Friday, August 23, 2002
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Friday, August 23, 2002 |
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Capitol hearing focuses on police chases By JOHN
MUNFORD
Police officers across Georgia do not receive adequate training about how to conduct and resolve high-speed vehicle pursuits, according to many high-ranking officers who testified in a public hearing at the state Capitol Thursday morning. Top law enforcement officials, including several from Fayette County, urged legislators to fund more training for officers and a state-wide radio communications system so officers who chase suspects into another jurisdiction can communicate with officers on duty near the pursuit who could assist in stopping the fleeing suspect. When Luthersville police chased a suspect through Peachtree City July 27 a chase that ended in the death of an innocent Peachtree City man Peachtree City officers got one minute's notice before the chase entered their jurisdiction, said Peachtree City Police Chief James Murray. Peachtree City officers were unable to communicate with the Luthersville officers conducting the pursuit, which reached speeds over 100 miles per hour, Murray said. Coweta Sheriff Mike Yeager added that his department received no warning about the pursuit, which began in adjacent Meriwether County, until it had already gone through the Coweta area. The chase, which detoured through the pedestrian-heavy The Avenue shopping center, was only in Peachtree City for three minutes, the chief added. Murray has advocated the use of restrictive chase policies such as the one in place in Peachtree City. "I'm not saying don't chase," Murray said. "There are times when police have to chase a suspect at all costs." Georgia State Patrol troopers are the only police officers in the state who receive specialized training on how to conduct and resolve high-speed chases, said Larry Welch, a state law enforcement instructor. "The law enforcement vehicle is the deadliest weapon you give a police officer," Welch said. "But that's the one that receives the least training." That high speed course taught to troopers covers maneuvers to "box in" or "spin out" fleeing vehicles, said Maj. Wayne Hannah of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, who once took the course as a guest. A different high-speed course designed for other police officers is not offered frequently enough, said Capt. Bryan Woodie, also of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. "That course taught me to be a much more effective driver," Woodie said, adding that less than one percent of the officers at the Sheriff's Department have been able to take the course because it is offered so infrequently. Yeager said he felt law enforcement training should focus more on situations like high-speed pursuits and less on matters such as defensive driving maneuvers and liability issues. Other law enforcement officials testifying at the hearing said the legislature should enact more strict penalties for suspects who choose to flee police officers. Currently, such crimes are classified as misdemeanors punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. Col. George Ellis of the Georgia State Patrol said the GSP is aggressive in trying to end high-speed pursuits quickly, and it would help if other agencies who have vehicles in strategic positions during pursuits would also help to stop the pursuits. Alice Vicha, whose son Chuck Vicha was killed in the recent Peachtree City crash resulting from the Luthersville police chase, said her family has been through "a nightmare" since the crash. She said she wants police to adopt safety standards to use, but she doesn't want to "handcuff" police from ever chasing suspects. "If a child is snatched, you go after them," Vicha said. "Or if there's a terrorist, you go after them. Or a hostage in a car who has a gun to their head. But not for a fender bender." Information from the hearing, which was hosted by state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh, will be passed along to the governor, lieutenant governor and members of the public safety committees of both the House and the Senate, Seabaugh said.
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