Monday, April 13, 2009

Pertaining to another recent Berrien Township police high-speed chase resulting in the death of a young African-American man, Quintis Pratt:

Driver training and the typical police agency
Police Driving: Safety Behind the Wheel by Capt. Travis Yates
http://www.policeone.com/police-products/training/simulator/articles/1705371-Driver-training-and-the-typical-police-agency/


From the Danbury News Times, 2/22/09
...For those reasons, the era of the high-speed chase -- beloved by movie directors and TV cop reality shows -- is ending in many places.
"I think that's what's happening,'' said John Phillips of Orlando, Fla., who runs the Web site Pursuit Watch, which tracks police chases across the country.
"A police officer who's a friend of mine puts it this way: 'Our job isn't to arrest some guy. It's to protect the community,''' Phillips related.

From http://www.pursuitwatch.org/
Please remember that when the suspect flees it is you, the police officer, that we depend upon to make the critical life and death decisions that affect you, the public and even the fleeing suspect. The suspect has already made a potentially deadly decision and how you react to this situation is critical. It is at this point that we rely on your training, professionalism and expertise to make the critical judgments that determine the outcomes of these events. Sure-“If the bad guys hadn’t run this wouldn’t have happened.” What is just as true is that once the suspect flees, the police officers involved have virtually as much control of the outcomes of these events as the bad guys.