In pursuit of safety
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
When an attempted traffic stop turns into a high-speed chase, local authorities face a difficult task -- bringing the suspect into custody without endangering civilians and officers.
“For us, it’s all about public safety,” Sheriff JR Kerzmann said in a recent interview, following multiple high-speed chases throughout McLean County.
Kerzmann said sheriff’s deputies try to encourage fleeing suspects to slow down by pulling back pursuing patrol vehicles when approaching cities along U.S. Highway 83.
“The hope is that if we slow down, they’ll slow down as we enter city limits,” Kerzmann said.
Still, the tactic isn’t always effective, like during a November chase that started near Coleharbor and ended in Washburn. A driver going southbound in the northbound lane at over 100 miles per hour was not stopped until encountering a set of spike strips on the road north of Washburn.
The driver, a 29-year-old Minot man, was arrested for fleeing officers and driving with a suspended license. The chase was one of only a few in recent years not involving drugs or alcohol.
