INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The deadly outcome of an Independence Police chase has some questioning if changes need to be made to the department’s pursuit policy.
Officers say 35 year old William Hansen ran a stop sign Wednesday. A flatbed truck hit Hansen’s motorcycle at 17th street and Ewing, killing him.
Police say Hansen led them on a high speed chase several blocks earlier.
Officers tried to pull him over because his license did not match the bike's registration.
The news brings up horrible memories for Cheryl Cooper.
In 2007, her 17-year-old son Chris was crossing a street when a speeding car running from police hit and killed him.
"Literally heart stopping moment when I heard police pursuit and fatality,” Cooper said.
This week’s fatal crash once again puts Independence police under scrutiny for chases that turn deadly.
Questions first arose in 2007 when three people, including Chris Cooper, died as the result of Independence police chases.
That same year, 23 people died across the state in police pursuit related crashes.
In Kansas, 7 deaths occurred statewide.
"Policy is always in a state of review, no matter what it is in policing,” said Captain John Cato of Independence Police Department.
Besides
national data of police chase related deaths, the NBC Action News Investigators also checked our news reports involving Independence police chases over the past three years.
At least 9 people were injured, one seriously.
Cato said, “I think because this is an issue of importance to the community and to us, it's being more closely scrutinized.”
“There are hundreds of deaths every year in the United States in this practice. A third involves innocent people. One is too many,” said Cheryl Cooper.
Cooper hopes to change the police department's pursuit policy reducing the number of chases and deaths.
She is involved with
Pursuit Safety, a watch dog organization which pushes for stricter pursuit policies.
