PursuitWatch quoted in Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA - A U.S. police pursuit watchdog organization says police should never have pursued the suspected cigarette smuggler who ended up killing a senior couple from upstate New York and himself in a violent collision after a high-speed chase on Cornwall Island Friday night.

"If someone is suspected of anything less than a violent crime, then it is not worth the risk to the officers and the public to pursue the suspect," said John Phillips, president of PursuitWatch.org, a national association of citizens and police officers that lobbies for safer police pursuits.

Read the entire piece HERE.

Monday 11/24: WFTV @ 6PM

I'll be appearing as part of a story about the PIT maneuver on the Orlando ABC network, WFTV, this evening at 6 PM. Check back for more updates.

OnStar's Stolen Vehicle Slowdown Released

Below is the press release for OnStar's Stolen Vehicle Slowdown technology. This is a good start, but considering it will only be an available option on a very small percentage of the vehicles out there... A smart, safe, and responsible pursuit policy must be in place in departments around the country.

OnStar Launches Stolen Vehicle Slowdown®

New technology will assist public safety officials
in OnStar stolen vehicle cases, help save lives



DETROIT (October 9, 2008, 12:01 a.m.) – General Motors (GM) and OnStar today launched Stolen Vehicle Slowdown on more than 1 million model year 2009 GM vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is the latest enhancement to OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Assistance service and enables OnStar to further help law enforcement in the recovery of subscribers’ stolen vehicles, while helping to reduce fatalities and injuries resulting from police chases. Working with law enforcement and utilizing its unique built-in technology, OnStar can remotely send a signal that interacts with the vehicle’s engine, gradually slowing it down, aiding in a safe recovery.



“No other automaker provides its’ customers the peace of mind that OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown does,” said Chet Huber, OnStar president. “Our subscribers have told us they don’t want their vehicle to be the instrument of harm.”



National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show 30,000 police chases occur each year, resulting in approximately 300 deaths. Stolen Vehicle Slowdown will help take high speed pursuits out of the equation, as well as the probability that a subscriber’s stolen vehicle will be crashed during a chase.



“Prior to Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, there were only three ways to stop a police chase; the officer elects to terminate the chase, the vehicle being pursued decides to stop or in the worse case scenario there is a crash,” said David Hiller, national vice president, Fraternal Order of Police. “With OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown we now have an additional and obviously far safer method. We congratulate GM and OnStar for working with law enforcement as they developed this product.”



GM will integrate the capability on more than 1 million model year 2009 vehicles through OnStar’s newest generation of hardware, Generation 8. Chevrolet, GM’s largest division, will lead the effort with over half a million Chevrolet vehicles equipped with Stolen Vehicle Slowdown.



How Stolen Vehicle Slowdown Works

Once an OnStar subscriber has reported a stolen vehicle to law enforcement, he or she can call OnStar and request Stolen Vehicle Assistance. An OnStar advisor will use advanced Global Positioning Satellite technology to pinpoint the exact location of the stolen vehicle which will be provided only to law enforcement.



Once law enforcement officials have the stolen vehicle in a clear line of sight to know conditions are safe, they can request that the OnStar advisor remotely slow it down. OnStar will then send a signal to the vehicle’s engine, reducing engine power and gradually slowing the vehicle to idle speed while all other vehicle systems remain fully operational including power steering and brakes.



Because involvement from local law enforcement agencies is key to the safe execution of Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, OnStar conducted a 25-city public safety outreach tour across the United States to familiarize the public safety community with this revolutionary service, and let them experience the technology first-hand.



Subscribers who prefer not to have the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown capability on their vehicle may contact OnStar to opt out of the service at any time. The rest of their OnStar services will remain active and unaffected.



OnStar has offered Stolen Vehicle Assistance services with GPS location since 1996. It now receives approximately 700 Stolen Vehicle Assistance requests from subscribers each month, and has helped in 38,000 requests over the past twelve years. OnStar’s suite of services also includes Automatic Crash Response, Emergency Services, Remote Door Unlock, Roadside Assistance, Crisis Assist, OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Hands Free Calling and OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics.



OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is available exclusively on GM vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. The service is included in the OnStar subscription that comes standard for one year on eligible MY 2009 OnStar-equipped vehicles. For more information regarding OnStar’s services, please visit www.onstar.com.

OS: After pursuit, 2 arrested in carjacking

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Authorities arrested two men who carjacked an elderly man in Daytona Beach Shores on Sunday afternoon. The carjacking took place about 1 p.m. Sunday after their unsuccessful robbery attempt at a store in the same city. The men tried to flee the scene. A chase ensued on State Road 100 with Flagler County police. The men tried to make an abrupt U-turn, but their vehicle spun and was struck by a police car. The suspects were apprehended in Bunnell. The suspects have been identified as Craig William Miles, 26, of Braddock Lane in Daytona Beach, and his passenger, Jerry Edwin Royce, 53, of Holly Hill. No injuries were reported. Royce was released after deputies determined he wasn't involved in the crime. Miles is charged with fleeing and evading a police officer. Additional charges against Miles are pending, authorities said.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-b3court13_108oct13,0,4243975.story

The Crookhook...

I received an email a month or so ago that somehow got buried below others. Anyway, it was from someone suggesting I take a look at the Crookhook, a devise mounted on the front of police cars to latch on a suspects car which would theoretically prevent the opportunity for a suspect to flee.

You can read about Crookhook and even view a video HERE.

Our stance remains that we salute the efforts of all inventors, engineers and regular citizens that are developing methods to end police pursuits. However, hope of ending pursuits one day does not take the place of a clearly defined and safe pursuit policy.

The Huntsville Times

The Huntsville Times published a story concerning the death of Darren Spurlock, an innocent bystander who left behind his wife and children age 6 and 3.

John Harriss Phillips, president of the Florida-based PursuitWatch.org, said an officer pursuing someone who has not committed a violent crime is akin to "shooting a gun in a crowded room. Sometimes, nothing will happen. Other times, you'll hit other people."

Phillips' interest in chases is personal. His sister, Sarah Phillips, died in 2001 in a crash with a fleeing vehicle in Orange County, Fla. Sarah's father, the late Jim Phillips, started PursuitWatch with the goal of pushing safer and smarter police pursuit policies. John Phillips took the helm of PursuitWatch when his father died.

