By Andrea Marie Kampwerth, The Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, Ill.)
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS -- A recent fatal traffic crash involving a police officer has departments in the region talking about pursuit and training policies.
The crash involving a newly hired Sparta police officer who had not completed basic police training is under investigation by the Illinois State Police. According to Sparta mayor Randy Bertetto, officer Starr McPherson was en route to assist a Randolph County deputy in pursuit of a man who allegedly had been driving carelessly in a Sparta parking lot. She collided with another vehicle. Janet R. Cole, 58, of Baldwin, died in the accident.
Bertetto said the city has a “no-pursuit” policy, and that McPherson was not engaged in a pursuit. Randolph County Sheriff Fred Frederking could not be reached to comment on Randolph County’s pursuit policy.
Pursuit policies vary from agency to agency. So do practices regarding newly-hired officers.
Pursuit policies
To chase or not to chase is a question settled by each law enforcement agency and generally with some latitude given to individual officers’ discretion. In Southern Illinois, the trend seems to be to give chase if a forcible felony has been committed.
“If it’s a forcible felony, that’s different than running a stoplight,” said Williamson County Deputy Craig Fuller. He said his department has a no-pursuit policy.
“If we observe a felon, or let’s say someone takes a hostage, we’re going to pursue because a life is at stake,” said Saline County Sheriff Ed Miller. “If someone didn’t pay for their gas, that’s something different. It’s a decision made by the officer at the time. No two situations are the same.”
Sgt. Barry Strickland of the Illinois State Police said ISP standards are typically different than municipalities and county law enforcement agencies. He said ISP policy is not to pursue anything less than a forcible felony.
“In the past, if there was any kind of law broken you chased until you ran out of gas,” Strickland said. He said the policy change was implemented because of safety issues.
“If it’s just a property damage case, we don’t want to hurt anybody (as we are) protecting property. There’s not a life worth a stolen car.”
Rookie cops
Police officers hired by Illinois municipalities have six months to complete basic police training. Their working status with the department in the intervening period between hire and police training institute, or PTI, graduation is up to the city or police department.
A popular hiring scenario in police departments is to hire potential police officers, send them through PTI, match them with a field training officer to the department’s standards and then send the new officer solo during a probationary period.
It doesn’t always work that way.
Hiring and PTI availability do not always match. What police and sheriff’s departments do with a new untrained officer between hire and PTI enrollment varies.
“It’s up to the discretion of the hiring agencies,” said Sheila Albright, who works in officer training verification and is personal assistant to the executive director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
She said the board is concerned with police officer licensing requirements as prescribed by state law. Full-time police officers are required to complete a Minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement and County Correctional Training Course, or a board-approved equivalent, in order to maintain full-time law enforcement employment.
Officers who have been certified as part-time law enforcement officers may take an 80-hour transition course, but only if they have completed the part-time course work.
Albright said the board does not interfere with what individual municipalities do with officers hired in between police academy classes.
“Most places try to get (new hires) into a police training institute as soon as possible,” she said. She said larger cities sometimes refrain from hiring until they know an opening in a PTI class is available. Smaller municipalities though, she said, sometimes do not have that option.
“They have to have a 40-hour firearm training course,” Fuller said, describing his department’s policy. “After that, they can work up to six months (before completing basic training). They are with a field training officer (after basic training) until the field training officer feels comfortable letting them go out on their own.”
Sgt. Michael Osifcin at the Carbondale Police Department said those hired in between classes in Carbondale either ride along with another police officer or learn other duties at the police station until they can be sent to PTI. When they graduate, they are with a field training officer before they are on their own.
Miller said his department rarely has turnover, but because it is small, his options are limited. He said deputy candidates are chosen from a sheriff’s merit board list ranked according to test results. Once a candidate is hired, the department sends him or her through PTI. If there is not an opening immediately available, it is up to the discretion of the department how much will be expected from the new hire.
Sparta Chief of Police Tom Ashley was not available to comment on his department’s specific policies about hiring in between classes. Bertetto said in an earlier press conference that McPherson had come “highly recommended.” He said the department was working with McPherson to get her into a PTI.