SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Around 130 law enforcement officers descended on Spokane County's new training facility and track outside Medical Lake for ALERT International's annual driving training academy on Tuesday.
“Expose them to what that stress would be like in a real-life situation," said ALERT International's president Geoffrey Bush.
The group of volunteers helps officers get hands on the wheel training of pursuits, pit maneuvers and all that comes with it.
"How to recognize the dangers, how to keep their emotions under control because law enforcement is stressful to begin with," Bush said.
The training comes less than four months since Washington state amended its police pursuit law, loosening strict restrictions to allow chases when there's reasonable suspicion for virtually any crime.
Lawmakers said that includes things like expired tabs, broken tail lights, even loud music, when pushing through the initiative in March 2024. The new law took effect June 4.
But as the state got more lenient, Detective Skye Ortiz with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said it made them stricter on their own pursuit policy.
“It’s made us smarter deputies, smarter officers out on the road," he said. “How thick is traffic, what time of day is it, are there schools letting out soon? All that’s starting to come into play and it’s really enhanced our overall awareness.”
Ortiz says, while allowed under the updated law, SCSO deputies aren't pursuing for minor violations. Every chase is supervised up to the "highest level" and is weighed against the possible danger to the public.
ALERT International's training doesn't focus on any one policy because its attendees come from various states, Bush said. This year's event features 130 officers from around 120 agencies across 30 U.S. States and Canada. That includes very small agencies and large state and federal entities.
“It’s some of the techniques that all officers need to be aware of during pursuits," Bush said.
They'll take what they learn here around the country and, Bush said, the event allows them to network and even share different techniques and skills their own agencies have learned.
Ortiz says it's all a foundation for safer streets, no matter the state or current laws.
“Not only the basics but getting better at the execution of these techniques so the public is as safe as humanly possible," he said.