Pursuing public safety

Marisa O’Neil

They’re well publicized, occasionally riveting and, as one was in

Mission Viejo this week, sometimes fatal.

Lengthy, high-speed police pursuits seem a common occurrence on

Southern California’s roads and freeways -- an occurrence Costa Mesa

and Newport Beach largely avoid. But this week, a short pursuit in

Mission Viejo ended when a suspect fleeing from a sheriff’s deputy

crashed head-on into an oncoming car, killing its two occupants.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and

Orange County sheriff’s officials will review if department policies

were followed, Lt. Hans Strand said.

Pursuits like that one leave officers with the dilemma of whether

to chase a fleeing suspect. If officers let a suspect go, they risk

promoting lawlessness, Costa Mesa Lt. Ron Smith said; if they give

chase, motorists and bystanders may be put at risk.

“When someone’s fleeing at high speed, they’re just as dangerous

as someone walking outside and randomly firing a gun,” Smith said.

“Eventually, an innocent person is going to get killed.”

The California Highway Patrol reported 7,203 pursuits statewide in

2003; 22 of those ended in a crash that killed at least one person.

Because chasing a suspect presents a danger to the public, police

departments have pursuit policies in place.

“We’ve given very serious consideration to the whole purpose of

the pursuit for many years because innocent bystanders are getting

run into by these criminals,” Smith said.

Officers have to take into consideration factors such as the

seriousness of the crime they believe has been committed, traffic,

weather, how reckless the driver is, and if he or she is driving in a

residential area, Newport Beach Lt. Steve Shulman said.

For example, someone may run a red light and refuse to pull over

because of unpaid parking tickets or because he or she just robbed a

bank, Smith said.

“You have to ask yourself, ‘Is it worth it if you continue, and if

so, how?’” Smith said. “At some point you decide enough’s enough.”

Costa Mesa has not had a police pursuit that resulted in a death

in recent memory, Smith said.

Five Costa Mesa officers were injured last year, one seriously,

when a pursuit that started in Santa Ana concluded in Costa Mesa. The

driver backed her sport-utility vehicle into three officers, and two

others were injured when they smashed the car’s windows to grab the

steering wheel and keys.

Costa Mesa has only about six pursuits a year, many of those

lasting less than two minutes, Smith said. He credited the low number

of chases to the department’s relatively conservative approach to

pursuits. Officers heavily weigh the factors before engaging in a

pursuit, he said.

Newport Beach has about a dozen chases a year, with more passing

through the city, Shulman said. Often, they rely on the Air Borne Law

Enforcement helicopter, which covers Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, to

keep a close eye on fleeing suspects, he said.

If conditions get too dangerous, an officer, a supervising officer

or a watch commander can call off the pursuit, Shulman said.

Though television news crews aided by helicopters broadcast

lengthy high-speed chases -- like one this week in which a suspect in

a billowing purple robe drove through Costa Mesa -- most chases are

over quickly. Statewide, about 40% of chases ended in less than a

mile in 2003.

“Most pursuits last a very short period of time and go a limited

distance,” said CHP spokesman Steve Kohler. “People’s perception is

that they last a long time and go miles and miles.”

Even if suspects do flee, chances are they’re going to get caught,

Costa Mesa Sgt. Marty Carver said.

“They rarely get away,” Carver said. “And if the helicopter gets

involved, their chance of them getting away is about zero.”