Blaming a 27 percent increase in vehicle accidents on last year's rookies and harsh weather, Howard County police are providing their new academy class with a crash course in driving under similar conditions.
Though weather forecasters doubt there will be a repeat of last year's icy winter, police training coordinators don't want their officers, particularly inexperienced drivers, to be caught off guard.
The 23 recruits have been practicing driving police cruisers at a special skid course in Montgomery County, said Cpl. Pete Moskala, a Howard County training coordinator.
During training, rookies steer cars around cones on a 50-yard course covered with a soap-like fluid, similar to icy road surfaces. It's a simple drill that can help prevent injuries and wrecks, police said.
"This academy [class] has gotten extra training that the last class didn't," Corporal Moskala said. "We'll be prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws our way."
But last winter, police said that officers, though trained for emergency driving, stumbled on ice that made driving dangerous for the entire public.
Of the 80 accidents reported in 1994, 44 percent of them, or 35, occurred between January and March, when heavy ice, sleet and at least 11 inches of snow covered the ground in the Baltimore area. There were just 63 accidents in all of 1993.
County officials say the Police Department's driving record is good.
Most of the accidents recorded are minor incidents involving flying rocks, potholes and other common road hurdles, said Lynne Levin, Bureau of Risk Management administrator who oversees budgeting of the county's 1,164 vehicles.
Since July 1, the Police Department's fleet -- made up of 286 vehicles -- has had about six collisions, among other accidents. The county, which insures its automobiles with county funds, paid only $14,436 to repair damage to the county's vehicles in that time.
Ms. Levin refused to provide details of the six collisions, saying they "are in litigation, and it might hurt our defense."
She said that the driving skills of police officers should not be held to more scrutiny than those of average citizens.
"They have normal accidents," Ms. Levin said. "They drive passenger vehicles and are out in traffic every day."
But police acknowledge that some of the accidents can be attributed to inexperience.
The rise in accidents last winter -- December 1993 to March 1994 -- accompanied 39 new police recruits who graduated from academy training in December 1993. A heavy snowfall occurred Christmas night 1993 -- and afterward, weeks of ice.
Although police officials wouldn't say how many of the accidents rookies were involved in, they said the disproportionate number caused them to add the ice-training sessions at the Montgomery County driving course.
"Ice is the only condition in accidents that's not totally avoidable," Corporal Moskala said. "When you're on ice, you're on ice.
"When people call police, you have to get there fast," he said. "You have to drive, think and do a whole bunch of things at the same time. Officers just have to be cautious and rely on training."
Last winter, Howard County cruisers bumped other vehicles, slid across business parking lots, ran into curbs and were involved in other weather-related accidents.
Today, less than a week into winter, weather forecasters are expecting unseasonably warm temperatures for the next few months. No snow is predicted through Jan. 2, said Russell Martin, a meteorologist at the Climate Analysis Center in Camp Springs.
"With above-normal temperatures, it's not going to be a particularly cold winter," Mr. Martin said. "Last year, the driving conditions were treacherous."
Officers who experience repeat problems on the road can receive remedial training and work on specific driving skills. For others, a simple switch of vehicle may make a difference. For example, some female officers don't feel comfortable in the large Chevrolet Caprices and opt for the smaller Ford Taurus.
Even with increased training and a mild winter, police say, officers still will be vulnerable to accidents.
Lt. Herman Charity, head of the Internal Affairs Unit, blames the accidents his unit investigates on two problems. First, he said, "The public sometimes don't think they have to yield to emergency vehicles."
On the other hand, he said, some officers aren't as careful as they should be when responding to emergencies. Officers have been cited for failing to reduce speed and failure to obey traffic signs, he said.
All incidents are filed, and investigators can request discipline for reckless officers, close the case or suggest further training, police said.
Of the 80 accidents so far this year, investigators:
* Faulted officers for 21.
* Ordered training for 24.
* Cleared officers of fault in 30.
Five incidents still are being investigated.