Chris Cosgriff, ODMP's founder and executive director, will be participating in the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's Law Enforcement Safe Driving Symposium on February 9th and February 10th, 2012. Over the past 15 years, traffic related fatalities have been the leading single cause of law enforcement deaths. The purpose of this symposium is for leaders throughout law enforcement to address this major issue and turn this upward trend around.
Recommendations and findings that come out of this symposium will be made available to ODMP's visitors with the goal of reducing these preventable deaths.
Here is some more information about the symposium from our friends at FLETC's Driver and Marine Division:
On February 9th and 10th, the Driver/Marine Division (DMD) will host a lessons learned committee and will conduct presentations for Federal Law Enforcement Training Center staff, students and law enforcement professionals. On day one, the presentations will focus on law enforcement officer fatal motor vehicle crashes. During the past 13-years, motor vehicle crashes have been the leading cause of law enforcement officer deaths. In 2011, law enforcement officer deaths totaled 63 by gunfire and 58 by motor vehicle crashes. The first day presentations will focus on distracted driving and poor decision making as major contributing factors of law enforcement motor vehicle crashes. The presenters will discuss changes in driver training that have been made at FLETC and around the country to address the law enforcement officer fatalities.
The following day, the Driver and Marine Division will host a round table discussion and lessons learned symposium consisting of law enforcement executives and other professionals. The topic of conversation will be law enforcement distracted driving, the role of the administrator, training and awareness and how to address the growing problem of law enforcement motor vehicle crashes that result in injuries and/or fatalities. FLETC’s current training curriculum will be discussed, including the role of simulators in driver training. The main objective of this meeting will be the methods to better educate officers, agents and police administration on the serious issue of law enforcement distracted driving, reducing collisions and saving the lives of law enforcement personnel nationally.
In attendance will be several nationally recognized experts in the field of law enforcement driving, all of which are vocal advocates for the need to continually modify law enforcement driver training, in a constant effort to reduce the number of law enforcement related motor vehicle crashes. Among those attending will be:
Detective Kevin Navarro of the Dallas Police Department is also presently affiliated with A.L.E.R.T. International Standards and Training and serves as the Treasurer of that organization. Detective Navarro has been a highly successful law enforcement trainer for 13 years at the Dallas Police Academy where he develops curriculum and provides advanced instruction in topical areas including interviewing and interrogation, use of force, and general principles of criminal investigation. Detective Navarro is also a subject matter expert in the area of law enforcement driving.
Other executives and representatives from various public safety agencies will also attend.
