This chase resulted in the

death of an innocent victim, a resident of my city, that was returning

home from grocery shopping.

The police chase started in

the city of Luthersville [about 20 miles southwest in Meriwether County]

after the suspect, a female, was involved in an accident and left the

scene with three small children in her car.

The Luthersville police officers,

in two separate marked police vehicles, chased the suspect from their

jurisdiction through Coweta County and into Peachtree City.

Upon reaching Peachtree City,

the chase continued through a heavily used shopping center [The Avenue]

located at Ga. Highway 74 and Ga. Highway 54. The chase continued back

onto Hwy. 54 reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph as the chase headed

east toward the county and the city of Fayetteville.

The police officers in my city

were busy trying to block intersections to prevent a tragic accident,

which finally occurred, in a massive and explosive deadly collision, just

outside the city limits.

The results: one innocent victim

dead at the scene, three children hurt, two critical, and one suspect

in critical condition. This all occurred due to a suspect leaving the

scene of a traffic accident and a suspected DUI charge.

Honorable Governor, this high-speed

police chase carnage has to stop. Almost every day on the news we hear

about police chases that hurt innocent victims. In many cases, the chase

is over a minor traffic violation where the suspect was known to the police

and could have been arrested later.

I would like to think that

common sense would override the need to continue a police chase when it

is obvious that innocent peoples' lives are at stake or the conditions

too dangerous to continue.

The theory that failure to

chase would send the word that you can run from the police does not hold

water. That is why police have radios. In most cases, suspects will find

a way to leave the vehicle once they feel they can get away without being

caught.

The Peachtree City Police Department

has one of the most restrictive police chase policies in the state of

Georgia. I would hope that other police departments would have a similar

restrictive police that they would enforce.

In the event they do not or

will not, I believe it is the duty of the state to adopt laws to force

police departments to comply with due regard to public safety, and to

hold them responsible when they fail to do so.

Governor, I call upon you and

the state of Georgia elected officials to please step in and try to develop

legislation to prevent another death of an innocent person. It is the

right thing to do. I even offer my services to help you in any way I can.

After almost 30 years in police

service, 13 years as chief of police in Peachtree City, and 16 years as

a police officer in the city of Savannah, the last five years as commander

of the homicide division, I am speaking from a base of knowledge that

very seldom is a high-speed chase necessary when the innocent public may

pay the ultimate price with their lives.

Protecting the public from

harm is one of the major functions of government. Our duty is to do the

right thing at the right time. I believe the time has come and it is incumbent

for us to act.

I am available to discuss this

matter with you or your staff, so please feel free to call upon me at

any time. Let us work together to save lives.

James V. Murray

Chief of Police

Peachtree City