LEXINGTON – Twenty-one officers from 10 agencies completed advanced emergency vehicle operations training yesterday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington. 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.
“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.
Local officers completing the training included Joseph Cinadr, Galion Police Department; Adam Gongwer, Ontario Police Department; Robert Griefenstine, Ontario Police Department; Tony Grimwood, Ontario Police Department; John Mager, Ontario Police Department; John Magers, Shelby Police Department; Jon Sigler, Ontario Police Department; and Ryan Strange, Galion Police Department.
