by LARRY MITCHELL

Published: July 28, 2008

CHICO—Actor Glenn Morshower visited here recently as spokesman for a Chicoan's campaign to reduce deaths from police pursuits.

Morshower is best known for his portrayal of Secret Service agent Aaron Pierce on the show "24." He's been in other TV programs and movies, as well, almost invariably playing a cop or military officer.

He said he'd come to Chico earlier this month to film public service announcements designed to make people aware that innocent Americans die every week because of ill-advised police pursuits and that officers do not always follow their departments' pursuit policies.

Morshower said he became aware of the issue two years ago when he watched a news interview with Chicoans Candy and Mark Priano on the Internet.

"I was so deeply moved because I have children myself," he said in an interview. "I saw the tenderness in this family and wanted them to feel reached out to."

So he sent the Prianos an e-mail, saying how affected he was by their story and offering to help if he could.

Candy and Glenn exchanged a couple of e-mails, and then, early this year, she asked him if he'd be willing to serve as spokesman for the national organization, PursuitSAFETY, she had recently founded.

"He said he'd be honored," Candy said. The disjointed logic in what happened to the Prianos and other families got to him, she said.

In February, Morshower came to Chico to meet the Prianos.

At Chico cemeteries

One morning earlier this month, Morshower, Candy and a film crew from Fox 30 were at Glen Oaks Memorial Park, the cemetery in south Chico where Kristie Priano is buried.

Dressed in a dark suit, the middle-aged, clean-cut Morshower looked like a detective or a district attorney.

"My face is so associated with police," he said. "I've spent 33 years playing chiefs of police, cops and military. I've held every rank there is."

The part he loves best may be that of Aaron Pierce on the Fox program "24," he said. "Aaron is someone who rubs everyone the right way," Morshower said.

In Chico, the actor made seven public service announcements. Doug Holroyd, manager of Chico's Fox 30 television station, said he agreed to film and help edit them partly because Morshower was willing to also make some brief segments in which he plugged the local station.

The PSAs were shot in Glen Oaks Memorial Park and also in Chico Cemetery. They focus on 14 innocent bystanders who were killed in pursuits in Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Kansas, California and Australia.

In none of these pursuits were police chasing violent felons, Candy said. In nearly all of the cases, the person being chased was a drunken driver.

During filming in Chico Cemetery, Morshower stood near some headstones, then walked toward the camera, saying, with a somber tone, "I'm Glenn Morshower. As a devout supporter of law enforcement, I'm here today because we have a problem."

There are a number of facets to the problem, according to Candy Priano. A big factor, she says, is that many pursuits start over matters that don't endanger the public.

Often it will be a traffic infraction that leads police to "light up" a vehicle, and if the driver flees, the police pursue, she said.

Morshower said for him, the issue is very simple. "It's got everything to do with risk versus reward," he said.

There are times when high-speed chases are justified — if someone is shooting at people, for example, he said. But in many cases, where the suspect poses no immediate danger to the public, it's the chase itself that causes the threat.

In the PSAs, Morshower talks about how 3,000 innocent bystanders have died in the United States since 1982 because of pursuits, Candy said. And he talks a little about each of 14 victims whose families are involved with PursuitSAFETY.

One thing he doesn't do is blame police officers.

"This is not an anti-police campaign," Morshower told the Enterprise-Record. "I am a huge supporter of what it is police do. I just believe policy and procedure are there for a reason and need to be followed."

In another of the filmed segments, Morshower says, "These deaths were no accident. They leave behind families whose lives were changed forever."

Candy said the PSAs will be sent to television stations around the nation.

Kristie's Law

Candy and Mark Priano had never given much thought to police pursuits until they became directly involved in January 2002.

After Kristie died, the couple learned that some controversy surrounds pursuits — particularly in California.

According to Candy, California is the only state where police agencies enjoy "blanket immunity" from being sued in connection with pursuits. Other states grant such immunity only if the officers follow their department policies on pursuits, she said. In California, the only requirement to be immune is that a police department have a policy in place.

Candy said she and other families of victims aren't interested in suing to get money. They would like to be able to sue to find out whether policies were in fact followed and, in cases where they weren't, to obtain accountability, she said. Families who suffer this way want to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to others.

In 2003, moved by the Prianos' experience, state Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, introduced a bill aimed at reducing the number of pursuits in California. It would have prevented police from pursuing fleeing drivers unless the suspects represented an immediate danger to the public. The bill failed to pass after being vehemently opposed by police groups. Aanestad tried again with what was called Kristie's Law in 2004, but the result was the same.

In 2005, the Legislature passed and the governor signed a bill that called for stricter penalties for those who flee, education of drivers on the issue and more training for police in pursuit driving. This measure had the support of police associations.

