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CNN Live At Daybreak

Cops Learn Key Maneuvers at Michigan Driving School

Aired May 08, 2002 - 06:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Some of the nation's top cops are learning life in the fast lane. They're attending a Michigan driving school that teaches key maneuvers so police can be better and faster on the road.

Our Keith Oppenheim joins us live from the Lancing, Michigan school -- good morning.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

I'm on the Michigan State Police test track in Lansing, and we're going to give you a sense of why this driving school has attracted police agencies from across the country. And we'll also show you how on 43 acres this school has helped police officers become better drivers and better decision-makers.

One of the drills practiced here is called evasive maneuvering, and it is where students are told by an instructor at the last moment to go either right or left to avoid an obstacle. And the man behind the wheel is Lt. David Haliday (ph), commander of the unit. He's going to show what it looks like when -- there you go -- when a police officer properly performs the procedure. He got right through the cones without any problem.

We're going to give a demonstration of what happens when a police officer oversteers, overreacts and things go wrong.

But first, let's talk about pursuits.

A lot of what officers deal with in this school is just that. They focus on when not to pursue suspects as much as how to. The risk to others and the officers themselves is part of the decision-making process, but at the same time, a better-trained driver can catch a suspect, not by driving faster necessarily, but by driving more effectively. Corners and curves are where trained police officers can use vehicle dynamics to catch the bad guy.

OK, we're going to get back to our demonstration. Lt. Haliday, we call him Doc, is going to show what happens when an officer oversteers and overreacts. There you see, Carol, it's a pretty wild skid and a loss of control is the result. And in the end, it's really an example of what can go wrong on the track but in a sense help teach a police officer of how -- of how to make things go right on the job.

Reporting live in Lansing, I'm Keith Oppenheim.

Carol, back to you in -- at CNN.

COSTELLO: I can see how helpful that would be in high-speed chases, which have become very controversial in the past couple of months.

OPPENHEIM: Yes, that's absolutely true. And one of the focuses of the work on the track is not only how to handle the car more effectively but how to evaluate all the factors. Are you near a school? Are you near residences? What's the weather like? What's the nature of the crime? Is it worth it? It's really important for a police officer to take out of this school to evaluate the whole situation and be mature about the decision that he or she is making. That's what they emphasize.

COSTELLO: Hey, Keith, can anybody take this course? I mean it might be helpful for all drivers.

OPPENHEIM: Well, you have to be promoted by one's department. You have to be a police officer. Your department has to pay for it. Within the Michigan State Police there are troopers that come to this school as part of the state police program, but other agencies pay for their officers to go to this school. And a lot of what they also do is try to have their police officers become instructors so they can take some of the value of what's taught at this precision driving school and bring it to police officers elsewhere.

COSTELLO: Understand. Thank you.

Keith Oppenheim reporting live for us this morning from Michigan.

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