Eleven years ago, a young Florence man from a well known family died while being pursued by Florence police. The death made national news and caused many to question the advisability of such chases.
Obviously, there are pros and cons to any police chase, but this blog was interested in knowing what actual law enforcement officers thought concerning the prudence of a pursuit. Five officers answered our Facebook query, and four of those opposed this type of chase. In other words 80% of those who took the time to answer thought a vehicular police pursuit was dangerous enough to make it inadvisable.
These officers also noted that each department has its own guidelines. While one city might encourage officers to let a subject go, others might demand that their personnel attempt to arrest the subject at all costs.
The local toll this year:
February - Tab Kennedy Waddell, 32, ran a traffic light in downtown Florence. When a Florence officer pursued Waddell into Sheffield, a resulting crash took the young man's life.
June - Joe Dewayne Cothrum, 35, was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a cousin. When Florence police attempted to pull the driver over for speeding, he crashed into a creek where Cothrum drowned.
November - Kenneth Ray Belue, 52, was attempting to run from Tuscumbia police officers when he left the road and crashed.
The three enumerated above are just the ones who died in 2020; many others lost their lives between 2009 and 2020. If you feel local governments need to reevaluate their positions on vehicular chases, we urge you to contact your local city and county representatives.
