Autry Teams up with Garfield County for Safety Training

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Kylie Fanning

November 12, 2015Public Relations Coordinator

(580) 242-2750, Ext. 226

Autry Teams Up With Garfield County For Safety Training

ENID,OKLA. Autry Technology Center and Garfield County have teamed up to continue the safety efforts of the sheriff and police departments.

“This training is in an effort to improve safety as a whole,” said Jason Skaggs, Garfield County highway superintendent safety director. “This allows the deputies to refresh on laws and procedures. It also will help reduce insurance and workers compensation claims.”

Twenty-one deputies and officers from Garfield County Sheriffs Department, North Enid Police Department and Waukomis Police Department went through several training exercises in the two-day training. After watching a video, each person took a 57 question test that required a score of 80 percent or more to pass. They then drove in Autry’s computer based simulator system that allows the driver to come as close to real life as possible without risk of damage to an actual vehicle or person. Officers practiced proper intersection approach technics. Then each deputy and officer drove a squad car on a course to practice maneuver technics.

“We hope to start having this training a minimum of twice a year,” said Deputy Darryl Beebe, K-9 and Criminal Interdiction. “This will help refresh officerson how to do things properly. Officer safety is the goal which makes the community safer as well.”

This partnership is not the first time Garfield County has turned to Autry Technology Center.

“Autry is our home,” said Garfield County Sheriff Jerry Niles. “We try to do all of our training here because they provide first rate training. The ability to have this equipment available is tremendous. This is a benefit to not only Garfield County, but other counties and departments as well.”

Autry Technology Center has been a part of the Enid community since 1967 and is one of 29 CareerTech schools across Oklahoma. The center has more than 25 career programs and offers a wide variety of evening and weekend short-term courses and certifications for many diverse career fields. Autry serves nearly 16,000 individuals each year, including many area employees who receive training through the Business and Industry Services Department that works with over 500 local businesses each year.

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