Butte County Sheriff Perry Reniff and Chico Police Chief Bruce Hagerty said they thought this "compromise" legislation had helped make police pursuits safer.

Candy Priano, however, believes the bill achieved practically nothing. And Aanestad wrote on his Web site that while he supported the measure, he didn't think it would reduce the number of pursuits in the state.

The Prianos' story

Stories of innocent bystanders killed by police pursuits are so disturbing partly because they are "a reminder of the frailty of life," Morshower said.

The Prianos' case is an example.

"They were just going to enjoy a fine evening," the actor said. "That's how quickly entire families can be destroyed. We need to do everything we can to safeguard against that."

On the evening of Jan. 22, 2002, the Prianos and their two children, Steve and Kristie, were headed east on Fifth Avenue between The Esplanade and Mangrove Avenue. They were taking Kristie to play a game with her basketball team at Champion Christian High School in north Chico.

Earlier that evening, a 15-year-old Chico girl had driven off with her mother's sport utility vehicle. Chico police were told of the incident and began looking for the girl. When they spotted her in the vehicle on a street west of The Esplanade, officers tried to pull her over. She kept going and the police pursued her.

The girl continued trying to get away. She drove through residential streets on the east side of The Esplanade and turned south on Palm Avenue.

She ran the stop sign at Palm and Fifth Avenue just as the Prianos' van was passing through the intersection. The two vehicles collided.

Candy recalls being suspended by her seat belt in the overturned van. Mark, Steve and Kristie were all unconscious. Mark and Steve were not permanently injured. But Kristie never regained consciousness. She died a few days later.

PursuitSAFETY

At some point after her daughter's death and the effort to pass Kristie's Law, Candy decided to write a book about her family's experience.

She got help with writing from Nora Profit of Paradise, who runs a writing school called The Writing Loft.

As she got to know Candy, Profit started encouraging her to form a national organization for victims of police pursuits. Candy rejected the idea, but Profit persisted, giving her assignments like writing a mission statement for a national organization for pursuit victims.

Candy said she went forward and formed PursuitSAFETY last year. It's now a nonprofit corporation with an advisory board (Profit is a member) and about 400 members who have signed up on the group's Web site, http://pursuitsafety.org.

The main goal of PursuitSAFETY is to save lives — to reduce the number of people killed as a result of pursuits, Candy said.

The organization wants police departments to be accountable, she added. By that, she means departments should provide families of victims easy access to all reports so it can be determined if officers followed policies in conducting a pursuit. She'd also like to see it required that when an innocent bystander is killed by a pursuit, an investigation must be conducted by independent parties.

Ideally, she said, officers would be restricted by law from pursuing suspects who don't represent a clear danger to the public. She'd also like to see California law changed so that cities, counties and the state are immune from lawsuits only if their officers follow policies in conducting pursuits.

Hagerty told the E-R he disagrees with some of the organization's goals.

"Police officers don't have crystal balls. They don't know who the person is in the car who had decided not to yield," he said. "All pursuits are caused by the suspect. He could be the most dangerous person in the world. You wouldn't know."

He also said it was "ludicrous" to say police aren't held accountable. "We require our officers to follow policies," he said, adding that those who don't are subject to discipline, which could mean termination.

PursuitSAFETY promotes legislation on pursuits and works on educating the public. Candy said she and Ron Kelley, a retired deputy from Florida who trained police in pursuit driving, plan to travel around the country talking to groups of teenagers about the dangers of fleeing from police.

The organization also tries to be a voice (and an ear) for families of victims, she said.

She typically communicates with about 10 families a week, usually about three of them being families she hasn't heard from before.

"People have a place where they can go and be listened to," she said. "I feel it's the most important job I have right now, listening to these people."

Staff writer Larry Mitchell can be reached at 896-7759 or lmitchell@chicoer.com.

Copyrighted article reprinted with permission.

Reader Comments that were posted on the Chico E-R
Acting on pursuits: Prianos' campaign gets boost from "24" star
Actor Glenn Morshower visited here recently as spokesman for a Chicoan's campaign to reduce deaths from police pursuits.

#1 Sunday Jul 27
Fox 30 does not shoot film and never has. They shoot video. Big difference.
Stickler
Chico, CA

#2 Sunday Jul 27
No its a small difference compared to peoples lives. Don't try to distract from the real purpose of this article, Police accountability in high speed pursuits.
Michael
AOL

#3 Sunday Jul 27
Stickler wrote "Fox 30 does not shoot film and never has. They shoot video. Big difference." I'm for Fox 30, they did an awesome job...go Fox 30. You've takin the lead on getting to the heart of real issues here in the North State.
Go Fox 30
Red Bluff, CA

#4 Sunday Jul 27
drunk driver's never hurt anyone...
ya let them go
Chico, CA

 

#5 Sunday Jul 27
I want to thank the ChicoER for covering this story, the Prianos' for starting this organization, and Mr Morshower & Fox 30 for contributing to it's cause. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
A Good Dog “A Pup In Training ”
Is in Oregon
ISP Location: Chico, CA

#6 Sunday Jul 27
Which scenario is more dangerous:

1. A drunk driver on our streets.

2. That same drunk driver going twice as fast and even more dangerously while being followed by several police officers going just as fast...

