Candy Priano & PursuitSAFETY
Print Version of Candy Priano's Biographical Information for Speaking Engagements (pdf)
Print-quality picture of Candy Priano
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Print-quality pictures of Kristie Priano
Candy Priano, founder and executive director of Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY, a national nonprofit organization, is committed to saving lives—the lives of innocent bystanders and police officers. Candy shares many stories with officers and the public. She says, “I was helpless to save my daughter Kristie’s life, but I believe her story will save the lives of others.”
Her presentations and articles cover the inherent risk of deaths of and injuries to innocent bystanders and police officers as a result of crashes due to police chases and police response calls. Watch Candy Priano present at Family & Friends Connection 2011.
Candy’s research includes nine years of analyzing thousands of deadly pursuit stories, and she is adept at identifying how the outcome of these chases could have ended in a safer way—without the death of an officer or innocent bystander. Candy credits her extensive knowledge to officers who share their expertise with her. She is well-versed with information found in government and law enforcement studies and reports.
Affiliations:
• Member of the Driver Behavior, Education and Training Committee (D-BET) of the International Road Federation (Washington Program Center) Road Safety Working Group
• Associate member of ALERT International (Association of Professional Law Enforcement Emergency Vehicle Response Trainers International)
• Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from Valparaiso (Indiana) University.
As a panelist, Candy discusses this important public safety issue with officers, politicians and safety officials. She speaks to civic and law enforcement groups, to media outlets, and at educational conferences. She spoke at California Senate hearings on behalf of “Kristie’s Law,” a proposed measure named after her daughter that would reduce the number of innocent bystanders and officers killed as a result of vehicular police pursuits in the state of California. The measure addressed the need for officers to follow their pursuit policy and conduct chases only when there is no other way to apprehend a fleeing driver who poses an imminent threat to public safety, i.e., to prevent future injuries and deaths. You can read Kristie's story here.
As with other advocates for public safety involving vehicular police pursuits, Candy wants to make sure the benefits of a chase justify the risk. These deaths and injuries not only affect the law-abiding people who are killed or injured, they affect their immediate and extended families, friends, neighbors, and have a rippling effect throughout the community.
Deaths of and injuries to innocent bystanders continue to climb.
“My most important role as executive director of PursuitSAFETY is one of listening and helping others,” Candy says. “I speak with people from around the world and welcome their phone calls and e-mails. Life is precious, unlike a piece of property. The sense of unfairness and never-ending pain does not fade away as some people want us to believe.”
Anyone who has experienced the tragedy of pursuit (the death of an innocent loved one(s) or someone who now requires 24/7 care) is encouraged to call or send an email to Candy.
Presentations:
Candy customizes every presentation to the audience. No two presentations are exactly the same, although she does follow an outline, which is modified to meet the needs of the audience. Call Candy at 530-343-9754 to talk about your presentation needs and to receive an outline.
The Other Side of the Windshield. This narrated PowerPoint presentation with pictures and three videos (the videos total 4 minutes, 30 seconds) gives officers insight about police pursuits that they don't receive from their general orders manual. This presentation gives concerned citizens a way to understand this public safety issue from The Other Side of the Windshield.
Presentations
International Association of Chiefs of Police, Highway Safety Committee, Chicago, Illinois, October 23, 2011
Southern Illinois Criminal Justice Summit, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, February 23, 2011
County Safety Officers Organization of California, October 20, 2010
Candy will also serve as a panelist during a discussion on this public safety issue.
ALERT International Training Conference, September 14, 2010
Being a mother: the toughest public service job there is, Spirit of a Woman Conference, California State University, Chico, March 29, 2007
California statewide meeting for Officer Driving Instructors, POST-approved, Burlingame, CA, Oct. 11, 2005
California Senate Hearings 2004 and 2005
Street Officers from Sunnyvale, California, Public Safety Department, March 2004
In Pursuit of Justice, Sociology Class, California State University, Chico, 2004
In Pursuit of Justice, Leadership Class, California State University, Chico, 2003, 2004
Tighten Pursuit Policy, Forest Ranch Homeowners Assn., September 2003
Pursuing Justice for Our Families, Citizens of Stockton, Northeast Community Center, September 17, 2003
Tighten Pursuit Policy, Chico's Internal Affairs Committee, September 2003
Law Enforcement Conferences:
Participated in the ALERT International Annual Conference, Oklahoma City, September 14-16, 2010.
Attended ALERT International Annual Conference, hosted by the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in Indianapolis, September 30 - October 2, 2008. Subjects included: Pursuit Stress, Rolling Roadblocks, Supervisor Responsibilities during Pursuits, Executive Protection, PIT lecture and liability, SWERVE Driver Training, SKID Car Platform, Applied Simulation Technology, Pursuit STOPS.
TV: More (links no longer exist):
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Print: The Cincinnati Enquirer: Family wants to cut deaths from police pursuits, A news article about the family of Johnny Kallmeyer, December 25, 2009 Philadelphia Daily News: Police pursuits can be costly — in money and lives, December 18, 2008 Chico Enterprise-Record: Acting on Pursuits, July 28, 2008 L.A. Times The Chronicle Telegram: Police: Chases looked at by case, April 22, 2007 The Berkeley Daily Planet: Priano family continues fight for chase limits, February 27, 2007 USA Today, Police pressured to call off chase, January 5, 2003 Opinion Articles: Injury Board Magazine, Spring 2010, "The Unwritten Policy" by Nora Profit. Candy Priano contributed to this article. The Conservative Voice, Sept. 19, 2007: "How many deaths before it's not okay?" by Candy Priano is a rebuttal to Thomas Sowell's column, Sept. 12, 2007: "High-speed car chases by the police " (pdf) San Francisco Chronicle and the L.A. Daily News: “Police-pursuit bill requires teeth,” by Candy Priano, July 2005 Ventura County Star Op Article: “Pursuing justice for 'lost’ crime victims,” by Candy Priano, May 26, 2004 Letters to the Editor The Chico Enterprise-Record: Lenient judge isn't clairvoyant, October 23, 2008 |
Radio: St. Louis, MO: KMOX Radio, April 2010 (No longer available online) Women's Radio: Safe Speeds to Protect Innocent Bystanders, February 2010 |