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Deadly crash highlights risks of police chases. Do policies need to be tougher?

www.cbc.ca /news/canada/police-pursuit-policies-1.7193776

The recent deadly crash near Toronto — in which four people were killed after police chased a suspect through oncoming traffic on a major highway — highlights the challenges officers face when deciding whether to pursue a suspect.

But it also raises questions about whether the policies covering police chases need to be beefed up, and if officers are sufficiently trained when confronted with these incidents.

... Christian Leuprecht, a professor of political science at Royal Military College of Canada, says he believes there's too much emphasis on tactical training. There should be more scenario training, in which officers must decide under what circumstances they would want to engage in a pursuit and how they weigh the risks, he says.

"These are, like, classic issues where your heart wants to chase after the guy but your brain should have all sorts of red signals [to], stop right now."

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