A most realistic mock course

March 13, 2013

When the Virginia State Police received grant monies from a federal seizure case, they considered how they might utilize the funds. Hiring was out of the question, but grant conditions stipulated the money could be used for capital improvement. Agency officials chose to construct a state-of-the-art complex dedicated to improving on-the-road training and techniques for officers.

The brand new driver training facility just outside the town of Blackstone, Va. is adjacent to Virginia Department of State Police (VDSP) Fort Pickett campus. Fort Pickett is an army base that was closed by the Department of Defense but is still used by Virginia national guards and several branches of the U.S. military for training. Prior to the construction of their new driver training complex, Virginia state police lacked a dedicated space set up for training of this type. For years they improvised, utilizing either abandoned airport runways or a federal training facility in nearby Maryland. Since driving is a large part of the job for state troopers (and often a dangerous one at that) construction on a dedicated facility seemed the way to go.

“We do have some [troopers]…from time to time get hurt,” says Ronald Rice, program director with Virginia State Police. “What we’ve been using has been sort of makeshift up until now. This was built from the ground-up.”

Setting the course

Parts of the track look like something straight out of an upscale car commercial; that may be all thanks to the beauty and variety of Virginia’s natural landscape. The 342,000-square foot course boasts a variety of road configurations for the department’s mix of Fords and Chevrolets to traverse. Although parts flow through wooded areas where cruisers can kick up plenty of mud, large stretches of course also imitate highways and event urban areas laid out in city blocks. No detail was spared. A driver might encounter railroad crossings, five-point stops, a cloverleaf ramp, culd-de-sacs, alleys, dead ends, T-turns and roundabouts. There are even (prop) cars parked on (prop) side streets. Says Ken Wagner, the project manager for Dewberry, the company tasked with designing the facility: “They trainer doesn’t know that they’re there until they make the turn.”

Four-and-a-half miles of track are dedicated to high speed pursuit training. Because the roads are sometimes part concrete and part asphalt—with the occasional mock bridge thrown in—drivers can perfect maneuvers in various speeds, on various surfaces.

“And then there are also loop roads and like interchanges and different areas where cars can sit and wait, and then pull out to chase someone,” says Wagner.

Finally, an observation tower at the highest point in the center of the track allows instructors to watch the students as they traverse the course.      

The track itself sounds impressive—and fast. “So far it’s a learning curve for us,” says Rice. “A lot of thought and planning went into the design of the facility, especially the track. We looked at a lot of other ones to see what they did right and what they would like to change.”

For example, they saw a skidpan in Tennessee and got inspired. The unit is a beast of a training aid. In 25,000 square feet of pan a driver might try their hand at maintaining control on an icy, slushy road…or any other inclement condition seen in nature. Because the complex has its own water treatment plant and septic system, water on the skidpan is recycled.  

“We want the training to be as practical as possible, and yet we don’t want the cars wrecking like crazy, either,” says Rice. With all those vehicles experiencing wear and tear it’s only right to have an on-site gas station (with permitting for an underground tank) and maintenance garage. Still, “these cars do get tore up a bit,” he admits. “We can do some minor repairs on-site like brakes, change tires…that type of thing.”

On-road and off

Equal consideration was given to non-track elements of the complex. The expansive building has 60 squad rooms, on-side dining facilities, sleeping facilities, offices and meeting space. Classroom instruction will make use of the latest technology to compliment drive time, as most rooms have extensive audio visual systems, video conferencing and live video training.

In addition, sophisticated simulation systems allow a trainee to feel as if he or she is zipping between cars, or swerving to avoid hitting a child that’s run out in front. The Doron 550 LE Interactive Driving Simulation Systems used by VDSP are modeled to look and feel like the inside of a police cruiser. Students can get their feet wet in a controlled state before terrorizing the mock pedestrians.

The building has got full emergency power, in addition to its own water treatment and sewer, and it will serve as a backup site for department state police Continuous Operations and Facilities (COOP) should something ever happens to the main headquarters. Rice says it is also set to be used as an alternative emergency operations center for state police.

“We definitely have more space,” Rice says of the facility (which most certainly is a bit of an improvement over an abandoned runway). “We’ve gone to every measure we can think of to make it safe, but still practical to use.” He adds that other agencies are free to use the brand new course and complex. Now the only thing to do is move in and drive.

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