GREENSBORO -- Law enforcement officers admit it's one of the toughest decisions they'll ever have to make. A suspect is within their grasp — a few feet away in another vehicle.

He might have a revoked driver's license or expired registration sticker.
He may be driving erratically under the influence of alcohol. Or he may have just shot someone or robbed a bank.

The officer closes in on the suspect, but for whatever reason, the suspect has determined that today is not the day he's going to jail.

In a split-second, the suspect speeds off. Just as quickly, the officer has to decide: Do I pursue?

The answer can mean the difference between life and death.

Not only do the lives of the suspect and the pursuing officer hang in the balance, but so do the lives of bystanders.

This difficult decision is made every day by those who are sworn to protect and serve.

Pursuits kill every day

Flip through the TV channels, and you're likely to find an episode of "CSI: Miami" or "Cops" that features a police pursuit.

They're action-packed — full of adrenaline-pumping emotion — and they exemplify the classic battle of good versus evil.

But most viewers don't know what happens in real life — the many factors that go into when and why police chase suspects.

Sometimes, the bad guy is safely apprehended, and praise is given for a job well-done in taking a dangerous person off the street.

Other times, when a pursuit goes wrong, a suspect, officer or innocent person ends up severely injured or dead.

Pursuits kill, on average, at least one person a day, according to federal data. From 1996 through 2006, the national average stood just above 386 fatalities each year.

Nearly a third of all reported pursuits end in a collision, leaving thousands more injured each year.

Experts say long hours of training and clear departmental policy should give officers the tools they need to make well-informed decisions.

But when a pursuit ends badly, departments must defend their actions and deal with the consequences.

"You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't," said Col. Randy Powers, chief deputy of the Guilford County Sheriff's Office.

"When an officer pulls somebody over, he really doesn't know what may have occurred," he said.

A stop that began as a minor traffic violation can escalate to something far more serious the moment a suspect begins to run, Powers said.

"You are trying to find out: Why are they running?"

At the Guilford County Sheriff's Office, like many agencies, strict policies dictate when a deputy should and should not pursue a suspect.

Generally, officers must weigh the situation based on what initiated the traffic stop, time of day, road and weather conditions, traffic volume, where the pursuit began and where it could be headed.

Officers then relay all of those factors to dispatchers, who notify other law enforcement agencies of the pursuit. Officers must update the circumstances of the pursuit continuously from beginning to end.

All local agencies limit the number of vehicles in the pursuit to two or three. Unmarked cars must be replaced by marked units as soon as possible.

Most policies require a supervisor, usually a sergeant or lieutenant, to monitor the pursuit and make decisions about bringing in other officers to assist, how to stop a fleeing suspect or when to stop it altogether.

"Not only one person is the decision-maker," Capt. Robert Flynt said of the Greensboro Police Department's policy. "You are trying to help that officer make good, sound decisions through people who are aware of the circumstances."

All law enforcement officers in North Carolina must successfully complete 40 hours of driver's training as mandated by the state's Criminal Justice Training and Standards Division.

Many departments also require in-service training each year on pursuit driving.

Her first semester at UNCG

Friends say Linsay Lunsford had dreamed of changing the world, one young mind at a time.

The 18-year-old moved from Creedmoor, just north of Durham, to Greensboro to attend UNCG last fall and study elementary education.
She hoped eventually to go back to her native Granville County to teach.

"Linsay was going to change the world in her own little way," said fellow student and friend Kiera Dimitriadis.

"She was motivated and driven, and never let anything get in the way of her beliefs."

In her first semester at UNCG, Lunsford, an honors student, became active in student government and in the Make a Difference House, a housing option for students who are passionate about community service.

Like many college students not too far from home, she often returned to see her family on the weekends.

She was doing just that the afternoon of Dec. 1.

She had picked up her 9-year-old sister, Maggie Rose, from a karate tournament and stopped at a local Wal-Mart to do some shopping.

As they drove home along U.S. 15, a man fleeing from Franklinton police crashed head-on into Lunsford's 1999 Kia — killing both girls instantly.

The other vehicle, driven by Guy Christopher Ayscue, 38, flipped before catching on fire and burning, according to an accident report. Ayscue died at the scene.

Franklinton police say Officer Mike Dunlap began pursuing Ayscue after seeing him driving on the wrong side of the road.