"I think a lot of times, the negative perception is that if we don't pursue, the bad guys get away," Phillips told The Times by phone. Phillips questions the need for pursuit if police have a tag number or the identity of the suspect and there's no imminent danger to the public.

You can continue reading the story HERE.

PursuitWatch cited in New Zealand... I think.

In an article posted on Scoop, an independent New Zealand news company, the author quotes Dr. Alpert (friend of PursuitWatch) and I think... Us:

U.S. Pursuit expert Dr Geoff Alpert notes that under twenty percent of high speed chases are triggered by major offences in some States, and 1-2% typically result in death/s in regions with lax policies (AAA Foundation report).

The reason NZ's risk may be even higher is our extremely heavy Police presence - combined with the pressure of "performance measures" to be met on each shift. Quotas have made Police bounty hunters and that has had many serious ramifications for road safety.

Restrictive chase policies don't increase anarchy

Studies consistently show pursuits involve drug or drink drivers 1/2 the time, but Pursuit Watch advises pursuing impaired drivers is unwise.

Where policies have been upgraded in the interests of public safety in the U.S.A. road carnage has decreased, and done so in the absence of any reduction in conviction rates for crimes.

For more, go HERE.

Capt. Travis Yates: Driver training and the typical police agency

The following is an excerpt from an article written by Capt. Travis Yates at Policeone.com. Yates, as well as Ron Kelley are friends of PursuitWatch.org.

Deputy Ron Kelley, a member of the International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Association and law enforcement driving instructor says it best when he discusses the “Three C’s”.

“Just because something has not happened, doesn't mean it won't in the future. This creates three human actions. We become complacent, careless and comfortable. All three are a path to tragedy.”

Is that tragedy waiting at your agency? In seminars, I often discuss the typical police agency:

• A pursuit or emergency run ends tragic.
• The media becomes involved and looks into the issue.
• Concerned citizens express their concern.
• The pursuit policy is changed in reaction to the third party involvement.
• Driver training is implemented.

The above scenario will either sound familiar to you or one day it likely will.

Unfortunately, the scenario mentioned above tends to be the archetype for strengthening a departments pursuit policy. I would venture out to say that 90% of the media requests I get start out along the lines of, "Hi Mr. Phillips, we had an incident here in ABC when XYZ did this."

To read the entire article, click HERE.

100 mile chase... For failure to signal a lane change?!?

A chase that lasted 100 miles, sometimes at speeds exceeding 100 MPH occurred last Thursday in Missouri. Commentary isn't necessary here, so I'll just post a few excerpts from the Daily Guide story...

Thursday morning was an ordinary day for Officer Derin Richardson when he noticed a Chevrolet Cavalier with two occupants, a man and a woman, that changed lanes on Interstate 44 about 10:34 a.m. without signaling near eastbound mile marker 159 and then ran off the roadway briefly. The Cavalier got off at Exit 161, turned onto Highway Z, and stopped in the parking lot of the Cenex gas station.
Richardson got out of his patrol car and began to walk toward Cavalier. Rather than providing his license and registration, the driver, later identified as Anthony Cesar Hervas, 20, of Chicago, gunned the car’s accelerator and fled.

Next:

St. Robert police have ordered stop sticks for their patrol cars, but Gettys said his department’s officers haven’t yet gone through training to use them and they can’t be used until that training takes place. Multiple efforts were made to use stop sticks to puncture Hervas’ tires but all failed until his Cavalier got several hundred yards across the Franklin County line into St. Louis County.

To continue:

While it’s no more possible to have officers train with 100 mph chases than it is to have officers experience bullets being shot past their heads, Gettys said the hundreds of hours per week spent by officers behind the wheel gives them an intensive familiarity with their vehicle and how it handles, and that can be crucial in a pursuit. “Just driving on a daily basis, their accustomed to driving,” Gettys said. “We’re officers but we’re also human beings so we’re always going to get excited, but our training prepares us for that.”

You can read the entire story HERE.

Police Pursue Seatbelt Violator in Houston

Early Monday morning, the Houston Police Department began pursuing a silver, two-door car through the streets of Houston at dangerously high speeds. The offense? The driver wasn't wearing his seatbelt.

Beginning in North Houston, the chase, which lasted approximately thirty minutes, moved through the Medical Center and the Galleria area - both areas of high pedestrian traffic. At points, the driver of the silver, two-door attempted to evade police by driving on the wrong side of the road. The chase continued on surface streets for sometime before eventually moving onto the freeway. There, the driver weaved in an out of traffic and drove on the shoulder. The chase ended when the suspect swerved, barely missing another car, and careened into a guardrail.

We at PursuitWatch believe this chase to be completely unnecessary. At the time the chase was authorized, the officers thought they were pursuing a suspect for a mere seatbelt violation - hardly warranting possible harm to innocent bystanders. PursuitWatch will be watching this story closely, and we will provide more details as they become available.


Video of the pursuit can be seen here: http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080623_ac_sloopchase.2f27177b.html

OnStar Technology Demo

This Thursday I will be attending a OnStar Technology Demo to ask questions about their "Stolen Vehicle Slowdown" service. To quote the press release: "Police officers in pursuit of stolen vehicles are often faced with the risk of endangering themselves, innocent bystanders and property. OnStar-equipped vehicles involved in high-speed chases, however, can be slowed remotely, enabling law enforcement officials to apprehend fleeing criminals without risking lives or damaging other vehicles."

We will see what I learn and the true possibilities of this being an effective tool for law enforcement. I will update Thursday afternoon.

Reader responses… The negative

From time to time my inbox gets hit with an email that really lets me have it. Sometimes every bad word in the book is used in order to convey just how wrong we are, how little we know what it’s like "out there", and that we take the side of the bad guys. Some are well thought out with valid concerns and opinions. Those are cherished. Here is a sample of some of the comments I have received recently. Grammar has, for the most part, been corrected.

I could care less what happens to the suspect if they die or get injured so be it who cares it is their own fault. If police are to break off all pursuits because you liberal people believe the crime doesn't warrant a chase, what do you think is going happen? Suspects are going to start to realize that the police are not going to chase them, causing more people to disrespect the law and in fact put more innocent people in harms way...

