Week 18, Day 3
We have now moved into the driving portion of the academy. This is by far, the best week of the academy. I am sure the instructors have heard this before, but really this is way too much fun. We are learning driving techniques that I never thought were possible. Its fun…it’s demanding…and it is a true adrenaline rush. We are not only pushing ourselves, but we are pushing the vehicles capabilities.
We are developing skills for our final POST driving test. We get an hour at each station and then on Saturday, we will put it all together and test out. If you are one who gets car sick…then this may not be your cup of tea. I was riding shotgun with my buddy Gonzo and almost threw up in his lap yesterday. Not a good feeling.
The best part of this course is the high speed braking. We start out relatively slow (45 mph) and work up to 60 and 65 mph and drive straight at a row cones (signifying a wall). Once we get close to the wall…we slam on the brakes with both feet and steer around the wall, trying not to hit anything. Every time we got faster, the adrenaline goes up. Even though they are only cones…it’s the simulation that it could be a real wall or even a car that has stopped in front of us. These vehicles really do turn and stop on a dime.
Another technique we have learned is…what they call shuffle steering. This is where you place your hands at 9 and 3 on the steering wheel and they never leave the wheel. Sounds easy, but it’s not when your trying to steer a 4000 pound vehicle around a cone. I want to thank Officer Schoepflin from Wheat Ridge PD. He stayed after class to help me with my shuffle steering and get me on track (no pun intended).
The idea behind all of these techniques is to trust the vehicle we are driving.
Now imagine all these driving techniques being taught and practiced…in the rain. Monday wasn’t so bad, but Tuesday was a cold rainy day. The rain made for some interesting braking and vehicle skids. Overall, it was a great day.
One thing I forgot to mention in my previous blog…but I have done a couple ride-a-longs with a friend of mine at Wheat Ridge PD. I rode on a Saturday night during Memorial Day weekend. It was really cool. What’s cool about it is…I get to take everything I have learned in the last 17 weeks and watch it being applied to real life situations. During my ride, we pulled a vehicle over for a traffic violation and it turned into an arrest. I sat in the patrol car and watch this whole thing unfold. From the time we stopped the vehicle to the time the suspect was in custody, took all of 10 minutes. It happened that fast. It’s a great experience if you have never done it…I highly recommend it. Not only for me getting to put it all together, but you also get to see what these police officers deal with on a daily basis. So thank you to Wheat Ridge PD for their ride-a-long program and thanks to SGT. Balafas for letting me tag along.
We have now moved into the driving portion of the academy. This is by far, the best week of the academy. I am sure the instructors have heard this before, but really this is way too much fun. We are learning driving techniques that I never thought were possible. Its fun…it’s demanding…and it is a true adrenaline rush. We are not only pushing ourselves, but we are pushing the vehicles capabilities.
We are developing skills for our final POST driving test. We get an hour at each station and then on Saturday, we will put it all together and test out. If you are one who gets car sick…then this may not be your cup of tea. I was riding shotgun with my buddy Gonzo and almost threw up in his lap yesterday. Not a good feeling.
The best part of this course is the high speed braking. We start out relatively slow (45 mph) and work up to 60 and 65 mph and drive straight at a row cones (signifying a wall). Once we get close to the wall…we slam on the brakes with both feet and steer around the wall, trying not to hit anything. Every time we got faster, the adrenaline goes up. Even though they are only cones…it’s the simulation that it could be a real wall or even a car that has stopped in front of us. These vehicles really do turn and stop on a dime.
Another technique we have learned is…what they call shuffle steering. This is where you place your hands at 9 and 3 on the steering wheel and they never leave the wheel. Sounds easy, but it’s not when your trying to steer a 4000 pound vehicle around a cone. I want to thank Officer Schoepflin from Wheat Ridge PD. He stayed after class to help me with my shuffle steering and get me on track (no pun intended).
The idea behind all of these techniques is to trust the vehicle we are driving.
Now imagine all these driving techniques being taught and practiced…in the rain. Monday wasn’t so bad, but Tuesday was a cold rainy day. The rain made for some interesting braking and vehicle skids. Overall, it was a great day.
One thing I forgot to mention in my previous blog…but I have done a couple ride-a-longs with a friend of mine at Wheat Ridge PD. I rode on a Saturday night during Memorial Day weekend. It was really cool. What’s cool about it is…I get to take everything I have learned in the last 17 weeks and watch it being applied to real life situations. During my ride, we pulled a vehicle over for a traffic violation and it turned into an arrest. I sat in the patrol car and watch this whole thing unfold. From the time we stopped the vehicle to the time the suspect was in custody, took all of 10 minutes. It happened that fast. It’s a great experience if you have never done it…I highly recommend it. Not only for me getting to put it all together, but you also get to see what these police officers deal with on a daily basis. So thank you to Wheat Ridge PD for their ride-a-long program and thanks to SGT. Balafas for letting me tag along.
This is rapid lane changing. What this photo doesn't show is the vehicle is traveling at 30 mph.
A successful lane change without knocking over cones.
If you hit a cone, you have to get out and reset it.
High speed braking.
Concentrating on NOT hitting the cones
It's hard not to smile when you're having this much fun
Bill and Gonzo getting ready to attack the course
This is the Preacher...he's always smiling
