At some point in my traveling I’ve visited enough of Oregon’s rest stops to realize there is always a weathered sedan in a corner of the parking lot and it isn’t until I’ve stumbled across a throwaway sidebar in Shitholes regarding the statewide program that places them that I take the time to look over the accompanying signage. Before I have a chance to read anything, however, a man shouts from behind me:
“Stop right there!” he screams, “Put your hands up! Up where I can see’em!”
My hands are in the air before I realize what I’m doing.
“All right,” the voice says, “Now, turn around slowly.”
I turn and find the parking lot empty.
“Not bad,” the voice says, “You have an 86% chance of surviving an interaction with the Oregon State Police. Press the button on the side if you’d like to try again or hop in the car to begin the Helping Hands experience”
My hands are still shaking as I lower them. This thing is about as stupid as Shitholes suggested.
‘Following a series of routine traffic stops that ended with the fatal shooting of civilians, Oregon moved forward with an initiative to provide free training to those who might find themselves dealing with the Oregon State Police. The simulation, dubbed ‘Helping Hands,’ focuses mainly on the player’s ability to follow orders in quick succession- placing one’s hands on the wheel of the car, waiting for the right moment to roll down the window or to find the insurance papers underneath the passenger seat, and generally maintaining a calm demeanor throughout.
The ‘Helping Hands’ software modules have seemingly been abandoned and several user-noted glitches persist. The first causes the officer (a simulated voice) to escalate an encounter without prompt, resulting in the occasional no-win situation. The second is a not-uncommon camera glitch that fails to accurately capture the movements of a ‘small minority’ of players.
Asked about the future of the ‘Helping Hands’ simulations, the committee in charge has insisted that they will continue to monitor the machines and that they strive to expose the public to ‘the most accurate representation of the Oregon State Police as is feasible with current technology.’
-traveler
