On pursuit, policy, police

A police chase that triggered two separate crashes Friday shows the need for city police to develop a formal policy on high-speed pursuits. Fortunately, the Fort Wayne Police Department had already begun developing a policy, but it’s disappointing that the department’s subjective rules for pursuing criminals had not evolved sooner.

If this appears to be a minor issue, digest this fact: Forty-seven officers in the United States have been killed this year during police pursuits, one more than the number of officers who died from firearms, according to Policedriving.com, a Web site run by a police driver trainer instructor in Tulsa, Okla.

Northeast Indiana has experienced no officer deaths in a series of chases over the past two months. But Fort Wayne Officer Rickey Parrish and another driver, Kirk D. Lecount, of Fort Wayne, were seriously injured Friday night when their cars collided near East Pettit Avenue and South Park Drive.

Lecount had turned left in front of the squad car driven by Parrish, who was on the way to join in a chase of Robert Harris, 21. The chase began when officers tried to serve a felony warrant and ended when Harris crashed into a crosswalk pole at Pontiac and Smith streets.

The city’s current unwritten rules rely on the experience of officers and the expertise of a supervisor. Speed, weather and traffic are relayed to the supervisor, who can stop the chase if the risks are too great.

The department’s new evaluation is warranted and commendable. Chief Rusty York’s timetable to introduce the new policy is Jan. 1, and he said its implementation will be more robust than a simple missive passed to officers.

Other area agencies have policies in place. The Allen County Sheriff’s Department has an eight-page guideline, developed in 1991 and updated in ’98. The guidelines are re-evaluated every year. Sheriff’s deputies must show a crime was committed and the fleeing suspect was involved.York is reviewing the sheriff’s department’s guidelines for possible adaptation in Fort Wayne.

The Indiana State Police has a written policy, too: After an officer starts the chase, the local post commander decides whether to cut it off. There is more zeal placed on apprehending known felons than on chasing misdemeanor traffic violators, a state police official said.

Adopting a policy that can deal with the wide range of circumstances that can start a chase is difficult. Most citizens very likely want police officers to pursue an armed bandit who has just shot someone and poses an immediate threat to shoot more people. But what about a drunken driver, who also poses an immediate threat to others but would perhaps create a higher threat if leading police on a chase?

The best policies seem to involve deferring to a commander not participating in the chase. Officers involved in an adrenaline-pumping chase are focused on doing their jobs – catching the driver who, by the very nature of fleeing, is a criminal.

Keeping a cool head is needed in those situations; clear rules will provide guidance to officers and ensure the public’s safety.