Four panelists discuss the future of vehicle driver training in general and in regard to the use of simulation. Moderator led discussion and open to group questions.

Moderator: Jeff Eggleston, L3

Jeff Eggleston is currently the Curriculum Manager for L3HARRIS Driver Training Solutions. He began his law enforcement career in 1979, serving as a military police officer with the Marine Corps. He also served with the Urbana, Ohio Police Department as a patrol officer, range officer and baton instructor. Jeff owned driving schools in Urbana and Marysville, Ohio and in 1990 joined the Marysville Police Department, where he served as a patrol officer, patrol sergeant, range officer and in-service driving instructor. Jeff was a lead instructor at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy from 2003 until retiring in 2015 responsible for driver standards and curriculum for all law enforcement in the state. He has written, designed, instructed and supervised numerous basic and advanced academy classes, including Defensive and Pursuit Driving; Patrol; Stops and Approaches; Traffic Enforcement Technologies; and Firearms. He was certified as a secondary career technical instructor through the University of Toledo and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Jeff has presented at the National Conference of High Schools that Work and was a law enforcement instructor with Tri-Rivers Career Center until 2003. Jeff has completed the advanced driving instructor program offered by the Maryland Corrections and Police Training Commission, Precision Immobilization Techniques Instructor Course at the Fairfax County Virginia Police Academy, Off-Road Emergency Vehicle Operations Instructor Course in Hollister, Calif., and the Vehicle Ambush Countermeasures Course at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He also has served as a curriculum review committee member with FLETC. Jeff has worked as an expert witness in the field of Law Enforcement Vehicle Operations and has consulted on track facility design. He is a 2006 recipient of the Attorney General’s Innovation and Excellence Award, a 2009 recipient of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy Director’s award and a 2013 recipient of the ALERT “Z Man” award.

Panelist: Albert Liebno, Jr., Md. Police & Correctional Training Commissions

Albert Liebno, Jr. is the current Executive Director of the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions (Maryland’s POST Agency) in Sykesville, Maryland. He began his law enforcement career in 1974 with the Maryland State Police and was most noted for his 18 years of overseeing that Department’s EVO program. In 1985 Mr. Liebno developed, received approval and implemented MSP’s first “formalized” EVOC program in the Department’s history. In 2001 Al retired from the Maryland State Police with 28 years of service. Immediately following his retirement he continued his passion for EVOC training in the position of Administrator for Maryland’s new Public Safety Education and Training Center’s statewide Driver Training Facility. Then in 2007 he was promoted to the newly created position of Skills Training Administrator with the responsibility of supervising, directing and integrating all “skills” related training for the MPCTC providing all types of practical skills training for police and correctional officers from Maryland’s 160 police and 33 correctional agencies.

Al has also provided vehicle operations training to civilian students as a Driver’s Education Instructor for the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration new driver program. He also works with the seven High School administrators in his county of residence educating parents and Jr/Sr students in developing proper skills to handle unexpected emergencies while driving on the highways.

Panelist: Melissa Cicio

Melissa Cicio is currently a Sergeant with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. She has been with CMPD for 12 years. She has worked as a Patrol Officer, a Detective with the Gang Enforcement Unit, the Lead Driving Instructor for the CMPD Training Academy, and back to Patrol as a Sergeant. Melissa currently serves as a Subject Matter Expert for Basic Law Enforcement Training, LE Driver Training for the North Carolina Justice Academy. Melissa currently teaches Law Enforcement Driver Training, Crowd Management, Communication Skills for Law Enforcement, Patrol Techniques, and Techniques of Traffic Enforcement in the BLET curriculum for North Carolina. She is also a Def Tech munitions instructor. Melissa has a passion for developing training that directly impacts vehicle operation and officer safety both inside and outside of their patrol vehicle.

Panelist: Steve Westerberg

Steve Westerberg is a certified police officer for over 34 years, serving in various roles.  He has been instructing emergency vehicle operations since 1990 and has been the EVO program manager in two different states over the years. In 1991, Steve began a 30 (+) year journey with SKIDCAR System Inc, initially as an instructor locally and then in the mid-1990’s taking assignments around the U.S. and Canada teaching new SKIDCAR instructors for SKIDCAR System Inc.  He has worked with instructors from all over the world in my current capacity as the senior instructor trainer and special projects director for SKIDCAR System Inc., learning something from each and every program and individual along the way. 

Steve’s current certified position is with the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training agency as a regional training coordinator for eastern Oregon.  In this capacity he covers eight counties of Oregon’s 36 and 40,988 of Oregon’s 98,466 square miles (41.6%) to assure constituent agencies have the opportunities for maintenance and specifically requested training programs.

Steve continues to manage the development of new driver training instructors in Oregon and has recently developed a new ORVO (Off Road Vehicle Operations) class targeted towards a public safety personnel that frequently operate in four-wheel drive situations.

Brought to you by: L3 Harris