The independent., July 15, 2010, Page Page 21, Image 21

The INDEPENDENT, July 15, 2010
Page 21
From the Sheriff’s Desk…
From page 18
unheeded. Fearing the erratic driving was putting too many inno-
cent drivers at risk, the deputy requested assistance from an offi-
cer from another agency who deployed spike strips and success-
fully terminated the pursuit.
On July 3, St. Helens Police Officers in pursuit of known fugi-
tives with outstanding warrants, watched as the Acura they were
in sped up Pittsburg Rd. at speeds approaching 100 miles per
hour. The suspect vehicle was leaving pursuing officers behind,
but headed toward a sheriff’s deputy who was able to successful-
ly deploy a spike strip and safely terminate the pursuit. Both sus-
pects were taken into custody.
The next day, July 4, a sheriff’s deputy on a county road no-
ticed a car matching the description of a vehicle that had been re-
ported stolen and had previously eluded Scappoose Police. While
the deputy was trying to make positive identification of the vehicle,
it sped off at a high rate of speed. The deputy had not even at-
tempted to make a stop when the driver began driving recklessly
and became a threat to himself and others.
The deputy appropriately gave chase in an effort to stop this
reckless driving. He maintained a safe following distance behind
the fleeing felon. Part of the plan was to enlist the help of the Ver-
nonia Police Department – which was eager to stop the vehicle
before it headed into their city on a busy Independence Day night.
The Vernonia officers arrived three miles east of the Nehalem Riv-
er Highway on Scappoose-Vernonia Highway, just ahead of the
fleeing vehicle and were able to lay down spike strips.
Brooks Anderson, the driver of the stolen vehicle, had sped up
to approximately 80 miles per hour and the deputy had dropped
back even further, when the car suddenly swerved to the left in an
apparent effort to avoid hitting the spike strip. The sudden move-
ment was too sharp, however, and Anderson lost control of the
car. He was unable to keep the car on the roadway, crashed on
the shoulder, and the car burst into flames. Mr. Anderson was de-
clared dead at the scene, and the passenger, Robert Regan, was
pulled from the flames by the deputy and a Vernonia Police offi-
cer, only to die from his injuries three days later. Neither man was
wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
The important point I wish to make in all of these instances is
that – while we are most interested in terminating these pursuits
quickly so as to minimize the risks to the public, responding offi-
cers and the criminals themselves – we are generally not dis-
posed to the idea of letting them get away.
I say, “generally not disposed,” because the risks involved in a
high-speed pursuit can become too great, depending on condi-
tions at the time. We take many things into account when decid-
ing whether to continue a pursuit, including traffic conditions at the
time, the nature of the crime, the nature of the suspect’s driving
before the effort to stop the vehicle begins, the threat to the pub-
lic if we don’t pursue, and other factors.
Most important for the public to consider is what happens if law
enforcement adopts a blanket policy of no pursuits – and there are
some agencies who do adopt such a position. Your sheriff is not
on that side of the equation, and I will tell you why.
In my opinion, when law enforcement adopts a no-pursuit poli-
cy, it opens doors to unintended consequences. It encourages
more people to disregard the law and attempt to elude. It creates
more bad driving as a result, and puts more people at risk as more
and more people attempt to elude thinking that if they just take a
few risks they can get away, scot-free. It tells criminals that as long
as they are in a motor vehicle, they can commit any crime and, if
they drive recklessly and put the public at risk, the police will not
chase them, and will give up on trying to stop them.
And if we give up, where does that leave you? If law enforce-
ment fails to stop criminal behavior because someone might get
hurt, the people who will be hurt more than any others are the vic-
tims of crime and, by extension, society as a whole. If there is no
one to stand in the way of law breakers, ultimately, in my opinion, in our efforts to keep Columbia
County communities safe
lawlessness is the result.
I don’t want to live in a society where the police and sheriffs places to live, to go to work, to
have given up trying to interdict criminal behavior. And as far as start a business or to visit. We
the sheriff’s office is concerned, we will continue to contend with are in this effort together!
those who insist on flaunting their flagrant disregard of the peace.
But I understand the concern in the community, too. When we
chase people who drive recklessly in their effort to elude capture,
there is a risk to the deputy, to the public and to the suspects we
are after. Sometimes those risks are so high that we are forced to
back off and let the suspect go. That had happened in the past
with Mr. Anderson, and he eluded capture on more than one oc-
casion. On his final pursuit, the conditions were right at the time of
the pursuit to give us a reasonable chance of ending the pursuit
safely. The only variable was the driving of Mr. Anderson himself.
We believe our deputy did what he was supposed to do and
was operating under proper authority. The Vernonia Police De-
partment officer did what he was supposed to do, placing the
spike strip directly in the path of the suspect vehicle for the pur-
pose of deflating the tires and drawing down the reckless speeds.
WEATHER REPORT
But Mr. Anderson continued to do what he was NOT supposed to
JUNE 2010
do. He chose to swerve at a high rate of speed. He lost control
DATE
TEMPERATURE PRECIP.
and crashed. His driving was so reckless and fast that it cost his
HI
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AMT.
life, and that of his passenger, Mr. Regan. It didn’t have to be that
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way. We didn’t want it to be that way. But it was the way Mr. An-
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derson’s driving caused it to be.
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This incident, while tragic, has strengthened our resolve to re-
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mind everyone in the community of our shared interest in abiding
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by the laws we have all set forth for the good of our society. These
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laws are in place to help us conserve the peace in our communi-
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ties. In my view, peace is not only the absence of conflict, but also
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a sense that you have responded to conflict in the right way, at the
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right time and for the right reasons. Conflict arises when some re-
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fuse to abide by the laws designed to help us live in harmony in
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our communities. The conflict doesn’t go away by ignoring it. But
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we can avoid the negative outcomes of conflict by acting decisive-
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ly to overcome it.
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That’s what I like about the words of old King Solomon. In my
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view, there are only two options available to law enforcement
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when it comes to interdicting some of the reckless and dangerous
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actions of those who act as if the law doesn’t apply to them: Ig-
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nore them, or step up and make the difficult choices to enforce the
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law and take into custody those who do not choose to go along
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with the rest of society’s norms.
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**
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**
We did not want those two men – no matter what they have
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done in their lives – to perish on Scappoose-Vernonia Highway.
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But we couldn’t just ignore the risky behavior and let the driver get
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away, either. In my view, we owe it to our constituents to be as
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safe as we can be, but to bring the “bad guys” in.
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That is my goal, and the mission of the sheriff’s office in Colum-
Temperature and precipitation
bia County. We work with our partners in the cities and with the
amounts are from the official U.S.
state to provide the most consistent, safe and effective law en-
weather station at the Vernonia wa-
forcement possible. When someone wishes to challenge our au-
ter plant. Measurable precipitation in
thority to interdict their criminal behavior, they are challenging you,
June totalled 1.75 inches.
too, to do something about it. We all have a vested interest in
** no data available for this date.
stopping criminal behavior for
the good of all – even for the
good of those who are breaking
the law.
Sometimes it doesn’t work
out the way that we want.
Sometimes people get hurt.
Lee Anne Krause, Future Directer
But we mustn’t allow the fear of
for the The Pampered Chef
what might happen paralyze us
leeannekrause@gmail.com
and keep us from doing what is
503-816-9810
right.
www.pamperedchef.biz/leeannekrause
I hope you will stand with us
“If passion drives you,
let reason hold the reins.”
~Benjamin Franklin