Police officers

across Georgia do not receive adequate training about how to conduct and

resolve high-speed vehicle pursuits, according to many high-ranking officers

who testified in a public hearing at the state Capitol Thursday morning.

Top law enforcement

officials, including several from Fayette County, urged legislators to

fund more training for officers and a state-wide radio communications

system so officers who chase suspects into another jurisdiction can communicate

with officers on duty near the pursuit who could assist in stopping the

fleeing suspect.

When Luthersville

police chased a suspect through Peachtree City July 27 a chase that ended

in the death of an innocent Peachtree City man Peachtree City officers

got one minute's notice before the chase entered their jurisdiction, said

Peachtree City Police Chief James Murray. Peachtree City officers were

unable to communicate with the Luthersville officers conducting the pursuit,

which reached speeds over 100 miles per hour, Murray said.

Coweta Sheriff

Mike Yeager added that his department received no warning about the pursuit,

which began in adjacent Meriwether County, until it had already gone through

the Coweta area.

The chase,

which detoured through the pedestrian-heavy The Avenue shopping center,

was only in Peachtree City for three minutes, the chief added.

Murray has

advocated the use of restrictive chase policies such as the one in place

in Peachtree City.

"I'm not

saying don't chase," Murray said. "There are times when police

have to chase a suspect at all costs."

Georgia State

Patrol troopers are the only police officers in the state who receive

specialized training on how to conduct and resolve high-speed chases,

said Larry Welch, a state law enforcement instructor.

"The law

enforcement vehicle is the deadliest weapon you give a police officer,"

Welch said. "But that's the one that receives the least training."

That high speed

course taught to troopers covers maneuvers to "box in" or "spin

out" fleeing vehicles, said Maj. Wayne Hannah of the Fayette County

Sheriff's Department, who once took the course as a guest.

A different

high-speed course designed for other police officers is not offered frequently

enough, said Capt. Bryan Woodie, also of the Fayette County Sheriff's

Department.

"That

course taught me to be a much more effective driver," Woodie said,

adding that less than one percent of the officers at the Sheriff's Department

have been able to take the course because it is offered so infrequently.

Yeager said

he felt law enforcement training should focus more on situations like

high-speed pursuits and less on matters such as defensive driving maneuvers

and liability issues.

Other law enforcement

officials testifying at the hearing said the legislature should enact

more strict penalties for suspects who choose to flee police officers.

Currently, such crimes are classified as misdemeanors punishable by up

to 12 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Col. George

Ellis of the Georgia State Patrol said the GSP is aggressive in trying

to end high-speed pursuits quickly, and it would help if other agencies

who have vehicles in strategic positions during pursuits would also help

to stop the pursuits.

Alice Vicha,

whose son Chuck Vicha was killed in the recent Peachtree City crash resulting

from the Luthersville police chase, said her family has been through "a

nightmare" since the crash. She said she wants police to adopt safety

standards to use, but she doesn't want to "handcuff" police

from ever chasing suspects.

"If a

child is snatched, you go after them," Vicha said. "Or if there's

a terrorist, you go after them. Or a hostage in a car who has a gun to

their head. But not for a fender bender."

Information

from the hearing, which was hosted by state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh, will

be passed along to the governor, lieutenant governor and members of the

public safety committees of both the House and the Senate, Seabaugh said.

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