We are not a bunch of liberals. We have support from citizens and officers representing many political backgrounds. Also, we contest that ‘restrictive’ policies will lead to a criminal free-for-all. We argue that there isn’t a portion of the population on the fence waiting for the department to release their latest policy; rather, people either pull over when asked, or don’t.

How about we try to teach people to stop running from the police that way we don't have any accidents from police chases.....there is a thought.

If this family wouldn't have run from the police then we wouldn't have had this accident now would we???

I agree, but I must ask, how do we do that? So should there be a fourth element to our recommendations? (Honest question, not sarcasm)

1) Proper training
2) Progressive Policy
3) Proper oversight
4) Proper public education?

You guys are stepping away from the problem by criticizing the suspects that "they shouldn't run from the police" but the aim of this site is to focus on safer techniques beyond that point:

Instead it’s people like you that helps make police pursuits more dangerous by focusing on the past then the future. I mean somebody has got to do it. You guys have this mental block that doesn’t let you go "out of the box" on the bad guys shouldn't run quotes I am glad you guys aren't part of my police department with your "trigger happy" attitude.

This one is all over the place, but can be summarized:

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana

I would like to take a few minutes to comment on some of the ideas I have read on this website. You mention that we as citizens depend on the police to make the decision as to when to pursue or not. Have you ever attempted to make a decision in a matter of seconds concerning a possible life or death situation? It's not as easy as all make it out to be. When the police pursue someone and an accident occurs, it is automatically assumed that the police are at fault. What happens when a police officer activates his blue lights, the violator flees at a high rate of speed, the police officer stops his attempts to take the violator into custody, and a mile down the road the violator hits and kills someone? Is it still the police officers fault that the accident occurred? I think not. However, everyday an agency gets sued for its officers doing just that. It's a catch 22 for police in this country. The public wants the police to protect them and at times give their lives for them. But when something happens that they don't necessarily like the public is the first to point fingers at law enforcement. Consider your wife or child is involved in an incident where a suspect strikes their vehicle and then attempts to leave the scene. Your family member is injured in the collision. There is a witness who calls the police and gives a description of the suspect vehicle. The police get behind it, blue light it, and the vehicle flees. The police cease all law enforcement action and resume normal patrol functions. Later that night your family member dies as a result of the injuries sustained in the hit and run accident. This is a circumstance where the hit and run is a misdemeanor in most states. Therefore, a pursuit is not warranted by most policies. Your family member is dead and there is no one to answer for the crime they committed which caused the death.

In most all instances the hands of the police are tied as to what they can do in given situations. This is no more apparent than in the police pursuit aspect of law enforcement. I do not agree that all violators should be pursued. A minor traffic offense does not add up to the dangers of pursuing a vehicle. However, the person driving the car with the broken taillight that flees might be the person who just killed 10 people at a mall just because he felt like it.

No one knows what the life of a police officer is like unless they have been one. People are quick to place blame on the police rather than the criminals they are chasing.

No, I have never had to make a decision in a matter of seconds concerning a possible life or death situation. You’re right, it isn’t easy. In fact, its difficulty is what justifies a progressive police policy. You are making my argument for me and I sincerely thank you.

You mention the case where a witness gives a description of a vehicle and suspect and the police attempt to pull it over but it flees. The police are restricted from chasing. That does not mean the suspect will get away. Through the description of the witness, the potential to obtain a license plate number, and various other methods, police can still catch the bad guy. In other words, just because the suspect leaves the sight of the pursing officer does not mean the suspect gets away with the crime!

You say the “person driving the car with the broken taillight that flees might be the person who just killed 10 people at a mall just because he felt like it.” I guess that is possible. But if you accept that statement, you must also accept that the person with the broken taillight that flees might be the stupid kid who doesn’t want his parents to be mad because he just got a ticket, right?

Again, you are right that no one knows what the life of a police officer is like unless they have been one. Much the same, no one knows what it is like to have an innocent family member killed as a result of a police pursuit.

Too bad when that same guy kills those two sisters after the police end the chase, everyone is still up in arms because now the police "ENDED IT TOO SOON".

Police can never seem to please the public who can sit back and "Monday morning quarterback" the whole situation. I would like to see the average citizen doing the extraordinary tasks that these officers do, the average citizen couldn't deal with the bloodshed and anguish that police officers deal with on a daily basis. They would go insane.

These officers feel bad enough already with someone telling them they screwed up, because guess what THEY ALREADY KNOW. They were already called into the police chiefs office and scolded, trust me I have been there.

We never doubt the sincerity of police officers unless certain evidence shows otherwise. Officers who are involved in a pursuit in which one of their own or an innocent victim is killed must live with that reality. It can’t be easy. However, just because it is a hard job does not mean we accept the status quo. It does not mean we simply say, well, “It’s part of the job.” It does not mean we don’t investigate, train, critique, and strive for perfection.

What is the job of a Police Officer? Well where to start. The jobs of a police officer is what it should say, considering that the "general public" expects them to be pretty much everything. It's their job to be a counselor, a teacher, a role model for children, a parent to the children that people don’t feel like raising, a preacher, a walking target, a trained fighter, a lawyer and plenty of other things. They have the jobs that no one in the world should have to have. They have the jobs that no one else wants. Chase a drunk driver and if they crash it's the officers fault, however 1800 people a year are killed by drunk drivers that are not being chased by officers. Chase an armed suspect and crash and it's the officers fault, however 10000 people a year are killed by people we are chasing to prevent them from killing again. Let's be realistic. If a police officer dies on duty it's part of the job, if a so called "innocent person" dies while police area chasing the bad guy, it's a tragedy. Police Pursuits are dangerous, and I wish they didn’t have to take place, but letting most people go so they can hurt someone else and get away with it. That's a lot more dangerous. Let me ask the real question, "Just what is the job of a citizen?" Of course I do mean other than to hate the police instead of the bad guys. I hope I answered your question, because it is in my opinion a question that no one in their right mind should ever ask.

