Driver Training Program for Officers Studied
The Long Beach Police Department, which last year had more car accidents than it has cars, is considering a driver awareness program for officers to curtail collisions that cost the city $147,000 in damages, according to a department memo.
The agency, which has 101 black and white cruisers, recorded 155 accidents during the 1990-91 fiscal year. Only three cars in the fleet were not involved in a crash, according to a Nov. 12 memo from Acting Deputy Chief Stephen Bonswor to Assistant Police Chief Eugene Brizzolara.
The proposed accident prevention program would increase training, supervision and discipline and is expected to reduce the costs of patrol car accidents by 25%. More than half of last year’s accidents were preventable, according to the memo.
Police officials refused to comment on the department’s traffic record or the proposed program. But Police Officers Assn. President Paul Chastain said he does not consider the number of accidents excessive because most were minor.
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