Tampa Tribune: Deadly chase was judgement call

Over the Fourth of July weekend, Hernando County Sheriff's Office Deputy John Mecklenburg died during a police pursuit. The chase also caused minor injuries to another deputy. Howard Altman of the Tampa Tribune offered an interesting article on the events that took place and HCSO's pursuit policy.

According to Altman, Hernando County's pursuit policy says "pursuits should be aimed at 'violent felony offenders only'." The pursuit that killed Deputy Mecklenburg was due to the suspect driving the wrong way, which certainly doesn't meet the "violent felony offenders only" barrier. Officials noted an investigation is ongoing.

From the article:

Driving the wrong way on a one-way street isn't a reason to give chase, but what happened next seems to be, said Jon Shane, who teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

The initial reports about the chase seem to "justify continued pursuit, especially after a deputy was injured," Shane said. "The person they are pursuing is the one who dictates the pursuit."

This doesn't make sense. If driving the wrong way doesn't justify a pursuit, then it should never get to the point to where an officer can be injured. Using the events that happen once a pursuit is continued to justify the pursuit enables all pursuits to be justified. In other words, "We can only pursue dangerous people, and even though the suspect only had a broken taillight once he fled he became one of those dangerous people."

John Phillips has a different take. On Dec. 13, 2001, his 20-year-old sister, Sarah, was killed during a pursuit by Orange County deputies. His family started the website PursuitWatch in March 2003 to get law enforcement to chase only people thought to have committed a violent crime.

"Any other offense is not worth the risk to the innocent public and law enforcement," Phillips said. "While someone driving the wrong way is certainly dangerous, we do not need to compound the bad decisions of others with our own. I can't think of a more common situation for law enforcement where the chance of a negative outcome is so possible."

You can read the entire article HERE.

5 injured in Jacksonville, FL pursuit

According to the Florida Times-Union, the Jacksonville PD pursued a driver who refused to pull over for traveling with its headlights off. Stop sticks did now slow the driver, until it ran a red light and struck another vehicle. Two people in that car, including a 7-month-old, were critically injured. The driver of the fleeing car as well as two passengers were seriously hurt.

None of the 5 injured were wearing a seatbelt, including the 7-month-old.

Further, as the Times-Union provides:

Court records show [the fleeing driver] was due to go to trial next week on charges of grand theft auto and driving with a revoked license for being a habitual traffic offender.

You can read further HERE.

While it is important to catch the bad guys, and this guy certainly is given the upcoming charges, was it worth chasing and injuring two innocent citizens to catch this guy? PursuitWatch advocates for safer and smarter pursuits, and unless the fleeing driver is believed to have been involved in a violent crime, we feel it is not worth the risk to the innocent public and law enforcement.

Policy Proposal for Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Alex Sink

Through a contact I was able to submit a policy proposal to current Florida CFO, and Democratic candidate for Governor, Alex Sink. Candy Priano of PursuitSAFETY joined me on this submission. I appreciate the opportunity and while it might not lead to dramatic policy change, it is certainly useful to catch the ear of an influential public figure. Below is the proposal.

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When Sarah Phillips, a 20-year-old UCF student, was killed by a man fleeing police just outside of Orlando in 2001, and when 15-year-old Kristie Priano was killed on her way to a high school basketball game in 2002, they became two more innocent victims of police pursuits in the United States. Founded as a result of their deaths, PursuitWatch.org and PursuitSAFETY have been advocating for safe and smart police pursuits.

In regards to police pursuits, there are several important facts to take into consideration:

• Nationwide, 1 officer is killed every 6 weeks, and at least 3 innocent victims are killed each week.

• Officer deaths from vehicle collisions outnumber firearm related officer deaths.

• Pursuits result in up to 4,000 injuries to innocent Americans each year.

• From 1998-2007, at least 176 Floridians were killed during police pursuits.

• 88% of all chases are for non-violent crimes.

Given these statistics, we would like to make three recommendations to Alex Sink’s campaign for Governor of Florida.

1. Across Florida, all law enforcement agencies should be required to implement a clearly defined pursuit policy that prevents the review of a pursuit from being a guessing game. This must state what crimes warrant a pursuit, and what the proper action should be. A clearly defined policy allows officers to make the correct decision, helps in training for these situations, and for proper scrutiny and review by the chain of command to be possible.
2. In Florida, those who choose to flee police should be charged with at least a 2nd degree felony. Currently, those who flee are charged with a 3rd degree felony unless they show wanton disregard (2nd degree) or cause serious bodily harm (1st degree). (See Florida Statute 316.1935)
3. Law enforcement agencies should only pursue those who are suspected of committing a violent crime. Given the risk to peace officers and the innocent public, it is only worth the risk to pursue when there is an imminent threat to human life. It is also important to take into consideration that just because officers choose not to pursue with their vehicles thisdoes not mean the suspect gets away. The ability to use proven resources and technologies to apprehend drivers who flee does not require life-threatening behavior.
   

Finally, it is important to remember the financial costs (lawsuits, workers’ compensation, insurance claims). For example, a study done in St. Louis found one out of every 100 dollars spent in the police budget went to workers’ compensation claims for deaths and injuries arising from vehicular accidents. That is enough for St. Louis to employ 25 more officers.

John Phillips

President, PursuitWatch.org
321.228.9783

Candy Priano

Executive Director, PursuitSAFETY
A National Nonprofit Organization
530.343.9754