Dunlap tried to stop Ayscue using his lights and siren, but Ayscue sped off.

Ayscue's criminal record spanned at least 20 years, including several DWIs. A toxicology report would later reveal he was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the wreck.

The pursuit, which reached speeds of 90 mph in a 55 mph zone, lasted 13 minutes and covered 15 miles before ending in the fiery collision.

The case prompted the Franklin County sheriff to suspend police pursuits temporarily and the Franklinton police to order a review of police policies.

Dunlap was placed on paid administrative leave during an investigation.

A Raleigh TV station later reported that Franklinton police Chief Ray Gilliam said Dunlap clearly violated department policy, which prohibits officers from traveling more than 20 mph over the posted speed limit.

Gilliam said Dunlap wouldn't lose his job because of the chase. Dunlap returned to duty in February.

Gilliam could not be reached for comment.

Mourners packed the Lunsford sisters' funeral at Mount Energy Elementary School, where Maggie was a student and Linsay might one day have taught.

The Lunsford family declined to be interviewed for this story, citing pending legal matters.

People in Creedmoor are coping with the tragedy, Brittany Thompson said.

"It's still sad," said Thompson, who attended South Granville High with Lunsford.

"It's something we don't like to remember, but we do."

Deputies in hot pursuit

Guilford County Deputy Vic Maynard has been involved in more pursuits than he can count.

And he's got the scars to prove it.

Maynard, whose law enforcement career spans 22 years, spent more than a year recovering from injuries suffered in a pursuit-related crash in October 1990.

Another deputy had tried to stop a man — Ralph Jacobs Tabor — on suspicion of DWI around Westridge Road and Battleground Avenue.

The suspect fled north on U.S. 220 with deputies in hot pursuit.

Maynard and Deputy David Thacker joined the pursuit near the Rockingham County line.

The deputies attempted a rolling roadblock — traveling down the highway using their cruisers to block Tabor's Pontiac — in an effort to force him to stop safely.

Maynard's vehicle was in front of Tabor's. That's one of the last things Maynard remembers about that day.

"He rammed me and caused my vehicle to overturn several times and land (upside down) in a creek bed," Maynard said. "I was pinned and unconscious, and the vehicle was on fire."

Tabor's car ran off the road and into the woods. Ejected but alive, he spent seven weeks recovering from his injuries. He was later convicted of driving while impaired, fleeing to elude arrest, hit-and-run, assault and reckless driving, among other charges.

Meanwhile, Maynard wound up at Moses Cone Hospital, where he spent five days in intensive care. He underwent reconstructive surgery on both his knee and face. With multiple operations and rehabilitation, Maynard missed 14 months of work.

The wreck ended Maynard's 11-year Army career with the National Guard. Army policy at the time didn't allow soldiers with artificially reconstructed joints. He put away his combat boots with the rank of staff sergeant.

"People think (pursuits) are fun and games, but it's one of the most volatile things law enforcement has to do," Maynard said.

"It's dangerous, but it's a necessary evil."

'Stupid decisions'

A 2004 study using data from the International Association of Chiefs of Police found that the most common reasons suspects flee from police are traffic violations, possession of a stolen automobile and other nonviolent felonies.

"The myth is that they are all violent offenders with dead bodies in the trunk," said Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina and an expert on law enforcement using deadly force.

"It's usually young people making stupid decisions for minor violations," he said.

Some agencies have reduced the risk by adopting no-pursuit or restrictive pursuit policies.

Greensboro Capt. Flynt said he doesn't necessarily oppose no-pursuit policies, but he is glad that he works for an agency with a sound chase policy that allows officers to do their jobs.

"It scares me to think of a drunk driver going down the road, and we just don't chase him," Flynt said. "He goes down the road and kills somebody, then what do you do?"

Many local officers agree that the safest pursuit policies involve training on a consistent basis and officers who have the experience to make good decisions both on the road and over the radio.

"We are there to stop those people who violate our laws ... or endanger the public," said Sgt. A.W. Waddell of the Highway Patrol.

"You are asking men and women to make split-second decisions. ... You are trying to do what is right but — sometimes unfortunately — things happen.

"The bottom line is: If we are going to be true to our oath and the public — unfortunately, pursuits are going to be a part of our business," Waddell said. "We have to try and do them as safely as we possibly can."

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077