This one is one of my favorites. In response to my query into the job of a police officer, this reader began by offering a true answer describing the sacrifices our officers make. Then it gets a bit odd. “Chase a drunk driver and if they crash it's the officers fault, however 1800 people a year are killed by drunk drivers that are not being chased by officers. Chase an armed suspect and crash and it's the officers fault, however 10000 people a year are killed by people we are chasing to prevent them from killing again.” I have no idea where the numbers are coming from, much less what they mean. According to MADD, over 16,000 Americans died in 2004 in alcohol related automobile crashes. Is he saying that of that 16,000, 1,800 were already asked to pull over by L.E. but refused, and later killed someone or themselves? Next, I have no idea what the talk of the 10,000 that are killed that we are trying to chase… Or something like that, means.

The writer continues, wondering why anyone with their right mind should ever ask such a question. Should I not care about the safety of those officers who put their life on the line every day? Should I not ask why Deputies Donta Manuel and Jonathan Wallace had to die? Should we just accept things as they are?

Your right, it's time to do a bit of research. Everyone knows that thousands of police departments and police officers don’t know as much as a guy who went to two low rate schools for a degree in Political Science. Oh yeah wait, every officer already has one of those degrees. Do some research is right, research how many "bad guys" go to jail because of police pursuits vs. how many "good guys" get hurt. Then research how many people the "bad guys" who get caught have hurt and then do the math. You may hurt 2000 people a year in pursuits, but you save about 20000 by getting those "bad guys" off the street. Research how many college students kill people in crashes a year...maybe they just shouldn’t be allowed to drive. Better yet research many training hours police officers have, like you said, then add in the hours a year they work, then add the drive time up and then OT, plus the school time and realize that they put over 3/4 of an average lifetime towards protecting jerks who will devote their lives to criticizing their every move, but will never have the guts to go out on the streets and do what the real "good guys" do.

And last but certainly not least, we have this one. It is in response to a question I asked regarding amount of time spent vehicle training in comparison to firearm training. It was rather rhetorical question considering all departments devote more training to firearms then to driving, but nonetheless. After sifting through the grammatical errors, I paused to take it in.

“Everyone knows that thousands of police departments and police officers don’t know as much as a guy who went to two low rate schools for a degree in Political Science.”

Thanks!

I find it interesting that this gentleman tells me to go do some research all the while throwing out all sorts of numbers with absolutely nothing to back them up. I can do that too. Actually, I’ll create a Mad Lib, and you can just go back and fill in whatever numbers make you happy!

Sure police pursuits hurt ______ people a year but if they don’t chase the bad guys then _____ more people will be brutally murdered! Also, if we don’t pursue everyone then _____ more banks will be robed and _____ more cars will be stolen and the world will dip into chaos and anarchy.

I’ve come to understand that this sort of reaction comes with the territory. I remember an email Jim Phillips received from an angry officer who said that if he was on duty and came across my father and his family in dire need, he would let us die. I imagine it is easy for that officer to say such things while hiding behind a keyboard, anonymous to the world. We, however, are putting our faces out there and attempting to make the streets safe for both citizens and law enforcement.

But a majority of comments are positive and reinforcing. More on those in the days to come.

Yuma PD: On the right track

More and more departments around the nation are getting on track and adopting progressive policies that take into consideration the safety of officers, the innocent public, and even fleeing suspect. I came across this editorial from the Yuma (Arizona) Sun:

The YPD's pursuit policy is 14 pages long, but can be boiled down to one basic tenet: Don't engage in a pursuit unless it is a very serious situation. Chases for misdemeanor offenses - like beer theft - or civil traffic violations are specifically prohibited.

That means there are few pursuits by Yuma police officers.

Chases are allowed for felony offenses when it is seen as necessary and there is a reasonable chance of apprehension or if there is the imminent threat of injury or death to others.

Read the entire opinion piece HERE.

Although PursuitWatch supports limiting pursuits to only violent crimes, this is a step in the right direction. We can truthfully discuss the level of felony worthy of a pursuit, but everyone ought to agree on the stupidity of pursuing for minor crimes.

Driver training stops after the academy...

Our friend, Ron Kelley, was recently featured in a story by KSDK concerning police vehicle training in Illinois and Missouri.

Ron Kelley has been in law enforcement for the past 27 years and is affiliated with the Association of Law Enforcement Emergency Response Trainers and the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association. He travels the country teaching advanced driving classes to police and troopers.

"If they have not had any training since they were in the academy, Leisa, humans resort back to bad habits. They become complacent. They need to be reminded," Kelley said. "Eighty percent of their career is behind the wheel of a vehicle and operating at very high speeds. That training needs to be emphasized."

Kimberly Cochran, ISP Academy Commander, does not agree with Kelley's philosophy.

"We don't do the driving because the officers use that skill every day. They drive over 45 million miles a year and they use those skills daily," Cochran said.

Unfortunately, Kimberly Cochran isn't right. Do officers us the PIT maneuver daily? Do they deploy stop sticks daily? Do they practice proper communication and strategy of a pursuit with fellow officers daily? Exactly.

You can read the full story HERE. There is also an accompanying video.

GPS and OnStar: No exception to sound policy

Last October, GM announced that 19 of its new models would be equipped with the technology, through OnStar, that would allow law enforcement to ask the engines of cars they were pursuing to be remotely shut off. The idea is that this would bring a safe and quick end to these situations. Around the same time, the LAPD was testing StarChase, a devise mounted on patrol cars that shoots a GPS tracking devise that sticks to fleeing cars. Considering Los Angeles had over 600 pursuits last year, any new testing is a welcomed idea. Both StarChase and the OnStar products use state of the art technologies which no one could have imagined years earlier would be possible. Fox News, the USA Today, and CBS News called, wanting to know what I thought about these exciting new technologies.

They asked: “Do you support these technologies?” Yes, I support all technologies that might make the job of law enforcement safer and more effective. Much like the two-way radio, helicopter, and the computer have helped police protect their communities, StarChase and OnStar might once prove as important as those previously mentioned. I understand that when an officer engages in a pursuit of a suspect, he or she is putting their life in danger every time. If these technologies make it possible for more officers to go home safe to their families every evening, then let us see if it works.

“Will it make pursuits a thing of the past?” They continued, adding “If police had this technology in 2001, would your sister still be alive?” I can answer both of these questions at once: I don’t know.

