Division of Public Safety
Defensive and Tactical Driver Training Program

Doug Keith Associate Professor of Criminal Justice douglas.keith@ws.edu 423-318-2747

Overview:

Walters State Community College is recognized as the leader in driver training throughout East Tennessee. Each year, our driver training facility is utilized to train approximately 1,000 civilian and government drivers in the safe operation of motorcycles, police cars, school busses and fire rescue vehicles.

The driver training facility is located at the Public Safety Center less than one mile from WSCC’s main campus. It consists of a secure five-acre skills pad with elevated observation building, an inventory of 15 training vehicles, several-hundred traffic cones and other instructional aids. This enables us to set up a variety of course configurations and accommodate almost any type of vehicle.  A dedicated two-way radio system provides for continuous on-track student/instructor communications and videotaping of practical exercises may be performed as needed.

Our driver improvement programs are approved by the Tennessee POST Commission and recommended by the State’s leading government insurance provider, the Tennessee Municipal League. Our instructors are certified by the National Safety Council, the American Automobile Association, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and other accredited driving programs.

Courses of Interest:

Defensive & Tactical Driving: This course is presented as an entry-level class in the Basic Law Enforcement Officer Academy and as a re-certification or refresher class in the Specialized Law Enforcement Training Program.

Driver Instructor Training Program. This course prepares current full-time officers to instruct at the basic academy or specialized training level.

Advanced Tactical Driving – this course expands beyond the basic Defensive and Tactical Driving class to include pursuit intervention strategies such as the Precision Immobilization Technique and Box-In Maneuver as well as the use of spike strips, aviation support and other resources.

See our Specialized Law Enforcement Training Program course listing for detailed course descriptions and current driver training class dates.

Client-specific Courses:

Many government agencies utilize a variety of vehicles in addition to passenger cars. We offer customized courses, based upon the needs of individual client agency, for SUV’s, pick-up trucks, vans, or other non-traditional vehicles.

On-Site Training:

If you have a classroom and a suitable area for practical driving exercises (large parking lot, air strip or similar paved surface of at least 2-3 acres), we can bring a Defensive and Tactical Driving course to your site. Many agencies take advantage of this option which reduces overall training expense in terms of man-hours lost, as well as travel and lodging.