Are high-speed pursuits ever right?

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Are high-speed chases worth it? If YouTube is any indication, you can dial up a new terrifying chase from some part of the world almost daily. Police forces are tasked with a seemingly-impossible task: deciding in a moment what will endanger the public more — chasing a suspected criminal, or letting one go. 

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The RCMP stopped pursuing stolen cars in 2008, a protocol that was taken nationwide the following year. But what if they suspect there is a stash of weapons in the trunk? What if the driver is impaired? Chasing down a vehicle with someone who has just robbed a bank at gunpoint seems reasonable, right? 

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The tale of this pursuit for exactly that reason in London, Ontario in 2019 might give you pause. In the recent lawsuit still before the courts, this account from the London Free Press begins with a clinical summation of the events: “ The Clarks were in the back seat of a taxi driving through an intersection on a green light. A vehicle occupied by the suspected bank robbers went through the intersection, followed by Groves in an OPP cruiser, on a red light. Groves’ cruiser struck the taxi, injuring the Clarks.” The “Clarks” were a 27-year-old mother and her 9-year-old daughter. 

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“ Porsche suffered a broken neck, collapsed lung, lacerated spleen and kidney, a fractured rib, spinal fracture and brain injury, the statement of claim alleges. She spent two months in hospital, requiring intubation and a tracheotomy to breathe and a feeding tube to eat.

Skyla suffered an internal decapitation, a ligamental separation of her spinal column from the base of her skull, the lawsuit claims. Medical journals say there’s a small chance of surviving such an injury.

Skyla also suffered traumatic brain injuries, a sinus fracture, brain and neck-area bleeding, swelling and ligament damage, the lawsuit claims. She had several surgeries and procedures, including fusion of her spinal bones and drainage of her cervical spine, according to the lawsuit.”

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The $13 million lawsuit lists everyone involved, from the taxi driver who allegedly didn’t notice emergency sirens and lights, to officers, supervisors to dispatchers to the OPP to London police; anyone who could have and should have called off the pursuit. 

Should we allow police pursuits? Where is the line between protecting citizens and endangering them, and who is making those decisions? According to a USA Today report , in that country between 1979 and 2015, “more than 5,000 bystanders and passengers have been killed in police car chases…and tens of thousands more were injured as officers repeatedly pursued drivers at high speeds and in hazardous conditions, often for minor infractions.” 

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But even if police know they’re after an armed robber or a murderer, at what point does the goal outgun the good? There is no guarantee an un chased driver won’t end up wreaking death and destruction to innocent bystanders, just as there is no guarantee a driver who has been apprehended won’t continue to inflict damage. The recent incidents of suspects ramming cruisers in order to escape apprehension is increasing, meaning even a stopped suspect is a danger. In 2018 just outside Calgary, RCMP officers thought they’d brought a short chase to a safe conclusion until the driver, having stopped, suddenly backed up, crashing into two cruisers and seriously injuring one of the officers. Sometimes it’s not over even when it’s over.

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This is a long read from The Guardian, but it shows how that country is wrestling with the same issues. A young man dead, driving a car police believed belonged to someone they had reason to pull over. Even when people think they know who they’re attempting to detain, it might not be the case. But why would an innocent driver bolt? Would you want to make that call in the time it takes to sip your coffee?

Toronto Police Sergeant Murray Campbell admits “there is no cookie-cutter way that these incidents are resolved. Each one poses dangers to everyone involved or in the area.” In Ontario, the governing authorities include the Criminal Code of Canada, The Highway Traffic Act, the Police Services Act, Ontario Regulation 266/10, the Ontario Police College, and each jurisdiction’s policies and procedures. “These governing authorities…allow or limit the circumstances in which a Suspect Apprehension Pursuit can be initiated or continued.” These situations evolve moment by moment.

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“All of these are considered,” says Murray, “but are secondary to the paramount consideration of public safety. This is a factor that must be continuously considered and assessed when any decision to initiate, continue or abandon a suspect apprehension pursuit is made.

We get used to seeing dramatic takedowns from overhead shots like this one that happened just a couple of days ago near Bowmanville and Whitby. The chase — on almost-empty roadways — ended with a pickup sizzling down to its rims after police gouged them with a stop stick, and it also ended with 20 charges for the driver. It’s the same area that boasts the longest chase in Ontario history, an epic run that ended up with a wild dash on foot through the woods. 

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What makes for good YouTube, however, omits the crucial dangers inherent in decisions that are made in the moment. Says Murray, “there are many factors to consider including the immediate need to apprehend or identify the individuals…the vehicles involved, the location, other vehicles or pedestrians in the area, time of day, weather conditions, the manner the vehicle is being operated and by whom.

Ron MacDonald was the head of Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), a police watchdog authority, until 2017 when he went to British Columbia to be the chief civilian director of that province’s similar entity, called Independent Investigations Office (IIO). While his role is multifaceted, when it comes to the topic of police pursuits, in an interview with CBC Radio in 2017, he made his position clear: 

“At some point every pursuit becomes too dangerous.”