But this is what I do know, that the potential for these technological advancements does not take the place of safe and smart policy. First, the costs of these new technologies are high, and with the already incredibly stretched budgets of out nations departments, don’t expect to see devices on your local patrol cars that can shoot a GPS tracker onto a suspects car anytime soon. The StarChase technology requires the suspect vehicle to be either stopped or going very slow at a close range. What if the patrol car doesn’t get anywhere near the suspects car? Let us also not forget that this new OnStar technology will only be included on a small fraction of the vehicles out there. Chances are this wont be an option in the vast majority of situations for many years.

Some have come to me, including The Economist, wondering what I thought about the civil liberties implications of these new technologies. Could these devices be easily abused? Would this allow law enforcement to always know what I’m doing? Is this Big Brother? This is not my place to comment. However, this side of the debate shows even more so the need for clear and defined policy that lets officers know what can and can’t be done. Hopefully, a policy that clearly states the wrongs and rights of these technologies can cut down on cases that might bring civil liberties issues into question.

So, until that time, all departments should adopt a policy that requires adequate training for police officers, only pursues those who are suspected of committing violent crimes, allows for complete and painstaking review of all incidents, and makes available to the public all requested information. Until this becomes common practice, these technologies are no more than a story in the newspaper.

Fleeing suspects crash into wall in Orange County

According to the Orlando Sentinel, when two men were pulled over and questioned about their potential involvement in an armed robbery, they sped off at a high rate of speed. Shortly after, the Sheriff's Department's helicopter spotted a vehicle matching the description that had crashed into a brick wall.

The men were arrested for fleeing from deputies, but investigators did not confirm if the two men were responsible for the armed robbery. The victim in that crime told deputies the robbers were wearing masks, reports show.

No word on what exactly transpired from when the suspects decided to flee till they crashed into the brick wall.

Continue to the Orlando Sentinel story HERE.

Questions remain in Snohomish County

Did the officer involved in a pursuit that led to the death of the fleeing suspect, an 18 year-old high school student, use the PIT maneuver?

Was it justified in this case?

Herald Writer Jackson Holtz asked Ron Kelley, a friend of PursuitWatch, his opinion:

The PIT generally is most effective between 25 and 45 mph, said Ron Kelley, a retired police driving instructor from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, near Orlando, Fla.

Anything slower and the car being bumped doesn't have enough force to stall out when spun around, he said. At higher speeds the results are unpredictable.

Police haven't said how fast Privrasky was driving when the deputy attempted the PIT.

Nakao said he was driving behind the chase, which was moving fast.

"It's not every day you see a police chase like that," Nakao said.

He said he saw Privrasky's car leave the road and couldn't tell whether the deputy made contact with the car.

As police reconstruct the crash, they'll likely weigh everything the deputy had to take into consideration that night before attempting the PIT, Kelley said.

While the retired deputy is careful not to second-guess the deputy's decision, questions remain unanswered.

While the pursuit started because Privrasky was speeding, it became a felony when he did not pull over for the officer and tried to flee. Sheriff's deputies are allowed to chase vehicles only when a felony has been committed.

Kelley wondered whether Privasky's initial speeding warranted the risk of using the PIT, or could there have been another option? "Could he have been identified and arrested a later time at a later place?" he asked.

Captain Travis Yates of the Tulsa PD, another friend of PursuitWatch, was also quoted:

The PIT maneuver is an effective way to stop the bad guys, said Travis Yates, a captain with the Tulsa (Okla.) Police Department who runs PoliceDriving.com.

Like any police tool, it's not without some risk to both the pursued and the police, said Yates, who is considered an expert on PIT maneuvers.

"Anytime a law enforcement action ends in a fatality, it's a tragedy on both sides," Yates said. "We have to always remember that police don't go out on the streets and intend on going on pursuits. For some reason some people decide they want to flee."

Click HERE to read the whole story...

Greensboro News Record

The deaths of Linsay and Maggie Lunsford in early December are still being felt in North Carolina. The following editorial quoted Jim Phillips, founder of PursuitWatch.

Linsay Lunsford looked like she had a great future. Passionate about community service, the 18-year-old had moved to Greensboro in 2007 to attend UNCG to become an elementary school teacher. But a trip to Creedmoor on Dec. 1 to see family proved fatal. She was killed in a crash with a man fleeing from Franklinton police. The man, Guy Christopher Ayscue, high on cocaine, also was killed. So was Lunsford's nine-year-old sister, Maggie.

It's impossible to know if the sisters' deaths could have been avoided. Ayscue was being pursued because he had been driving on the wrong side of the road. Still, as Jim Phillips, the late founder of Pursuitwatch.org, said, "A drunk at 40 mph is much less dangerous than a drunk at 80 mph."

Pursuitwatch is just one of several Web sites dedicated to improving the safety of high-speed police chases. Such sites often are started, as Pursuitwatch was, by people left bereft after having an innocent family member killed as a result of a high-speed police chase. As reporter Ryan Seals' Sunday story in the News & Record pointed out, such deaths take place on a daily basis across America, with thousands injured annually because of them.

Click HERE to continue.

Teen flees, mom dies, children hurt

Minneapolis - A 15 year old in a stolen car fled from police and while speeding through an intersection Sunday, slammed into a car carrying a mother, her son, and her sons friend en route to Sunday school.

Hanna Abukar, 26, of Minneapolis died at the scene, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office. She was driving her son and a neighbor boy to Sunday school at a mosque, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. Abukar's son was in critical condition and the other boy was in stable condition, Jamal said.

Officers had tried to stop the teenager because of a simple traffic violation. When the boy refused, the pursuit began. Soon after, officers learned that the car they were chasing had been reported stolen. The pursuit was called off because of safety concerns about a half mile from the crash scene.

Let's hope the MPD exercises proper oversight of this incident.

Continue HERE.

The Daily Herald

An article was published today in the Daily Herald of Everett, Washington featuring quotes from PursuitWatch President John Phillips. We applaud the efforts of Herald writers Jackson Holtz and Jim Haley, for stressing the importance of smart pursuit policy by contrasting two local police pursuits with radically different outcomes. We urge the readers of this blog to read the full contents of the article HERE.

