The recent deadly crash near Toronto — in which four people were killed after police chased a suspect through oncoming traffic on a major highway — highlights the challenges officers face when deciding whether to pursue a suspect.
But it also raises questions about whether the policies covering police chases need to be beefed up, and if officers are sufficiently trained when confronted with these incidents.
… Christian Leuprecht, a professor of political science at Royal Military College of Canada, says he believes there’s too much emphasis on tactical training. There should be more scenario training, in which officers must decide under what circumstances they would want to engage in a pursuit and how they weigh the risks, he says.
“These are, like, classic issues where your heart wants to chase after the guy but your brain should have all sorts of red signals [to], stop right now.”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The recent collision was the result of a police chase that began with an alleged liquor store robbery in Bowmanville, Ont.
“The officer involved has to make a ton of decisions at the time and assess things in a split second,” Jeff McGuire, executive director of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, also told The Current.
“Other than completely outlawing, making chases totally prohibited under any circumstance, I don’t think there needs to be tightening, in my opinion, on, legislation or policy,” McGuire said in a separate interview with CBC News, though he’s also open to looking for any potential gaps.
But Christian Leuprecht, a professor of political science at Royal Military College of Canada, says he believes there’s too much emphasis on tactical training.
A study conducted by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP found that 77 people died in police pursuits over a 10-year period ending in 2019.
“A lot of this has to do with the new thinking in policing today, which is about proportionality,” Chuck Wexler, executive director of PERF, said when the report was released.
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