cover story
10 • July 5, 2012
The Splash
Keeping up to speed A (no-)crash course in driving an emergency vehicle with the LLPD
By Kelly Moore Splash Column
During the month of June, LLPD officers played a major role in coordinating, instructing and learning at the regional Emergency Vehicle Operations Course held at the Spokane County Raceway. When I got the invitation to check out things in Airway Heights, I somewhat jokingly told LLPD Chief Brian Asmus I’d only go if he promised I wouldn’t die. He responded saying he couldn’t make that promise, but I’d be kept as safe as possible. Arriving at the track, I was greeted by LLPD Police Sergeant Clint Gibson and I again (and less-jokingly) asked my life be guaranteed for the next hour. He obliged, and I relaxed a little, telling him that was better than the chief could do. “Oh, the chief doesn’t come out here anymore because we scare him,” Gibson laughed. I nervously laughed with him, hoping we had just shared a joke, and met his promise with one of my own: I will not throw up in the car. Apparently, all the high-speed zig-zagging on the course can cause motion sickness, and I’d need to speak up if I started feeling nauseous. After confirming I wouldn’t need a helmet, Gibson went into a professional and matter-of-fact explanation of things, and I started to feel a little more at ease. He, along with Jeff Holmstead from the Washington State University Police, coordinated the training event, serving 123 officers from nine regional agencies. The collaborative effort included donated track time from the Spokane County Raceway, cones and equipment from the
See LLPD, page 12
Splash photos by Kelly Moore
Clockwise from top: Nine agencies participated in the emergency vehicle operations course co-coordinated by LLPD; LLPD Police Sergeant Clint Gibson maneuvers through obstacles while explaining the proper driving skills; and Splash reporter Kelly Moore gets the scoop from the front seat.
LLPD considers speed skills high risk, low frequency Department has logged 16 pursuits in its history By Kelly Moore Splash staff writer
While law enforcement agencies may plan not to call on Emergency Vehicle Operations Course skills often, Liberty Lake Police Department Chief Brian Asmus said you can’t be too safe. When two Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies were shot near Deer Park on June 19, an LLPD officer was part of the regional response, and his EVOC training was put to use. Whether in a pursuit, or maneuvering through traffic with lights and sirens, officers
train regularly to keep skills fresh for when they’re needed. “It’s a dangerous thing to be involved in, so when the decision is made to initiate a pursuit, it’s not taken lightly,” Asmus explained. He added that the department follows a comprehensive policy on pursuits, with guidelines on when to initiate and terminate such action. Officers consider the seriousness of the offense as well as the environment, safety of the community and safety of those involved. In the agency’s history, he said 16 pursuits have been documented, though those stats don’t account for quick-response calls of agency assists. Still, Asmus said all of those
calls were cleared without accident or injury. And as far as putting practiced skills into play, he said the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course included two parts – training for pursuits, and skills practice for everyday maneuvering. While the pursuits portion is considered “the fun part,” Asmus said both are equally important and taken seriously. “It’s all about preventing accidents during our daily driving,” Asmus explained. “The highspeed stuff we train for is what we consider high risk and low frequency. We’ve only had two officer-involved shootings in our history, but we still train on firearms quarterly because of the liabilities associated with incidents like that.”