Somewhat inexplicably, given the body of the article, the authors end with a quote from Seattle attorney and police pursuit expert Andy Cooley, who states that, “[a]t the end of the day, the people who die [in police pursuits] are victims of the crime, they're not victims of the police… These are crime-related, not police-related fatalities.”

Cooley is correct in stating that innocent victims of police pursuits should hold the fleeing suspect accountable; that’s not a question. We cannot, however, control the decisions of fleeing suspects. Instead, the question is: should we compound the fleeing suspect’s bad judgment with another bad decision, and elect to chase him? At PursuitWatch, we think not. We believe that, in many circumstances, these victim’s lives could have been spared if smart, progressive, police pursuit polices were in place.

Belleview News-Democrat

I was asked to comment for a article in yesterday's Belleview News-Democrat concerning the use of video equipment in police cars. Illinois State Police have required troopers to activate their dashboard cameras whenever they turn on their emergency lights. If they fail to do so, they face punishment.

You can read the story HERE.

John Phillips, executive director of Florida-based PursuitWatch, which promotes safer police driving, said law enforcement agencies should post clear policies that limit high-speed chases and responses to violent crimes.

That policy must also be backed up by proper driver training and oversight, Phillips said.

Last year in Illinois, for instance, seven people died because of police pursuits: five were occupants of the chased vehicles, while two were occupants of other vehicles. None was a police-car occupant, according to administration figures.

Chase in Orlando ends in crash

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Orlando PD was involved in a chase that ended in a crash damaging the suspects vehicle and three unmarked PD vehicles. There were no injuries.

Teague, 28, was taken into custody on the following warrants: home invasion robbery with a firearm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and failure to appear in court. He faces additional charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, felony fleeing and eluding and traffic charges for this morning's chase.

Click HERE for the OS story (with video).

Just what happened in Panama City Beach?

A suspect still remains at large after a pursuit of a suspected drunk driver ended in a deadly rear-end collision, according to the Panama City News Herald.

Two of the victims sons arrived on the scene of the crash shortly after and some sort of confrontation ensued. The sons claimed a plain clothes man claiming to be a police officer, despite being told they were family members of the deceased, inappropriately assaulted the brothers and violently forced them to the ground and handcuffed them. Officers say the sons refused to identify themselves and were thus during their job in keeping the crime scene clear of outsiders.

According to the News Herald article:

[Cmdr. Michael] Moring wrote that he identified himself as a police officer and asked them who they were, but the brothers told him their identities were none of his business. Moring said he told them to identify themselves and then “physically stopped one of the unknown white males from entering the crime scene.” The second male “drew his right arm back with a balled fist as if he were about to strike me.”

A physical altercation ensued and the men, Jeff and Terry Lenz, were taken to the ground and handcuffed.

The other three officers offered similar accounts of the incident.

Watch the sons account of events:




What really took place will probably never be absolutely known. This problem just goes to show the effects of poor policy and decision making by law enforcement. A pursuit of a suspected drunk driver should never ensue, and difficult decisions soaked in tense emotions should never have to be made.

One thing is for sure, Paul Lenz in dead.

Palm Beach Post and Washington Post

Interesting article from this weekends Palm Beach Post:

In the hours following the fatal Pahokee crash, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw supported the decision to follow a stolen 1990 Toyota, saying the conditions were right. The suspect and deputies wound through the Glades in the early morning hours of Nov. 28, with no bystanders at risk.

Bradshaw noted the link between violent crime and car theft. Plus, this pursuit technically wasn't a chase, he said, given deputy Greg Fernandez's speed of 55 mph moments before crashing into his two co-workers.

Yet former Sheriff Ed Bieluch says that number is way off. At least three people close to the investigation put the impact speed at 110 to 112 mph, said Bieluch, who is considering another bid for the office. The traffic investigation remains open, and officials have not released any findings.

Bradshaw: How can this not be a chase!?! Was does "technically" mean? Does technically really matter when you have two of your officers who are now dead?

Four of every 10 pursuits end in crashes, and two of every 10 end in injuries, according to research noted on the Web site pursuitwatch.org.

A 1997 study by criminology expert Geoffrey Alpert published in the National Institute of Justice's Research In Brief found that nearly half of police agencies nationwide had modified their pursuit policies during the previous two years - and that 87 percent made their guidelines more restrictive.

Continue HERE.

Also, the Officer who was involved in a deadly pileup on the Capital Beltway last May has been indicted on two counts of vehicular manslaughter. I appeared on Countdown with Keith Olberman and the Washington Post in response to this incident. You can read a transcript of the Countdown interview HERE.

The incident began about 7 p.m. May 30, when Campbell, a seven-year veteran of the department on routine patrol, began chasing a speeding motorcycle near the Richie-Marlboro exit on the Beltway's outer loop.

Campbell's police cruiser slammed into McCarter and Clanton's sport-utility vehicle. The SUV flew over the guardrail and into traffic on the Beltway's inner loop, causing a series of crashes that closed down all lanes for almost five hours.

Continue HERE.

Billings Gazette Comments

Last week I wrote a post about the comments of Billings PD Training Officer Kathy Carson (You can catch up HERE). The Billings Gazette wrote a story about the situation (That you can read HERE).

There have been an interesting mix of responses. Some have noted the importance of ones choice of words, others have ripped me as someone just looking for press. In order to help clarify the situation, I will explain what happened from my end.

I came across the initial story and the accompanying video and was very concerned with Officer Carson's comment. I emailed her expressing my concern and my reasons why. I CC'd Chief St. John, the Billings Gazette, and the TV station that ran the story.

I got a response back from Officer Carson and below is it in its entirety:

I am sorry for your loss. I wish you could have heard the whole interview, unfortunately it was edited.

That's all. First, I asked her to apologize for her comment, not for my loss. I also asked for some sort of assurance that that is not the way she goes about her job. Apparently that is too much to ask.

Shortly after I got an email from Cheif St. John explaining that their department takes pursuits very seriously and thanking me for my concern. Basically, it was an A+ job by him.

I let the issue go and moved on thanks to the Chief's response.

