Several recent high-speed police pursuits in North Georgia have caused multiple deaths and injuries to innocent motorists and passengers who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is, they were in the way of either the fleeing suspect or the pursuing police officer.

All of the apologies and regrets expressed by various officials over these tragedies are not going to replace the lives lost, and the additional lives forever damaged as a result of such high-speed chases. Yet, there are viable solutions other states have implemented, and the implementation of comparable measures here in Georgia is long overdue.

Decades ago, while residing in New London, Conn., I knew a young couple who were test-driving a car from an area dealership, along with a salesman, when all three were killed in such a high-speed state police pursuit. After contacting my friend state Sen. Dick Schneller, who provided an opportunity to testify to the state legislature on the extreme dangers to innocent parties resulting from such pursuits, a policy was implemented in 1993 that stated in part “pursuit is justified when the necessity of apprehension outweighs the danger of pursuit.”

It further stated “the dangers inherent in pursuing a violator must be evaluated against the nature of the offense that caused the pursuit … if the officer or his supervisor feels that the chance of injury to the officer, the public or the suspect exceeds the necessity for immediate capture, the officer must discontinue the pursuit and may employ alternate techniques for identifying and apprehending the violator.”

Georgia badly needs a comparable policy to limit such dangerous high-speed pursuits here and, even more, our officers need the benefit of an independent judgment as to the cases when such pursuits may be justified. It is my position that no such high-speed pursuit be continued by any police officer or comparable official without the express authorization of his or her superior officer. That further step would not cause any delay in such a chase, which could be initiated by the on-site officer if it was felt to be justified and necessary, but not continued without the express authorization of the superior.

Not only would this extra step protect the motoring public, it would also protect law enforcement departments from charges of overzealous pursuits for petty offenses such as broken taillights or defective exhausts. There are alternative ways of catching motor vehicle offenders, ranging from roadblocks to tire-puncturing strips to license-plate recognition, which, unlike pursuits, do not endanger, or even kill, innocent parties.

Eugene F. Elander
Dahlonega