LEXINGTON – Twenty-five officers from 12 agencies completed advanced emergency vehicle operations training yesterday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Law enforcement officers from around the state were able to put their skills to the test at Mid-Ohio’s premier 2.4 mile, 15-turn road race course.
Using law enforcement casino training funds, Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio State Highway Patrol Emergency Vehicle Operations Instructors along with veteran race car drivers, designed the training to heighten the skill level of officers around the state to operate a patrol vehicle in the most efficient and safest manner possible.
The six-hour training incorporated both classroom instruction and practical exercises. Eight officers from Richland County participated in the training.
“The leading cause of on-duty deaths of law enforcement officers nationally is automobile related traffic crashes,” said Director John Born, Ohio Department of Public Safety. Driving skills are perishable. This advanced training provides officers from across Ohio the opportunity to improve their skills.
Before these casino law enforcement training funds were available, it was the responsibility of the individual agencies to incur the cost of sending officers to advanced training opportunities like this.
Class attendees and their associated agency included Chris Alten, Amherst Police Department; Neil Assenheimer, Bucyrus Police Department; Jeffery Banker, Wyoming Police Department; Jeromie Barnhart, Ontario Police Department; John Bartolucci, Ontario Police Department; Tim Bell, Hillsboro Police Department; Brian Berigan, Wyoming Police Department; Richard BeVier, Ontario Police Department; Nathan Brumley, Lancaster Police Department; Brain Butler, Hillsboro Police Department; Bruce Clayton, Allen County Sheriff’s Office; Scott Davis, Bucyrus Police Department; Eric Daniels, Hillsboro Police Department; Gregory Ford, Ontario Police Department; Rocky Helton, Oxford Township Police Department; Adam Henry, Ontario Police Department; Julia Huff, Oxford Township Police Department; Carl Nolder, St. Clair Township; Nelson Kilgore, Mansfield Police Department; Cory Lee, Allen County Sheriff’s Office; Berniece Malone, Ontario Police Department; Matthew Markley, Wadsworth Police Department; Rusty Riegler, Oxford Township Police Department; Chad Webster, Norwood Police Department; and Brian Williams, Ontario Police Department.