A few days later a got a call from the Billings Gazette. The reporter asked if the situation had been solved. I told him it has, due to the Chief's email, not that of Officer Carson's one line response. He then told me that he did some research and found out she was involved in a pursuit with a fatality in '03. That opened it up again for me. Thus, I sent another email to Officer Carson telling her that I was not satisfied with her first response, and that the news that she was involved in a pursuit with a fatality bothered me even more.

She has yet to respond...

That is exactly what happened.

Long story short, none of this would have happened had Officer Carson taken my concerns seriously.

By the way, she has still yet to respond...

A few articles to read...

The last week has been very busy here at PursuitWatch so I haven't had the time to post as much as I would like. So before I get all the news on here, check out these two articles:

Billings Gazette article concerning the comments of Officer Kathy Carson HERE

Florida Today article about the use of helicopters in police pursuits HERE

Letter to the Sacramento Bee

On Monday afternoon, a vehicle being pursued by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department crashed violently into a car carrying a family of four in Rancho Cordova. Two children were transported to UC Davis Medical Center, while their parents were taken separately to the Mercy San Juan Medical Center, over 15 miles away. According to the Sherriff’s department, the vehicle being pursued was being chased for merely failing to yield. Although the driver of the vehicle opting to flee police custody bears the brunt of the responsibility, some of the blame for this terrible accident should be directed toward Sacramento County’s vague police pursuit policy.

Sacramento County’s current police policy allows for pursuit in almost any circumstance, stating that a pursuit is authorized when “a suspect exhibits the intention of evading arrest by using a vehicle to flee or when a suspected law violator refuses to stop.” The policy also stipulates that certain factors must be considered when determining whether any pursuit should be initiated, continued or terminated, though these factors are not well-defined. A pursuing officer and his supervisors must weigh “the seriousness of the originating crime and its relationship to community safety,” as well as factors such as location of pursuit, weather conditions, volume of traffic, and time of day.

A poorly-defined policy puts entirely too much pressure on the decision making ability of the pursuing officer and their supervisors. A police officer cannot and should not be expected to make a life or death decision on the basis of such vague legalese. The current policy is such that if an officer makes the wrong decision, and innocent people are injured or killed, the county and the officer could face endless litigation. That is not fair to our already overburdened law enforcement agencies.

The current pursuit policy further overburdens law enforcement officers by stating that “[i]t is the duty of the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle to exercise that amount of care which, under all circumstances, would not pose an unreasonable risk to others.” It continues, noting that “[t[he immediate apprehension of the violator is no more important than the safety of innocent persons or the officer(s) involved. When it becomes apparent that the immediate apprehension is outweighed by an unreasonable danger to the officer or others, the pursuit must be terminated.”

In the case of the vehicle pursuit in Rancho Cordova, the pursuing officer and his supervisors decided that the seriousness of the suspect’s crime, failure to yield, outweighed the risk involved in pursuing the suspect down a busy street in the middle of the day. Hindsight lets us see that the safest option would have been to, record the license plate number, of the fleeing vehicle, if possible, and terminate the chase. This rational response would have helped to avoid a serious accident involving an innocent family. Unfortunately, the officers involved in the pursuit didn’t have the luxury of hindsight, and were forced to make a split-second decision most likely under the influence of a great amount of adrenaline.

We at PursuitWatch.org believe that the Sacramento County Sherriff’s office must develop a progressive, well-defined policy that allows only for the active pursuit of those suspected of committing a violent crime. A properly-defined policy would take the burden of split-second decision making off of our police officers, and would result in a safer community. In Orlando, Florida, the adoption of such a policy has proven to be extremely successful. At some point, law enforcement agencies must decide whether it is more important to make an arrest, or to keep the community safe. If a well-defined pursuit policy was in place on Monday afternoon in Rancho Cordova, then an innocent family would not have been needlessly injured.

John T. Fox

Vice President
PursuitWatch.org
Orlando, FL

Billings PD's Kathy Carson: "Pursuits are always fun!"

I came across an interesting article from Montana's News Station regarding recruiting police officers. You can read it HERE. Basically, it notes the shortage of police recruits and the techniques used to recruit. Shiny badges, cars, motorcycles. Dogs, guns, driving fast. Making it seem like police work is a video game. Apparently this is how you recruit police officers these days. Sure, as it is with every job, the employer must make its pitch, but what infuriated me was the following comment by Billings PD's training officer Kathy Carson:

"Pursuits are always fun! Although they're dangerous, they're very exciting."

Completely irresponsible. It is this sort of mentality and approach to police work that kills. I'd like to ask Kathy this:

Was it always fun when two Palm Beach officers were killed during a police chase when they were run over by one of the pursuing officers?

Was it always fun when an innocent 17-year-old Chris Cooper was killed while riding his bike?

Was it always fun when 404 people were killed in 2006 as a result of police pursuits? Or how about 2005, when 359 people were killed? That must have been fun.

Was it always fun when an innocent 22-year-old Steven Cornell was killed in Tampa?

There are countless officers who understand their duty and with honor and valor patrol the streets putting their life at risk to save lives. I can only hope that these poor recruiting methods don't put the wrong ideas into our law enforcement officers heads.

Introducting a new Vice President

PursuitWatch.org is pleased to announce a new Vice President. John Fox, a graduate of the University of Florida, brings his background in the political process, media relations, the policy implementation process, and passion for the issues to the PursuitWatch.org team. Aside from advocating safer and smarter police pursuits, Mr. Fox will also be a regular contributor to this blog. He specializes in editorial writing, and will help the cause by campaigning in those cities and towns that need it the most. You can contact him directly at john.timothy.fox@gmail.com, or by phone at 321-277-5115.

Sacramento: 5 hurt in police chase

A vehicle being pursued by police for failure to yield crashed violently into a car carrying a family of four Monday afternoon in Sacramento, California. Two children were transported to UC Davis Medical Center, while their parents were taken to the Mercy San Juan Medical Center, over 15 miles away. According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, none of the injuries were critical, though at first glance the accident seems to be the result of a hastily-considered police pursuit. If ‘failure to yield’ was indeed the only reason for the pursuit of a vehicle on a busy Sacramento street in the middle of the afternoon, than the police department was acting in a negligent manner. We at PursuitWatch.org are concerned over this apparent lack of judgment by the Sacramento Sherriff’s Department, and will be following the story as it develops.