Seems pretty simple to me.
John
Orlando, FL

#7 Sunday Jul 27
I think it's extremely obvious that police should weigh the severity of the crime versus the hazards of a pursuit. I've talked to a couple of cops about the issue in a casual matter. They told me that at least locally, pursuits have changed dramatically because of public concerns. They rarely pursue anyone anymore, and the times they do, they are usually almost immediately canceled by their sergeant and let the car they're chasing go. On the flip side of all of this, I read the ER frequently. It seems like everytime the cops don't catch someone, for whatever reason (not always in pursuit matters), people are sooooo quick to crucify them for being incompetent. I think that it's mostly anti-police folks that bother to make the bulk of the negative comments.
Mmm hmm
United States

#8 Sunday Jul 27

"Victims of Police pursuits". Are you kidding me? As if the Police are out looking to get into high speed pursuits. It's the criminal that causes the pursuits. They are not "Police pursuits", they are pursuits of criminals.

It's interesting that Mrs. Priano doesn't think that drunken driving endangers the public. I wonder if she consulted "MADD" (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) on this issue. According to them, in 2006 there were 17,602 people killed in drunk driving accidents. Perhaps Law Enforcement Officers should just let them go.

This is yet another pathetic example of "feel good" legislation that will do nothing to protect our community, and will make law enforcement completely impotent from dealing with fleeing criminals.

It is truely a sad loss that the Prianos suffered, but that loss does not qualify them to try and dictate policy in an area that they know nothing about. The focus of their grief is doing nothing to protect the community.
Jimmy D
Los Molinos, CA

#9 Sunday Jul 27
Jimmy D wrote: "Victims of Police pursuits". Are you kidding me? As if the Police are out looking to get into high speed pursuits. It's the criminal that causes the pursuits. They are not "Police pursuits", they are pursuits of criminals.
It's interesting that Mrs. Priano doesn't think that drunken driving endangers the public. I wonder if she consulted "MADD" (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) on this issue. According to them, in 2006 there were 17,602 people killed in drunk driving accidents. Perhaps Law Enforcement Officers should just let them go.
This is yet another pathetic example of "feel good" legislation that will do nothing to protect our community, and will make law enforcement completely impotent from dealing with fleeing criminals.
It is truely a sad loss that the Prianos suffered, but that loss does not qualify them to try and dictate policy in an area that they know nothing about. The focus of their grief is doing nothing to protect the community.

exactly - totally agree with you Jimmy D
flower
Chico, CA

#10 Monday Jul 28
Jimmy D wrote: "Victims of Police pursuits". Are you kidding me? As if the Police are out looking to get into high speed pursuits. ...It is truely a sad loss that the Prianos suffered, but that loss does not qualify them to try and dictate policy in an area that they know nothing about. The focus of their grief is doing nothing to protect the community.

..In an area they know nothing about? I would think after losing their daughter, they've done nothing BUT study this "area" everyday since. You are a thickheaded individual if you think anything less. The mission candy & her family are on is completely justified. Who better too, they know the great loss that can occur , unfortunately so do I ( I too have been locked into the past, I'm still there, almost 2 years ago now...).
I applaud them and their efforts to bring just a little more security to the families of our area, and accountability to police departments. As you obviously don't need to be a criminal to be deeply effected by high-speed pursuits & their outcomes, you should think about the tragic side of them. About the families who needlessly suffer loss. And especially here in California.
The police in California are covered by a blanket immunity ( CVC 17004.7 look it up). They just have to have a policy in place for pursuits, one they DO Not even have to follow, to BE immune to a lawsuit. That means, no matter what they do during the pursuit, even if they go 100mph past bus stops, or run a subject straight into an oncoming car... The family of any innocent victim(s) can't even get these adrenaline junkies into court, and make them prove why they did what they did, that they followed their policies, and could not have done anything different. It wont happen, if they just Have a policy( & i reiterate again, have a policy that they don't even have to follow!) As long as they have a paper that says police pursuit policy- they are in the clear to do WHATEVER. It's not right, it definitely should NOT be legal. They deprive citizens the rights to life, freedom, & liberty with no due process, with this law in place.
These families & mine, that suffer loss during these pursuits are then locked in the past, locked into grief & frustration, and deep sadness. And the lack of public accountability for their actions just puts the cherry on top. It's not right. It needs to change for the good of us all. Our right, in California, to due process was taken away when Arnold S. signed that piece into law. The police can say we've changes this or that, but trust this. Nothing has changed, or will until this law is wiped off the books. They are civil servant, and as such they should be held accountable to us for their actions!
This IS a police state. I hate to say that, but it has become clear to me during the last 2 years. They can do ANYTHING, and are NOT, under the law, to be accountable to any citizen victims.
Read that carefully, and think long and hard about it.
AreYouSure
Chico, CA

