Wednesday, August 7, 2002

I totally agree with [Peachtree City Police] Chief [Jim] Murray. I am a graduate of the University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy (1985) with a POST certificate for the state of Alabama, and was a deputy sheriff for 17 years.

You could not get through the POST training without extensive exposure to training and case law regarding high speed chases. Any officer who pursues this kind of activity in a "densely populated" area (like Peachtree City) needs to take a deep breath and reassess the situation.

I have personally been involved in several 10-100s (high speed chases) with "condition zero" (unknown circumstances), under the presumption that if the subject is running, there is either a complaint, or other probable cause to believe the subject has done some illegal act.

BUT. Those chases were "authorized" by a supervisor, constant radio update with regard to location was provided to dispatch, and those "chases" were on interstate highways or limited access roads. If officers indicated that the chase was entering a subdivision or densely populated area, the on-air supervisor would immediately issue an order to stand down. It was part of our departmental SOP.

A universal duty of law enforcement is to protect and serve. It is very difficult to "protect" citizenry when vehicles are traveling at speeds of 100 mph. Quite frankly, one of the concerns we always had was for our own safety driving a county vehicle at those speeds. Trust me, most vehicles and equipment are not designed for those conditions.

Chief Murray is correct in asking for more governance around this. In this day and age, technology and radios are a much more effective tool than police cruisers careening down roads in populated areas on roads engineered for speeds of 55 mph or less.

Steve Fraas

Peachtree City

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