The Columbia County Sheriff’s Department has an advantage over most law enforcement agencies when it comes to enhancing the safety of deputies and officers by giving them better driving skills.
That advantage is the county’s skid track course located behind the Sheriff’s Office in Appling. The track provides various training courses like skid control, breaking exercises, off road recovery and cone exercise.
According to County Commission Chairman Douglas Duncan, the course is one of only two in Georgia. Chief Deputy Mike Adams says the course provides a more in-depth training than the three-day mandated driving course of the Police Academy.
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“The police academy has to go through two days of this (training). Their skid training is not the same as the agency (Columbia County Sheriff’s Office),” said Staff Sergeant Dale Newman. “They (police academy) do what is called basic driving, which is the breaking exercise, the cone exercise and the skid control.”
Newman instructs the Columbia County’s driving courses along with adjunct instructors. It takes five to six driving instructors to conduct courses, says Newman. Class sizes vary, depending upon how many are enrolled in the state police academy.
“We do stuff that is a little more advanced,” said Newman.
Newman thinks the breaking exercise is the most beneficial because it teaches how the anti-lock braking system (ABS) functions. Maintaining rolling friction inside the breaks gives more control when handling a vehicle.
“When a lot of people first activate it (ABS), the car underneath feels like its tearing up like its jerking and gyrating. They let off because it scares them,” said Newman. “You’re not tearing the car up. That is what the car is designed to do.”
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The cone exercise provides four-corner awareness.
“It’s just a bunch of pulling and backing,” said Newman. The course is designed to teach the cadets how to become fully aware of their vehicles in hazardous and tight areas so that they will not hit anything, according to Newman.
“Understanding the pivot point of the car, how far you have to get off an obstacle and how far you get up past it before you can move,” said Newman about the learning benefit of the cone exercise. The cone exercise must be completed in two minutes and 40 seconds by cadets. If a cadet is over the time limit, they fail out of the academy. They have to sign up for the next police academy session if they want to complete the course.
The driving course is used by all Columbia County employees including the fire department. Neighboring counties like Richmond and Aiken use the course, too.
A program for teenagers is in the works. It will start with a presentation before the teens drive the course.
“It is for them to come and get enhanced driving skills,” said Newman.
Haley Knight is a contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at haley.knight@TheAugustaPRESS.com
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