#11 Monday Jul 28
O.K. I'll rescind the "know nothing about" part, and lower it to "know a little about". Grief driven responses often times clouds judgement and does not allow one to see the objective side of an argument.

"Adrenaline junkies?" you say? Ask any Officer with time on the force and you will realize that they do not relish the thought of getting into a pursuit.

If this was a "Police State", you would have been "disappeared" by now for saying that.

Read carefully, thought long and hard about it and still feel the same. I truly hope you find some peace with your loss.
Jimmy D
Los Molinos, CA

#12 Tuesday Jul 29
Without question, DUI is a serious — very serious — situation. I'm very supportive of MADD’s efforts. In fact, it is my goal to have PursuitSAFETY work with MADD because drunken driving is a public safety issue by itself, and when combined with police chases, the risk to the innocent is obviously increased. Initiating a high-speed pursuit to pull over an impaired driver in the name of making the roads safer frequently risks doing exactly the opposite, hastening rather than preventing tragedy. PursuitSAFETY is working on developing all possibilities of improving safety in such dangerous situations, including better training, procedures and technologies.

I will attend a law enforcement conference in Indianapolis in September. Training includes pursuit stress, rolling roadblocks and supervisory responsibility. Once again I will be learning from some of the best in their field, and I look forward to further discussion on this important public safety issue. I’m not working alone. PursuitSAFETY’s advisory board includes two officers, victims’ advocates and experts in high-risk police activity.
Candy Priano
Chico, CA

#13 Tuesday Jul 29
AreYouSure wrote:
..In an area they know nothing about? I would think after losing their daughter, they've done nothing BUT study this "area" everyday since....
The police in California are covered by a blanket immunity ( CVC 17004.7 look it up). They just have to have a policy in place for pursuits, one they DO Not even have to follow, to BE immune to a lawsuit. That means, no matter what they do during the pursuit, even if they go 100mph past bus stops, or run a subject straight into an oncoming car...

You are correct about California's immunity law regarding police pursuits. You and your family are in my prayers. Thank you for your support.
Candy Priano
Chico, CA

#14 Tuesday Jul 29
While "Jimmy D's" comments seem laced with a little frustration, his premise is correct. These are actions that are precipitated by someone fleeing from the police, not the police themselves.
Emotional rants like those from "AreYouSure" make the assertion that the police are the source of the dangerous action by their effort to apprehend those who flee. She even casts all officers as "adrenaline junkies", and because we afford officers immunity from civil liability, she says we live in a "police state". She claims first hand experience with a similar tragedy and loss, and asks that we accept the arguments of those like her because of that experience. Because people like the Priano's have an authenticity of victimhood, we should endorse without question their often emotion based pleas.
Unfortunately we live in a world that contains dangers brought on by cruelty, random violence, and stupidity. Most people consciously know we can't control those things. We select and train men and women to become police officers because most of us are unable, or more often unwilling to take on that role ourselves. Because we as a community have the power to dictate the actions of these officers we are placing more and more restrictions upon them out of an incessant obsession with being safe. The thinking goes something like this: "If we can't make the lawless in our community act safe, we can surely make the cops stop chasing them." It's a ludicrous argument yet it gets traction every time someone is injured or killed in a pursuit. This happens largely because we focus on the victims for guidance.
I have no expectation that the Prianos nor anyone in their shoes will have a rational and reasoned response to the unspeakable tragedy that has befallen them. I do, however, expect the media and idiots like Sam Aanestad to exercise a little more intelligent discretion before taking up their causes. The legislation they propose would open the door to lawsuits against the individual officers involved in pursuits that result in injury or death. This would guarantee no officer would ever pursue anyone ever again. It doesn’t take a genius to deduce the negative impact on our society that would most certainly result. But hell, the soccer moms would feel safe.
rainman
Chico, CA


#15 Tuesday Jul 29
I would never support or sponsor the type of legislation described in Rainman’s comments. Kristie's Law is about preventing these tragedies and would not have allowed lawsuits against the individual officers involved in pursuits that result in injury or death.
Candy Priano
Chico, CA