By Toriano L. Porter | toriano.porter@examiner.net
The Independence Police Department has responded to City Council Member Renee Paluka-White's request for a study of the department's pursuit data from the last five years.
During a council meeting Nov. 19, Paluka-White asked City Manager Robert Heacock if the Police Department could provide data to the council to ensure the department's pursuit policy was being properly followed by officers engaged in police pursuits. Paluka-White said she wanted city officials to analyze data to see what, if anything, could be done to improve the policy.
The pursuit policy came under fire in November after a rash of pursuits over a span of 10 days left dead two criminal suspects and a 17-year-old Truman High School student.
Paluka-White suggested to Heacock that the city compile a list from the last five years of all the police pursuits involving Independence police officers and gauge what happened during those pursuits.
According to a memo sent Dec. 20 from Heacock to Mayor Don Reimal and other City Council members, the data reflected information for the calendar years 2005 and 2006. Some pursuit-related data from 2003 and 2004 was included in the 2005 report. A separate report reflected data gathered in preparation for 2007's report. The data for the 2007 report was only for the calendar months January through September. The first of the three police pursuit-related fatalities occurred Oct. 31, so those pursuits were not included in the report.
The reports were or will be provided to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies or CALEA, as part of the department's accreditation requirements.
According to the data, the Independence Police Department was involved in 65 pursuits during the first nine months of 2007, 113 pursuits in 2006, 143 in 2005, 146 in 2004 and 129 in 2003.
Officers terminated 12 of the 65 pursuits in 2007, 24 in 2006, 43 in 2005 and 14 each in 2004 and 2003.
Officers were involved in five collisions during pursuits in 2007. The number was three in 2006, five in 2005 and four in 2004.
Minor injuries were reported in six officer-involved pursuits in 2007 with three serious injuries. In 2006, nine minor injuries were reported with two serious injuries. In 2005, the number of minor injuries reported was six, with one serious injury reported. Pursuit-involved injuries from 2004 and 2003 were not available.
The number of pursuit-involved fatalities was zero for the first nine months of 2007, one in 2006, zero in 2005 and one in 2004.
Criminal suspects were apprehended in 42 of the 65 pursuits in 2007, 82 out of 113 pursuits in 2006 and 89 out of 143 pursuits in 2005. Apprehension data for 2004 and 2003 were not available.
In 2007, pursuits lead to 37 felony or driving while intoxicated charges, 67 felony or DWI charges in 2006 and 85 felony or DWI charges in 2005.
Stop sticks were deployed seven times in 2007, successfully ending six pursuits. In 2006, stop sticks were used successfully 20 out of 24 times and in 2005, the success rate was seven out of 17 times.
Police Chief Fred Mills said the police pursuit data numbers are reflective and pursuant to the department's stance of protecting the citizens of Independence. He added the city will not succumb to the threat of criminal activity or outside pressure to change its pursuit policy.
"We are trying to keep the community safe as possible," Mills said of the number of pursuits. "Sometimes people make bad decisions and they try to flee. As a result, horrible things happen."
Patrol Division Commander Major Eddie R. White prepared the 2005 report. White suggested in 2006 that the department integrate a Pitt Maneuver for certain pursuits under 40 mph. A Pitt Maneuver is when a patrol car gets close enough to a suspects' vehicle that the patrol car can attack the rear bumper of the vehicle, causing the suspect's vehicle to spin, while the patrol car keeps straight and steady.
The suggestion was deemed unsafe, White said.
"We would have had some liability issues on our hands," White said, adding the department's policy as it is remains strong. "We have a sound policy. We don't pursue for no reason. We balance they need to catch the criminal versus public safety."
White added although the department has come under scrutiny for the fatality incidents, to cave in to outside pressure wouldn't do any good to protect and serve the citizens of the city.
"Studies have shown a don't-chase policy is ineffective," White said.
Both White and Mills said the department's policy requires that every pursuit be given the go-ahead by a supervising officer and the result of the pursuits undergo intense internal scrutiny.
"We critique every pursuit we are involved in," Mills said. "We want to know, 'is the policy working? Can we improve it?' We do everything we can to stop these pursuits."
Paluka-White said although the City Council has yet to meet to discuss the data, she holds firm the belief the Police Department is doing legally what they have to do to keep the city safe.
"I think we owe (the pursuit data) to the public, so that they feel confidant we are doing the right thing," White said. "When a life is taken, everyone thinks initially that no chase is worth a life. But I feel like we have to pursue criminals to protect the public. If not, they will come to Independence and our citizens will not be safe."
Paluka-White said from her observation of the data, she would not recommend any changes to the policy.
"I'm not in favor of stopping pursuits unless something in this report states we need to stop," Paluka-White said. "I'm not anticipating that."
