ASU analysis prompts discussion on officer-involved shootings

The Phoenix Police department will review how officers handle foot pursuits following an analysis of officer-involved shootings by ASU's Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety, a research unit of the College of Public Service and Community Solutions in downtown Phoenix.

The center analyzed 122 shootings that took place from 2009 to 2014 or an average of 21 a year. Sixty-nine percent took place within two minutes of officers arriving on the scene. The report suggests the Phoenix Police Department should place a greater emphais on de-escalating situations that lead to officer-involved shootings.

One tactical area that will be reviewed as a result of the report is foot pursuits.

David Choate, associate director of the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety, told the Arizona Republic that revising how police respond to suspects on foot is not unlike the evolution of their response to high-speed vehicle pursuits. Instead of chasing a suspect at dangerous speeds, many police agencies will use helicopters or unmarked vehicles. Choate points to an infamous 1991 Los Angeles car chase that resulted in police brutally beating driver Rodney King when he finally stopped.

“There was a lengthy vehicle pursuit,” he told the Arizona Republic. “That’s a perfect opportunity for these de-escalation strategies, where there can be opportunity to alter the immediacy of the interaction between the officer and the subject.”