches him ten courses, and each year he mixes up the courses so Eaton officers get a wide range of technical training.
The training consisted of three different courses each officer had a chance to make multiple runs through before a friendly competition between members of the department.
The competition allowed each officer to drive through each course. Courses featured reverse and forward driving as well as quick turnarounds. The competition used a combination of time to complete and cones hit to determine the winner.
Chief Chad DePew noted that in some departments, once officers leave the police academy, they stop practicing driving techniques and training.
He said he likes his officers to practice every year because while on duty, officers spend a large amount of time in their cars and brushing up on techniques is a good safety practice for both his officers and the public.
