EVOC Grand Opening Ceremony
On Monday, March 21, 2022, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department held the Grand Opening Ceremony of the Pitchess Detention Center (PDC) Emergency Vehicle Operations Center (EVOC), located at 29310 The Old Road, Castaic, California. Sheriff Alex Villanueva was responsible for cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening of the training facility.
On Tuesday, February 4, 2020, the County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved funding for the PDC-EVOC project. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works was responsible for construction of the project and utilized the design-build-contracting method to save time and money. The project was delivered three months ahead of schedule and on budget.
The project consists of a vehicle driving/training track, skid pan, new modular office/locker rooms, collision avoidance and pursuit track, track appurtenances, paved parking area, bioswales and landscaping. The project also involved relocation of Southern California Edison power lines and various facility power poles. The overall site area for the PDC-EVOC training area encompasses approximately 44.5 acres.
In addition to the new training facility, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) will continue operating the EVOC at the Pomona Fairgrounds. LASD has used the Pomona Fairgrounds property for more than 35 years to provide training in emergency vehicle operations to deputy sheriff trainees and police officers enrolled in LASD’s Academy, in addition to ongoing POST mandated emergency vehicle operations training for sworn personnel.
The current arrangement between LASD and the Pomona Fairplex Association requires the EVOC office to cease operations for approximately two to three months per year for major events, such as the LA County Fair, swap meets, drag races, etc. With the new facility at PDC, these disruptions to the EVOC training schedule will no longer be a challenge.
Sheriff Villanueva thanked the Board of Supervisors for making the project a reality and he also thanked everyone involved in the project who made today’s event possible.
