Class Introduces LAPD Recruits to Car Chases

High-speed chases may be entertaining to Southern California television viewers, but to police officers they can be a matter of life and death.

At the Edward M. Davis Training Facility, Los Angeles police recruits can practice high-speed chase scenarios on computerized driving simulators that were demonstrated to the media Tuesday.

Most recruits have never experienced the fear and excitement of a real pursuit when they take the Los Angeles Police Department’s driver training, said Sgt. Ron Moen of the department’s emergency vehicle operations training unit.

“We’re asking them to do something that’s foreign to them,” he said.

During training, recruits learn to do “smart pursuits,” which may mean letting the criminal get away if the chase will unnecessarily endanger themselves or others, Moen said.

“More officers are injured and killed in collisions than in any other law enforcement hazardous encounter,” he said.

Last year, the LAPD took part in 534 pursuits, most of them lasting about one to two minutes.

With the driving simulators, recruits get a feel for what to expect during pursuits without the risk of injury. They practice up to 125 scenarios that include interfering pedestrians, dogs, cyclists, vehicles and a fleeing suspect, said Officer Martin Fentress.

“We’re not going to make you better drivers; we will make you better decision-makers,” Fentress said he tells recruits.

Each of the four simulators features five screens of graphics, radio and siren controls, a siren bar, a steering wheel and brake and gas pedals. The four simulators cost $250,000.

Recruits also review footage of pursuits to learn what went wrong during an accident, something that isn’t possible with real pursuits.

“If they get into an accident here, I can hit abort and start all over again,” Fentress said.

In driver training, recruits are required to take 32 hours of instruction in the classroom and on a 4 1/2-mile track that contains sharp turns to simulate city driving. They learn to drive at high speeds and how to recover from skids on a wet portion of the course.

Recruits go up to 75 mph and take 35-mph turns, said Officer Jerry Bush.

He said students learn to drive while faced with distractions, such as using the radio, turning on sirens and watching traffic signals.

Recruits who have driven compact cars all their lives also have to adjust to driving a full-size sedan with eight cylinders and 200 horsepower, said Officer Marc Hemsworth.

“Some [recruits] are very slow,” he said. “Some have been waiting their whole lives for this, and it’s pedal to the metal.”

Others take the first turns fast and then slow down after they scare themselves. “It’s a lot different than ‘Starsky and Hutch’ on TV,” Hemsworth said.