Wednesday, April 9, 2003
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Wednesday, April 9, 2003 |
Senate passes bill requiring cops to adopt chase policiesBy JOHN
MUNFORD
State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh wants to require all Georgia police agencies to plan how they will deal with pursuits, particularly those which cross over into other jurisdictions. A bill introduced by Seabaugh which requires state, county and local law enforcement agencies to adopt such written policies has received widespread support and should pass the Senate, according to Seabaugh. The Republican state senator from Sharpsburg said he expects police agencies will soon determine they need more funding for training on pursuits. It's too early to get funding for that training put in the budget since there is no cost estimate yet, he noted. "It will give us the opportunity to adequately provide the type of training they need," Seabaugh said. "That's something we'll have to deal with in the budget." Alice Vicha, whose son Chuck was killed at the Peachtree City city limits last July when his van was struck by a motorist fleeing Luthersville police, said she hoped police departments would become more consistent with their pursuit policies. "Who says their policy is right?" Vicha said. "In some places it'll be harder and in other places it'll be lax." Another bill from Seabaugh, which would have made the crime of fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer a felony and increased the fine for such offenses did not make it out of committee in time to be considered by the legislature this year, Seabaugh said. Seabaugh said he had hoped a colleague of his would carry it through the judiciary committee, but that didn't happen. As a result, any action on that bill must wait until next year, Seabaugh added. "It (fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer) can be a felony under most circumstances already," Seabaugh said, noting that the crime is considered a felony if the offender has committed another felony crime in conjunction with the fleeing charge. Seabaugh hosted a special hearing on police pursuits this summer weeks after Chuck Vicha was killed during the police chase that went through Peachtree City at speeds of over 100 miles per hour. Vicha was attempting to turn onto Ga. Highway 54 West when his vehicle was struck by a sport utility vehicle driven by Lorraine McCrary of Jonesboro. The crash killed Vicha and injured McCrary and three children who were in her vehicle at the time of the incident, police said. Detectives found numerous fake ID documents in McCrary's vehicle at the accident scene. She was being pursued by Luthersville police who had been told her vehicle ran over a stop sign in the town, according to police reports. In an attempt to protect innocent motorists, the Peachtree City Police Department blocked off major intersections along Hwy. 54 as the pursuit sped by. McCrary originally pulled over the first time a Luthersville officer got behind her, but as the officer went back to his vehicle to use the radio, she bolted back into her vehicle and sped away, according to police. McCrary pled guilty in December to vehicular homicide in the first degree and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In exchange, prosecutors dropped other pending charges. According to reports, McCrary's blood alcohol content registered at .14 grams after the crash, well above the legal limit for intoxication in Georgia.
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