The danger of high speed chases

Their job is to protect the public but police, fire and rescue personnel are involved in crashes each year with some resulting in fatalities. The State of Georgia has begun a program they hope will reduce these accidents.  

According to figures released from the state there were 2,475 collisions involving on duty officers during 2011. These accidents resulted in 386 Georgians being injured and three being killed.

State Trooper Donald Crozier, who was involved in a wreck that killed Atlanta Braves trainer Jeff Porter’s wife, lost his job and rightly so. Records released to the media showed that he had been involved in 20 wrecks over the ten year period he was with the State Patrol and seven of them were definitely his fault.

The Georgia Department of Public Safety is presently working with the Georgia Sheriff’s Association in an effort to help reduce the number of wrecks that occur when law officers are involved in a chase to stop a car. Classroom time, online simulation and realistic challenges will be taught and all officers will be required to attend the sessions.

This is not the first effort to increase safety when vehicle chases are necessary. More than two decades ago on a national level law enforcement began to address the number of wrecks that involved high speed pursuits. Many agencies began changing their policies associated with high speed chases. Policies were changed that allowed officers to stop chasing a vehicle if continuing would endanger the public more than letting a suspect escape.

The Georgia State Patrol reported that troopers stopped chasing thirteen percent of the vehicles they were trying to stop during 2011. In chases that year 393 cars were damaged because almost half of the pursuits resulted in wrecks even though the average chase only lasted around five minutes and covered around five miles.

That year’s pursuits in the state resulted in four deaths, all of which were caused by the violator, with 73 other violators being injured. Seven officers and 29 bystanders were injured with half of all chases involved persons who had committed a misdemeanor. That year’s bystander injuries were 322 percent more than the previous year and twice the six year average.

During a chase most officers tend to concentrate more on catching a bad person than paying enough attention to other safety factors. Radios should be used to contact other officers close by and ask that a roadblock be setup to stop the violators rather than to continue to pursue them at an extremely high rate of speed.

In our state four hour refresher courses are mandatory for all officers each year. Supervisors also review each pursuit watching the dashboard’s camera videos and listening to the recording of the radio conversation.

When serious crimes are committed it is law enforcements’ job to capture those responsible even if a high speed chase is required. Officers have a tough job and a dangerous job and we citizens should be grateful for their service. For their own safety and the safety of others high speed chases should be done only when necessary.

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