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Police chase spurs policy questions By Joanna Collins A local lawyer expressed his dismay Thursday with how Medford police handled a car chase to Jacksonville earlier this week � saying it was dangerous and unnecessary. "There�s no organization," said lawyer Lee Werdell, who witnessed the chase Tuesday while driving to Medford from Jacksonville. "Everybody just goes roaring off to what they see as a hot event." Several Jacksonville residents are also asking questions about the necessity of the chase, according to Jacksonville Police Chief David Towe. Towe suggested the situation could have been handled differently but admitted it�s difficult to evaluate it in the heat of the moment. Medford police, however, say the chase that occurred at 1:15 p.m. on Riverside Avenue and went to Jacksonville by way of Sage and Rossannley roads was justified. "I believe the officers drove properly," said Police Chief Eric Mellgren. It all started, police said, when Officer Brian Hall thought he recognized a man who was wanted on a felony warrant leave a drug house. Hall said he followed the man, turning on his lights when the man made an illegal lane change. The suspect led Hall and two other police cars in a pursuit to Jacksonville. Mellgren said police followed because the man was wanted on a felony warrant and acted suspiciously by throwing items out of the car. The chase ended when the suspect jumped out of the car and ran into the woods at the end of South Fifth Street. It was then that police said they discovered it wasn�t who Hall originally thought it was, but another man wanted on a felony warrant. Several units responded to help search for 20-year-old Derrick Atterberry, a local man with a criminal history including burglary and theft. Atterberry was still at large Thursday night. "We weren�t chasing this person because he made a lane change wrong," said Medford police Lt. Tim George. "And Atterberry didn�t run because he made a wrong lane change." In his complaints about the incident, Werdell wrote a letter to Mellgren and sent copies to local governments, calling for a closer look at policy. He questioned the high number of units that responded, the necessity of the chase and the speeds reached through Jacksonville. Werdell said it appeared the three police cars close behind the suspect were going 60 to 70 mph in front of the Jacksonville Market, a 25 mph zone. Police admitted they were speeding but don�t know how fast. "They�re licensed to exceed the speed limit but this was a clear abuse," said Werdell. "If it�s noisy and has a lot of lights it looks like it was going fast," said Mellgren. A Jacksonville Market employee gave credit to the lone Jacksonville police officer on duty who cleared the way before the chase came through. "I don�t think that even 50 miles an hour through there, as long as traffic is cleared, is that much of a risk," said Lt. George. While continuing his drive to Medford, Werdell said he pulled over three more times for six additional police cars. "I thought for God�s sake, why is the entire department roaring off to Jacksonville at the highest possible speed?" said Werdell. Medford police policy says that only three cars can be in pursuit of a suspect, sayd Mellgren. They followed those rules in the initial chase, but called for more units once they realized it was turning into a search of the hills. Bystanders alwo were a concern, he said. "When you�re trying to cordon off an area that large," said George, "you�re not going to do it with two cops." High-speed pursuits have been an issue across the nation for years. Some agencies have banned chasing criminals to prevent accidents. As soon as agencies cancel chases, said Mellgren, "the world is at the mercy of the criminals who know they are not accountable because they can just run away." To put an end to incidents like this, Towe said, he is attempting to purchase spike strips to lay across the road when a suspect is headed toward Jacksonville. But it�s an expensive venture for a small department to supply all its patrol cars � he said the strips can cost as much as $500. After Tuesday�s incident, Mellgren said the Medford department is planning to donate a strip to Jacksonville. "That would put an end to these things very quickly," said Towe. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA