Police pursuits are among the most controversial and risky police procedures. They are dangerous to the police and to innocent drivers alike. Several cops have been killed laying down spike strips in an attempt to stop an approaching vehicle that is fleeing from the police.
DALLAS POLICE BAN USE OF SPIKE STRIPS THAT CAN HALT FLEEING VEHICLES
Ft. Worth police reviewing use of the devices
By Tanya Eiserer
The Dallas Morning News
June 7, 2012
Dallas police are banning spike strips out of concern that an officer may be hurt or killed while trying to use the devices.
There’s an increasing awareness that such tire-deflation devices, once thought to be a useful tool, can be dangerous: Five police officers died last year in the U.S. as they were trying to stop fleeing vehicles with them.
“It’s an officer-safety issue,” said Dallas police Assistant Chief Mike Genovesi, who oversees the city’s seven patrol stations. “In a perfect world they can be effective, but I have seen too many instances where the reality that we live in is far from that. There’s a lot of danger, a lot of safety issues with them.”
There have been no known injuries from the use of spike strips involving Dallas officers. Police commanders said they made the decision after a review and receiving recommendations from police academy trainers that the risks outweighed the benefits. The policy change took effect Wednesday.
The familiar devices, including a popular brand called “Stops Stick,” are stretched across the roadway and deflate tires when a car drives over them.
Among the five officers killed in 2011 was a Beaumont officer who was struck by a fleeing vehicle as he tried to retrieve spike strips from his trunk. Another was a Michigan police officer who died after a fleeing bank robbery suspect hit him as he tried to put the strips in the roadway.
Harvey Hedden, executive director of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association, said he’s not sure it makes sense to take them out of an officer’s arsenal of crime-fighting tools. Hedden said that while there’s no doubt there’s an inherent danger to police work with the use of almost any tool, good training and supervision are keys to using those tools successfully.
“I could give cops guns and send them out on the streets without training and we’d have problems,” Hedden said. Spike strips “are not a miracle tool. Just like any other tool in law enforcement, you’ve got to have the safe and efficient use of it.”
Police chases are among the most dangerous activities in law enforcement. They sometimes end in death or injury to the fleeing suspect, police officers or innocent bystanders. Hedden questioned whether suspending the use of such devices might pose another risk.
“I’m in favor of giving officers tools to try to reduce injuries,” he said. “With good training, a stop stick can be one of the things that does that because it reduces the likelihood that a pursuit will continue.”
Dallas already has one of the most restrictive police pursuit policies in the nation. Officers used the spike strips infrequently and typically only when a pursuit stretched for an extended amount of time.
“We’re concerned about officer safety, and we look to review this policy with the department,” said Ron Pinkston, president of the Dallas Police Association. “We want to review it with them to see if there’s other ways to utilize the stop sticks.”
Genovesi said he is still reviewing the use of the devices to determine whether they should be used on a more limited basis, such as to prevent a stationary vehicle from being driven away from a crime scene.
Last week, Dallas police used stop sticks to stop a fleeing car driven by a man accused of repeatedly stabbing a woman. An officer used them to prevent the man from driving to downtown Fort Worth after leading law officers on a lengthy chase that stretched from Dallas to Fort Worth.
The spikes deflated a front tire, causing the fleeing driver to lose control and hit a light pole.
On Wednesday, Fort Worth police chased a man accused of attacking his girlfriend and pointing a gun at her as he threatened to kill her in Grand Prairie.
At one point, the man drove briefly on the wrong side of the freeway before Fort Worth officers put out spike strips to bring the vehicle to a halt in Ellis County.
No one was injured in either incident.
Fort Worth officials said they are currently reviewing the department’s use of the devices.
“As pursuit policies become more restrictive resulting in their reductions, stop sticks may be phased out throughout all of law enforcement,” Fort Worth police spokesman Pedro Criado said in an email. “It’s not worth injuring or killing an officer over. The debate has reached the Fort Worth Police Department.”
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