BURNET — Local law enforcement officers will soon be able to train for the use of deadly force in a mobile simulator that features real-life scenarios. Federal stimulus funds of more than $364,000 will pay for the simulator, Marble Falls Police Chief Mark Whitacre recently told the Burnet County Commissioners.
“It sounds pretty exciting,” County Judge Donna Klaeger said.
The simulator will be mounted onto a trailer and hauled by truck to various police agencies for officer training, according to Capital Area Council of Governments Deputy Director Sheila Jennings.
“It will offer a nonlethal means to train officers on the use of force through simulated exercises,” Jennings said. “The simulator will include a computer that will be programed to set different scenarios and train officers to respond to different situations.”
Situations could include a person held hostage, an individual reaching for what might or might not be a gun or other tests that use footage of actors.
In some confrontations, officers often have only a few seconds to make life-or-death decisions that have long-term ramifications, justice experts said. Simulators go a long way to help officers learn to quickly adapt to such situations.
Advanced Interactive Systems is currently constructing the simulator in Fort Worth, Jennings said.
The simulator could be ready in six months.
“It will certainly be available to all (law enforcement) agencies within the CAPCOG region” including Burnet County, Whitacre said.
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JOHNSON CITY — Pedernales Electric Cooperative directors say they have a long road ahead to regain the trust of members stung by more than 30 years of what some called “autocratic” rule. That announcement came on the heels of a nine-month survey released Monday, which revealed that just half of the co-op’s membership view PEC as “trustworthy.”
The study, conducted by Austin-based Somerset Guild, showed that 21 percent of respondents view PEC as untrustworthy, while the remainder were neutral or didn’t know.
PEC Board Vice President Cristi Clement said the study shows where improvements are needed — especially when it comes to building members’ trust once again.
“What we need now are our areas of weakness,” she said. “We can focus on those areas and expand on what we need to do rebuild.”
The $250,000 study was commissioned to give PEC leaders a look inside what members think of the co-op, according to General Manager Juan Garza.
“We conducted this research to learn the true perceptions of PEC from members and stakeholders,” Garza said. “We have chosen the road of open communication, so this information was presented in open session of our board meeting.”
There was some good news in the data — 77 percent of co-op members were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with PEC’s service, while 84 percent of co-op employees stated they are “proud to be part of the PEC organization.”
Even so, Clement said the middling score on trustworthiness indicates damage left by previous PEC leaders.
The co-op until 2008 was run by former General Manager Bennie Fuelberg, who left office amid allegations of wrongdoing including money laundering and theft. Fuelberg and former PEC attorney Walter Demond were indicted in June 2009 on charges of money laundering, breach of fiduciary duty and theft by a Blanco County grand jury. Both are awaiting trial.
The board itself, under Fuelberg, was accused of accepting inflated salaries for little work while restricting fair elections and member input.
“I think (the survey) more clearly reflects the impact of autocratic rule,” Clement said. “I think there’s damage there, and we know that. The lack of trust has been well-earned by the leadership.”
Since Fuelberg’s departure, Clement said the co-op has worked overtime to restore its image, primarily through openness.
“There’s a lot more that we need to do on just building trust,” she said. “When we say open, we really mean open. Sometimes there’s the good, the bad and the ugly, but putting it out there is more honest than erring on the side of being closed.”
Now that the data have been collected, Garza said the co-op will focus on improving relations with members and employees.
“We’re already working on initiatives to address concerns raised in the report,” he said. “I’m visiting each office and inviting every employee to further discuss any issues or ideas they have to move the cooperative forward.”
PEC, at more than 220,000 member-owners, is the nation’s largest member-owned electric cooperative. It was formed more than 70 years ago under the purview of former President Lyndon Johnson.
Meanwhile, during Monday’s board meeting, directors agreed to put a members’ bill of rights before consumers for a vote during a June general meeting, but failed to approve an overhaul of the utility’s bylaws.
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BURNET — The City Council during a brief meeting Tuesday named several appointments to government boards. Also, city officials have announced a format change for utility bills.
Meanwhile, Paula Bundrant was appointed to the Burnet Housing Authority to fill the unexpired term of A.B. Daugherty.
“I think we ought to appoint her — she’s a good person,” Councilman Paul Shell said.
The council also re-appointed three members of the Planning and Zoning Commission — Jim Roberts, George Laudenschlager and Bret Burton. The Board of Adjustment saw four members re-appointed to its board — Joy Taylor, Johnny Henderson, Dale Myer and Steve Newton. Also, the council appointed Tasha Lowe and Chad Nelson to the Economic Development Corp. board of directors.
The council also approved a resolution for the EDC to purchase land from the Burnet Municipal Airport at U.S. 281 and John Kelly Street for airport improvements and a site for a proposed fire station.
In other news, the city has changed its format for issuing utility bills.
Beginning in March, the Utilities Department will switch from its current postcard-style bill to letter size, officials said.
The new format will show electric and water usage during the year as well as the previous month’s bill, and also include a newsletter.
There will not be any change to the timing of the billing or the due dates, officials said.
For more on the change, call the city at (512) 756-6093. The council next meets 6:30 p.m. March 9 at council chambers, 2402 S. Water St., which also is the air museum at the municipal airport on U.S. 281.
andrew@thepicayune.com
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