found this interesting...
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/...67386-sun.html
In an effort to make the province's roads and highways safer, RCMP in Alberta are no longer engaging in high-speed pursuits when drivers suspected of minor offences flee from police.
In place for nearly two months now, the policy change was made as part of a regular review, said Insp. James Stiles, officer in charge of K Division traffic services.
"Sometimes we have in the past been engaged in pursuits for what some people would term less serious offences and they've had some pretty catastrophic consequences," said Stiles.
"We've had police officers hurt, we've had suspects that have been driving these vehicles hurt and or killed, and we've also had innocent people hurt or killed as a result of police pursuits."
Drivers in stolen vehicles, said Stiles, are the most likely to take off when a cop car gets behind them with its lights flashing.
"Our new policy now discourages pursuing a stolen vehicle, just for the sole purpose that it's stolen," he said, adding the new policy won't give drivers of stolen cars a free pass.
"Obviously if somebody is in a stolen vehicle and is impaired or has been involved in other criminal activity, then there's no strict prohibition from engaging or not engaging, there's all kinds of factors that will come into play.
"All pursuit policies have a balance or risk assessment portion so our members can have the policies and tools in place so they can judge if something is getting way too risky, as far as public safety goes, for the benefits of criminal apprehension."
The policy, which came into effect about two months after a Mountie was rammed by a car attempting to flee cops, is much like the one used by the Calgary Police Service.
In that July 31 chase, Mounties were in pursuit of a vehicle being driven by a man allegedly seen throwing rocks at vehicles along the QE II Hwy. near Red Deer.
The car dodged a spike belt near Innisfail and hit the officer before being disabled by a spike belt near Olds.
Kenneth Janzen is facing an attempted murder charge in connection with the incident.
High-speed pursuits, said Stiles, aren't very common in Alberta as most people stop when police signal them to.
"We literally do thousands and thousands of interactions and vehicles stops with the public every day and we do not engage ourselves in very many pursuits at all," he said.
"Most people when they're caught, and this goes even as far as stolen vehicles, when the police are behind them and attempt to pull them over, they pull over.
"They don't run and they don't create that risk."
During a pursuit, said Stiles, along with the police cruisers chasing the suspect vehicle, another officer oversees the operation to make sure safety is paramount.
"We have a supervisor in a position removed from the pursuit who assists in the ongoing risk assessment," said Stiles.
The policy will be examined and could be adopted elsewhere if it proves successful.
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They have helicopters, but they don't use them the same way we do.
