Sheriff Baldwin moves to restrict chases but should go further

From the moment law enforcement officers begin a shift, they are subject to more potential for bodily harm and injury than most of us would tolerate for even a moment of our workdays.

It’s what they sign up for, and we are eternally grateful there are men and women who are willing to take risks that put their own lives in danger in order to protect the rest of us from crime and lawbreakers.

But when the risks that police officers and sheriff’s deputies are willing to accept turn into undue peril for the public at large, the equation is out of balance and must be addressed.

The Dispatch is glad Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin is attempting to do just that with a much-needed new policy for deputies who are involved in pursuit of a suspect.

And in talking recently with Dispatch Reporter Jim Woods about his agency’s new pursuit policy, Baldwin addressed another critical responsibility of his position as an elected official: to be more available and forthcoming in answering questions about his stewardship of the public trust he enjoys.

The Dispatch commends the changes in the pursuit policy and Baldwin’s newly expressed willingness to be more available for public comment. Both have been begging Baldwin’s attention for months.

Questions about the chase policy were raised after brother and sister Tavaughn Collins, 27, and Olivia Collins, 25, died Dec. 9 in a crash after fleeing an early-morning traffic stop.

The sheriff’s approach was again called into question after Lt. Edward Schillig was involved in a tragic accident while chasing a carful of juvenile suspects on Feb. 26.

The car Schillig started chasing for a speeding violation had been reported stolen in Michigan. The suspects were believed to be on their way to Florida with stolen credit cards and a credit card reader in their possession.

Those are serious allegations, to be sure, but they surely did not warrant the loss of life that subsequently occurred when the car being chased struck Arthur Smith III, 61, who was walking in his neighborhood as he often did.

Smith remained hospitalized and unconscious for three months before dying from his injuries May 25. Schillig was given a written reprimand for his handling of the chase due to the danger it created for others.

Thankfully, the sheriff’s office has now changed its approach for managing the pursuit of fleeing suspects, and Baldwin pledges to be more forthcoming in explaining actions of his deputies in situations that raise questions by the press and public.

The policy change calls for someone other than the officer who starts a chase to be in charge of monitoring and deciding whether to continue the pursuit, Baldwin said. “You can’t make the judgement call if you are the one initiating and trying to decide if you should continue,” he explained.

That new rule is consistent with policy at some suburban police departments but does not go as far as Columbus police in discouraging chases unless a serious felony or imminent public danger is suspected.

Having personnel not directly engaged in a pursuit take on the role of managing a chase, even if at a lower rank, is also one of the standards being considered by a state workgroup that Gov. Mike Dewine has asked to help recommend policies law enforcement agencies could use statewide.

Baldwin, a lawman for more than four decades, may be shy about commenting because he is new to political office. But he should not be shy about making his chase policy even more cautious.