Troubled by the deaths that have resulted from law enforcement vehicle pursuits, particularly one in Huber Heights, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine formed an advisory group in April to examine the issue and create a model pursuit policy that can be used by agencies throughout the state.
On March 17, an 18-year-old suspect was being pursued by Huber Heights police when she slammed into an SUV driven by a 50-year-old Xenia resident, killing him and critically injuring his passenger. The suspect was indicted in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, and grand theft auto.
At least 352 people, including one peace officer and 147 bystanders, were killed in law enforcement pursuits in Ohio between 1982 and 2014, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Huber Heights case struck a nerve with the Attorney General and prompted him to look into forming a group to study pursuit policies.
“The goal is to lessen the risk to bystanders and police officers in regard to high-speed chases and hopefully come up with best practices,” DeWine said.
Since 2003, law enforcement agencies have been required to have a pursuit policy, but the policy details are up to the individual departments.
Canton Public Safety Director Andrea Perry is leading the advisory group, which includes 12 representatives from law enforcement, local government, and the public.
So far, members have heard several perspectives on vehicle pursuits and examined the vehicle pursuit policies of various agencies.
At the May meeting, the panel learned about the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s pursuit policy from Lt. Chuck Jones and driving training from Sgt. Jonathan Davis.
The patrol’s training begins in the classroom, Davis said, then moves on to regular driving, emergency driving, and pursuit driving. The final training session is held in the classroom. The patrol calls on the teachings of Below 100, a program designed to reduce line-of-duty deaths by placing an emphasis on sound judgment.
“When our trainees are asked, ‘Who are you sworn to protect?’ They will generally answer, ‘society,’ ” Davis said. “When asked, ‘Whose life are you willing to take if you choose to engage in a pursuit without weighing the risk of the pursuit with the necessity of apprehension?’ They always give you that blank stare. … So we put the burden on them to make educated decisions about whether to pursue or not pursue.”
The emphasis on making good choices during a pursuit, Davis said, is the most critical part of the training.
“It’s that good sound decision-making, not taking it personally, that makes the difference,” he said. They need to think about ‘Should I be chasing, or should I call it off?’ ”
The board also reviewed the policies of the Canton Police Department, German Township Police Department, Licking County Sheriff’s Office, the Mansfield Police Department, and the County Risk Sharing Authority, which provides suggested model policies for the sheriff’s offices of its 65 member counties.
Lt. Chad Carson of the Licking County Sheriff’s Office, and a member of the group, shared his agency’s policy, which uses pursuit termination techniques and allows intentional contact with a suspect’s vehicle.
Licking County allows three vehicles to be used in a pursuit, permits the use of the Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT maneuver), the vehicle intercept or “swoop” technique, channeling, rolling roadblocks, stationary roadblocks, and tire-deflation devices.
All officers are trained and certified by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) for pursuit-termination techniques. Licking County has five driving instructors, two of whom are also driving instructors at OPOTA.
In contrast, Chief Joseph Andzik of the German Township Police Department in Germantown, Ohio, said his department’s policy is to pursue only suspects of violent felonies. They don’t use PIT maneuvers, roadblocks, or tire-deflation devices.
German Township is 36 miles of farmland and light industry, he said. “We don’t have many pursuits.”
The panel
The advisory group is being led by Canton Public Safety Director Andrea Perry and includes:
- Erik Abrahamsen, Motorists Insurance
- Arlene Anderson, Cleveland NAACP
- Chief Joseph Andzik, German Township Police Department
- Lt. Chad Carson, Licking County Sheriff's Office
- Rockney Carter, Montgomery County IMPACT and Zion Baptist Church
- Lori Cope, Ohio Municipal League and Mansfield Safety Service Director
- Lt. James Fitsko, Marion Police Department
- Prosecutor James Flaiz, Geauga County Prosecutor's Office
- Judge William Grim (Ret.), Athens County Municipal Court
- Joseph Hegedus, Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association
- Ken Hilty, County Risk Sharing Authority
- Ric Oxender, Ohio Conference of AAA Clubs