At its October 2008 meeting, the Commission received the Driver Training Study, Volume I and approved implementation of the recommendations in the report. One of the recommendations was to enhance driver training curriculum in the Regular Basic Course (RBC).

The Commission directed the implementation of an academy-based program which would incorporate four components to Learning Domain (LD) 19 Vehicle Operations: Law Enforcement Driving Simulators (LEDS), a speed component, night driving and the use of interference vehicles. The applicability of these recommendations to peace officer basic training are to be determined through the use of a pilot project developed by POST in conjunction with a committee of subject matter experts. 

POST staff established the LD 19 Pilot Advisory Council, which included staff from the pilot academies, LD 19 instructors from other academies throughout the state and a research team consisting of experts in human factors, simulation training and statistical validation. With the approval of the Commission, a management fellow was selected to assist the Basic Training Bureau in the coordination of pilot activities.

During several council meetings, a review of the Training and Testing Specifications (TTS) for LD 19 was conducted and modifications of the TTS were developed and approved by the Commission. Those changes went into effect on January 1, 2012. As a result of the changes to the TTS the council completely revised the LD 19 Workbook which was made available to academies on the same date. 

The council reviewed the Commission recommendations and developed additional TTS for the pilot. They include three new requirements for exercise tests, (night driving, interference vehicle and a speed component) in addition LEDS was included as a Learning Activity. An extensive review of the current grading forms for vehicle operations was also conducted. 

The evaluations forms were refined to be exercise specific and to include the new dimensions required by the Commission to include a speed component and interference vehicles. 

The LD 19 Pilot Advisory Council met in March and invited the executives of the pilot agencies to participate in a one-day briefing on the development process for the pilot and the progress toward its implementation. The selection criteria for pilot sites, the commitment of resources and the need for the presentations at the pilot academies to be as similar as possible in order to eliminate variables and promote standardization and validation were reviewed by staff. 

Members of the research team made presentations on components and expectations of the pilot, use of a computer-based program as a prerequisite to simulator training, the process for statistical validation and validation of the new LD 19 grading forms.

Following the executive briefing, the council reviewed the tested exercises and finalized dimensions for the exercise test sites. The council also reviewed an update course that was developed for LEDS instructors. The first presentation of the pilot course took place in May.

Validation of the new evaluation forms has began, and the initial data is being reviewed by the research team.