California: MSNBC—October 20, 2009—OnStar uses Stolen Vehicle Slowdown to halt chase
Visalia, CA: Service used for first time since OnStar began offering it with 2009 models. OnStar President Walt Dorfstatter said it took only 16 minutes from the time OnStar was notified for the vehicle to be stopped.

Missouri: St Louis Today—October 17, 2009—St. Louis Police city police Officer Julius Moore killed while responding to call. Officer Moore, 23, leaves behind 3 children. It is unknown what caused the crash.

California: The Daily Journal, Perspectives—September 30, 2009—Underneath that rigid view of right and wrong is an implicit balancing test diminishing the value of the persons drawing the negative lottery ticket. That human roadblock [innocent bystander] is an abstract entity until the number is drawn. Thereafter, it is Kristie Priano. More on California's one specific area of law which is shamefully unique among the fifty states; it's Not So Black and White.

Oklahoma: KXII-TV—September 28, 2009—In the past weeks two separate pursuits have resulted in two major crashes that injured three law enforcement officers. Now some people are asking if high speed pursuits are worth the risk. Candy Priano, founded Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY after a loved one was killed by a fleeing driver. Priano says many times the best course of action is for police not to give chase. "When it comes to police chases we blame the fleeing driver, but the fleeing driver does not care about public safety so it falls on police to keep the public and themselves safe." Watch video and read story at KXII.com.

Texas: WFAA.com--September 21, 2009--A 40-minute dash camera video captured a controversial chase that has raised concerns about police pursuits in Dallas area school zones. During exclusive video obtained by News 8, officers can be seen speeding through several school zones, at one point reaching 50 mph. As the officers speed through one school zone, children can be seen on the sidewalk. The pursuit also passed multiple school buses. ...On the freeway, officers hit speeds as high as 116 mph. They are only allowed to go 20 mph over the speed limit. More.

California: East Bay area- August 27, 2009 -- Toddler clings to life, mother killed. Marquita Bosley, 25, of Pittsburg was driving with her 19-month-old son just blocks from the West Oakland home of the baby's father. Hurtling toward her was 26-year-old Steven Reed of San Lorenzo, refusing to pull over for police, authorities said. Reed ran a stop sign, police said, and the cars collided Wednesday evening at 18th and West streets. Bosley was killed, and her son, Naiere Burgess, was critically injured. Reed was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. Additional coverage.

California: DINUBA - August 8, 2009 -- Five children, babies really, were killed in Dinuba at 2 p.m. as they and their parents were traveling to a baseball game. The Dinuba police were chasing a driver for a traffic violation. The California Highway Patrol identified the dead children as Jocelyn Grace Salazar, 7, Monique Janae Salazar, 4, Michael Alexander Salazar, 3, and Sienna Rose Salazar, 1. They died at the scene. Carlos Eric Salazar, 8, was pronounced dead a few hours later at a hospital. Their parents, Carlos Salazar Jr., 29, and Jennifer Salazar, 26, were reported in critical condition Sunday at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno. More information with links to news stories are on PursuitSAFETY's Facebook Discussion Board. Additional coverage with pictures at Dinuba Tragedy.

Nation: WASHINGTON - July 13, 2009 -- Officer deaths up in first half of '09. Excerpts from this USA Today report: Memorial fund chairman Craig Floyd said police agencies are doing a "much better job of making it safer" for officers by encouraging the broader use of body armor and re-thinking police involvement in risky high-speed pursuits of suspected criminals. ...During a five-week period this year, however, nine officers were shot to death in three separate incidents. Four of the officers were killed March 21 in Oakland after a traffic stop. Two of the Oakland officers were killed when the driver of the stopped vehicle opened fire. Two other officers were fatally wounded by the gunman after they pursued him to a nearby apartment. The suspect was shot and killed by another officer.

PursuitSAFETY staff and members extend our thoughts and prayers to these and all officers who have been killed.

Archives

North Carolina: CHARLOTTE - June 22, 2009 -- Innocent bystander Docia Barber, 84, was killed May 22 as a result of a police chase. The police were chasing a shoplifting suspect. During his interview with Channel 14, John Phillips, president of PursuitWatch, said, “Sometimes it’s forgotten that the job [of the police] isn’t necessarily to catch the bad guy, but to protect the public.” PursuitWatch and PursuitSAFETY work together on this public safety issue. John also serves as PursuitSAFETY's Florida State Director and is on our Advisory Board. Read the story and watch the video:

California: ANAHEIM - June 15, 2009 -- Innocent bystander Orlando Botello of Chino Hills was killed. Botello, a grandfather, was helping a family member move. Read more and watch these two videos:
Fatal Police Chase Victim Identified
One Killed in Anaheim Pursuit Crash

Pennsylvania: PHILADELPHIA - June 11, 2009 -- Three children and a mother are dead after a car jumped a curb and plowed into a crowd of people. Authorities say the driver of the car was fleeing police. Later, the Philadelphia police department issued a statement saying the incident was not a chase. Additional coverage with pictures at Philadelphia Tragedy.

Illinois: PursuitSAFETY supports Bachman's Law, Updated May 8, 2009

Illinois: ‘Bachman’s Law’ passes first hurdle, March 12, 2009

Philadelphia: Keeping police safe, February 23, 2009
The Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial

Connecticut: Are police pursuits worth the risk? February 21, 2009
The News-Times: PursuitWatch, a Florida watchdog group, raises questions Connecticut must answer
Police must weigh pros and cons of hot pursuits
Should New Milford police have followed speeding vehicle in pursuit fatality?

Illinois: A PursuitSAFETY interview with Larry G. Trent, director of the Illinois State Police, January 2009.
Changing Police Culture: One Agency at a Time ......• The ISP Emergency Response Driving policy

Almost two years and still no answers, January 30, 2009
Massachusetts: "At this point, I am down to two things -- either they just don't care, it’s not important and that's not good for you guys -- or they are covering something up in that police report," said Greg Farris, Paul's uncle. No answers for family of Paul Farris. Paul, a Tufts grad, was killed on May 27, 2007. He and his girlfriend, Katelyn Hoyt, were passengers in a cab. She survived the crash, and the family is hopeful she will continue to recover from her head trauma. The cab driver, Walid Chahine, was also killed. "For 21 months, I've been nothing but respectful of everybody. The D.A.'s office has been nice. Everyone is nice, but no one seems to care. At this point, I am down to two things -- either they just don't care, it’s not important and that's not good for you guys -- or they are covering something up in that police report," said Greg Farris, Paul's uncle.

Arizona: NTSB: Chopper Pilots Distracted Before Crash. The pilots of two Phoenix news helicopters had so many distractions they lost track of each other, resulting in a midair crash that killed four, a federal safety panel said. Watch this CBS news report.

Alabama: Tragic Emergency-Response Calls, a PursuitSAFETY Exclusive: Steven's Story

Breaking News from NBC: While innocent bystander Chris Cooper bled, Officer Anthony Smith's dash cam captured police laughing and someone saying, "They're like roaches, man. They don't die."

New Zealand: Police yesterday admitted the bullet that killed 17-year-old Halatau Naitoko, an innocent bystander, when he became caught up in a police chase on Friday came from one of their ... Read more.

Alabama: A man killed earlier today when burglary suspects fleeing police crashed into his vehicle has been identified as 51-year-old Keith Shoemaker.