Police now play it safer during chases: inspector
Helicopters often used to track fleeing suspects when pursuit deemed too risky
Decades ago, a suspect fleeing the Edmonton police was typically met with lights, sirens and liberal application of the gas pedal. Now, it’s not so simple. Helicopters, as well as lessons learned from deadly police chases, have changed how the force approaches so-called criminal flight events.
According to a report to the Edmonton Police Commission on Thursday, suspects in a vehicle fled police 804 times last year.
Insp. Jonathan Coughlan said in those cases, officers have to make a split-second decision whether to give chase.
“Twenty years ago, we were focused on ‘We’ve got to catch the bad guy at all costs,’ ” he said. “Now, we’re looking at what is the scale of that criminal offence versus the risk to public safety.”
While the report shows a big increase in the number of criminal flights over the 461 cases in 2015, that’s mostly due to the inclusion of cases where a criminal flees and an officer does not pursue, he said.
Some pursuits have had tragic consequences.
In 2001, an Edmonton police constable pursuing a suspect in an unmarked police car slammed into a sedan at high speed, resulting in the death of seven-year-old Giovanni Aleman.
More recently, two people fleeing police were killed when their car collided with two other vehicles shortly after police called off pursuit.
After that 2016 crash, then Edmonton Police Association president Maurice Brodeur said the EPS has “probably the tightest policy in the country” when it comes to high-speed chases. The policy requires officers to radio in so supervising sergeants, watch commanders and duty officers can provide oversight and protect public safety.
Police ground units followed fleeing vehicles in 227 cases last year.
More than half of flight events lasted less than a minute.
Ground units were called off or the force’s helicopter unit took over in 149 of those incidents.
The force got its first helicopter in 2001, and has been relying more on the unit in cases where suspects run from police.
Edmonton police have two helicopters and plan to acquire a third.
“If we can utilize tactics like a helicopter or other tactics at our disposal to capture that person without a high-speed pursuit that’s inherently dangerous to the public, then those are our first choices,” said Coughlan.
He added that, while police are more careful about chases, it’s uncommon for a suspect to actually escape.
“While we may or may not chase them that night, the investigation will continue the next morning, and we’re often very successful at capturing individuals after the criminal flight event has occurred,” he said.
“So just because we don’t follow that night, that doesn’t mean we’re not pursuing them by other means later.”