Last week, former Charlotte-Mecklenburg County police officer Martray Proctor, 25, who killed 20-year-old Shatona Robinson while speeding to aid a fellow officer in March 2009, got off with three years of probation. Wow. That’s it for taking a person’s life while breaking the law?
According to accounts, Proctor drove at a speed of up to 111 mph in a 45 mph zone on Old Statesville Road while responding to a call. When he hit Robinson in her Ford Escort doing 85 mph, he did not have on his siren or blue lights. This is a man who was cited three times for speeding prior to this accident; two of those times Proctor was going more than 20 mph over the speed limit. He gets no jail time … because he’s sorry?
And guess what he plans to do next: become a minister and use this incident as a testimony, which means he could possibly profit off of this young woman’s death. Too bad Ms. Robinson isn’t here to give her testimony. I suspect that she would have a few choice words for the man responsible for her death.
Although I believe that Proctor is receiving preferential treatment because he is a former police officer, what concerns me most is the number of innocent people killed or injured as a result of high-speed police chases these days.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 360 people die in police chase-related incidents each year. University of South Carolina criminology professor Geoffrey Alpert told USA Today that the actual number of fatalities is “three or four times higher” because there is no mandatory reporting system in place for the country’s law enforcement agencies. The report also stated that 35 percent to 40 percent of all police chases end in crashes. I don’t know about you, but these numbers are way too high for me. People like Robinson are paying the price with their lives — and it’s happening all over the country.
This past March, a popular Richmond, Va., pastor was killed as a result of a police chase. Apostle Anthony Taylor of the United House of Prayer for All People was struck and killed just three blocks from his church by a vehicle fleeing police. What’s ridiculous about this case is that Henrico County police chased the suspect, who hit Taylor at full-speed, from Henrico into Richmond city limits. Why? Because some knucklehead turned away from a police checkpoint. I’m thinking police could have easily noted a tag number and a description of the vehicle. Was it really necessary to chase him onto city streets?
Therein lies the problem: the inability of some police officers to know when to quit. Proctor is clearly a speed demon. His need for speed is well-documented and is what caused him to hit Robinson — not because he was responding to a call, which he learned held no danger for the police officer he was going to back up before the crash. Perhaps if police officers were legally liable for deaths that occur during chases, they would be more cautious when pursuing suspects or going to help colleagues.
Proctor seems remorseful, but that isn’t going to bring back Robinson. A 13-month suspended prison term, three years of supervised probation, 75 hours of community service and a $250 fine, plus court costs is nothing in my mind for the loss of a life. Is Shatona Robinson’s life worth only a few hundred dollars and community service that can be satisfied in two weeks? It is a sad day indeed when we have to fear those who are supposed to protect us.
Now, don’t get me wrong — I’m not a police hater. I know the good that police officers do. Having said that, I also know the bad that some police officers do, and this is an example.
I just believe that when police officers do things like drive 111 mph in a 45 mph zone (which would get me jail time) and kill someone in the process (which would get me jail time), there should be some form of punishment that involves incarceration.
Proctor’s behavior was negligent. Had he followed the law that he was supposed to uphold or even utilized some common sense, Shatona Robinson would still be here. I understand that Proctor is a young man and that people make mistakes, but when there are no real consequences, what is there to motivate him or other police officers to not make the same mistakes again?
Clear guidelines need to be established for police chases and consequences for killing innocent bystanders during chases. Sometimes these horrible accidents can’t be avoided, but when it is determined that they can, there needs to be some form of penalty that matches the crime. A suspended sentence and probation isn’t it.
I think many would agree that Shatona Robinson deserves more than that.
This article appears in May 4-10, 2010.
