Dangerous Police Chases Prompt Revisions to Pursuit Policies
SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press Writer


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Some police agencies across the nation have adopted policies against dangerous high-speed chases involving suspects who are not wanted for violent crimes.

Funeral services were held Monday for an Oklahoma City police officer who died in one such chase last week.

Sgt. Jonathan Dragus died Thursday after his patrol car struck a tree during a pursuit of a suspect on a stolen motorcycle in northwest Oklahoma City. Dragus, 32, apparently lost control of his vehicle when a pickup truck entered an intersection in front of the officer.

Dragus' death is one of three major accidents in Oklahoma over the last week that resulted from a policechase.

On Sunday, three people were injured, two of them seriously, when a car being chased by an Oklahoma City police officer crashed into another vehicle at an intersection.

Early Monday morning, a man drowned after his vehicle crashed into the Oklahoma River just south of downtown Oklahoma City while being pursued by Moore police.

Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel has a unique perspective on police pursuits. Whetsel's wife and 2-year-old daughter were killed in 1980 when an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper in pursuit of a speeding motorcyclist crashed into the family's car.

''Obviously, having gone through that tragedy, I've looked at police pursuits from every aspect,'' said Whetsel, who conducts training on policechases. ''The first thing to remember is that the bad guy is the one that causes whatever happens.

''In this case, officer Dragus was doing his job ... and he lost his life because the bad guy wouldn't obey the law. Pursuing criminals is going to have horrific risks ... but it's one of those risks that law enforcement is sworn to take in order to protect our citizens.''

Whetsel said risks can be reduced by regularly training officers about pursuits and by having supervisors monitor and, if necessary, terminate pursuits.

Oklahoma City police Capt. Jeffrey Becker said every police pursuit results in an investigation to determine whether proper policies and procedures were followed.

The decision to pursue is based on an officer's discretion and involves consideration of the time of day, weather conditions and the severity of the offense. He said supervisors also have the authority to end a pursuit at any time.

''The police department is always open to evaluating best practices in law enforcement techniques,'' Becker said. ''Our current policy is one that's been carefully evaluated.''

Nationwide, about 40 percent of all policechases end in crashes, according to Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina. He has studied high-risk pursuit driving for about 20 years.

Alpert said many police departments across the nation are moving toward policies where police only pursue suspects if they are known to have committed a violent felony.

''Innocent people were getting killed and injured. The question is, for what?'' Alpert said.

''If these were all rapists and murderers being pursued, it might be understandable. But the empirical reality is that most of these people who are fleeing are just making stupid decisions.''

On Monday, the Phoenix Police Department began training its officers for a planned move to a violent-felony-only pursuit policy, said spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill.

''There is a serious liability concern to engage in any active pursuit which would endanger the lives of citizens, officers or suspects,'' Hill said. ''The need to catch that type of person is far outweighed by the need to protect the community.''

But Whetsel said he believes that policy is too rigid because officers rarely know at the beginning of a pursuit if the suspect is a violent felon.

''You obviously can't give a free ride to every stolen vehicle,'' Whetsel said. ''If you do, you run a big risk of not being able to enforce the law.''