Read more HERE.

Written by PursuitWatch.org's John Fox

Florida Today: "2-hour chase ends in lagoon dunk"

img: Amanda Stratford - Florida Today

Officers observed a man driving erratically, and ended up in a two hour long pursuit that ended with the suspects car in the Indian River Lagoon. In an interesting twist, the chase had appeared to ended, then begun again.

The chase appeared to have ended after the initial responding officer, Lt. Bert Berrios, crashed into a motorist at Jackson Avenue and South Patrick Drive while in pursuit of McCullagh. Berrios and the motorist were unharmed.

McCullagh, who had also struck a tree 15 minutes into the chase, drove off, police said. But McCullagh drove back by the accident scene about an hour later and the chase began again with new deputies in place, including the police chief, Cote said.

For more, click HERE.

Did erratic driving warrant a pursuit in this case? No.

Chase on 1-4 in Lakeland, FL (with video)

Police chased and eventually arrested 5 teenagers (19, 19, 15, 16, and 18) streaming from a home burglary in Lakeland, FL. During the chase the suspects car, which wound up being stolen, sideswiped a tractor-trailer who's driver was taken to the hospital.



Source: Lakeland Ledger

The Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY Newsletter: Inaugural Edition

Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY (VIPS) has released their first newsletter. Topics include OnStar, the suspension of 13 deputies in Florida, the Chris Cooper tragedy, and more. If you are not signed up to receive the newsletter, I encourage you to do so by visiting the VIPS website HERE. The sign up is down on the right.

VIPS is directed by Candy Priano of Chico, CA and has a clear and precise mission statement:

PursuitSAFETY is a national organization that joins communities, police officers, and public officials with 80,000 plus family members who have had blameless children, parents, and brothers and sisters killed or maimed when police chases spun out of control.

PursuitSAFETY's goal is to improve officer training, supervision and the law with respect to police pursuits so as to prevent innocent bystanders from being needlessly killed or maimed.

PursuitSAFETY will achieve this goal through encouraging education, research and awareness regarding police pursuits, and by sponsoring and promoting legislation designed to strike an appropriate balance between apprehending suspected criminals and public safety.

Below is the newsletter. Again, to sign up visit VIPS HERE.





HERE you can actually view an image of the newsletter that is readable.

Orlando Sentinel: Murder suspect arrested after chase on I-4

According to the Orlando Sentinel, a murder suspect was arrested this morning following a chase in downtown Orlando that included parts of I-4.

The suspects exited at Colonial Drive, striking several vehicles at the exit ramp, Jones said. Both Frasilus and Knox, 26, suffered minor injuries in the crashes. "Unfortunately [Frasilus'] actions dictated what we had to do to get him into custody," Jones said.

Police captured the pair and took them into custody at Colonial and Hughey Avenue. The tan Buick they were in suffered damage to the passenger's side and was towed away from the scene after crime scene investigators examined the mess.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

2007: A deadly year for law enforcement

According to a National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the Concerns of Police Survivors study, the 186 deaths of law enforcement nationwide in 2007 is the most since 2001. Below is a breakdown of the 186 deaths, complements of the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.

• 69:Number of shooting deaths in 2007, an increase from 52 in 2006.

• 81:Number of traffic-related deaths in 2007, an increase from 73 in 2006.

• 7:Officers killed this year who were woman.

• 39:Average age of police officers killed in the line of duty with an average of 11.4 years in law enforcement.

• 40:Percent of officers who were killed in felonious attacks in 2007.

• 60:Percent of officers who died from accidental causes.

• 51:Number of handguns used in the fatal officer shootings. Shotguns were used in eight.

• 17:Number of federal law enforcement officers who died this year, including five special agents of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations who were killed in Iraq.

It's also important to note, that aside from 2001, 2007 is the deadliest year since 1989. The number of deaths in 2001 include those lost on September 11th, thus drastically altering the total.

There are many possible explanations for the horrible number, yet one thing remains certain: Law enforcement is still a very dangerous job.

I would like to thank those of you who put your life on the line daily to protect us citizens, and ask that you understand, as PursuitWatch's introduction states:

First let me say welcome. Contrary to what some have said this is not a police-bashing site. PursuitWatch does not support the abolition of police pursuits. PursuitWatch promotes safer pursuit policy and the elimination of unnecessary pursuits. As police officers, I would ask you keep an open mind as you visit these pages. I am open to your suggestions and criticisms and PursuitWatch will publish well written and reasoned rebuttals to our positions. This should be an evolving learning process for all involved. Please remember that when the suspect flees it is you, the police officer, that we depend upon to make the critical life and death decisions that affect you, the public and even the fleeing suspect. The suspect has already made a potentially deadly decision and how you react to this situation is critical. It is at this point that we rely on your training, professionalism and expertise to make the critical judgments that determine the outcomes of these events. Sure-“If the bad guys hadn’t run this wouldn’t have happened.” What is just as true is that once the suspect flees, the police officers involved have virtually as much control of the outcomes of these events as the bad guys.

Here's to working together towards a safe 2008.

It's a new year

The new year has begun, and as I try to get back in the swing of things after taking some time off, there are a few things that are worth noting:

• Everyone should check out Affordable Mobile Law Enforcement Training/High Liability. Founded by Ron Kelley, its goal is to provide affordable driver training to law enforcement. They offer a wide variety of solutions understanding potential funding issues and will even help a department solicit donations.
  
• Continuing with the training talk, HERE is a story about the correlation between the lack of training and the increased number of accidents in Maryland.
  
• Some interesting stories have been circling the last few weeks. The Clarion Ledger has run several stories about a potential Mississippi statewide pursuit policy that will be discussed in the upcoming legislative session. HERE is their story discussing the issue, as well as their editorial opinion HERE.
  
• I have been following and writing about the Franklinton PD and their policy after the death of two innocent sisters. They have since begun to form a panel to review their pursuit policy. Read the WRAL.com story HERE.
  

2007 was a productive year. PursuitWatch has continued to grow and I have some lofty goals for 2008. All the while, innocent lives continue to be lost throughout the nation. Let us get the word out the best we can... And save lives.