Slush Pile: Deput Dies Showing Off

2007 Slush Pile

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Deput Dies Showing Off

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

A deputy in our city passed away in June of 2007, earning himself a Darwin Award in the process. Deputy Charles Cook, 28, had his 18 year old brother-in-law in the car as a ride along when he received word shortly before 3:00 a.m. of a motorcycle driver doing wheelies on the Belt Highway. This is the most used street in our town. Even at 3:00 in the morning this road usually still has drivers on it. At the intersection in question the speed limit is 40 miles per hour. Even though the motorcycle driver was not endangering lives Deputy Cook felt the need to try to reach the driver at a speed of 90 miles per hour, on a wet road, with a civilian passenger, and without a seat belt.

It is important to note that the motorcycle driver was not being chased; the Deputy was merely driving so quickly to get to the place where the driver had previously been spotted. After coming over the top of a hill the deputy was forced to swerve to avoid a semi-truck making a legal left hand turn. Due to the extreme speed and wet conditions as he swerved he hit a pole and a concrete box in front of a popular mini golf spot. The deputy sustained lethal injuries and was removed from life support the next week. Fortunately, his brother-in-law who was wearing a seat belt sustained only minor injuries and was released from the hospital that same night. The driver of the semi-truck was not struck and received no injuries. The motorcycle driver was never found.

It is common knowledge that the deputy was showing off for his younger brother-in-law. Had the deputy not thought that he was above the law, the accident could have been avoided. It makes one wonder how many tickets he issued for seat belt and speeding violations.

Below is the link to the news paper web page where this story can be found, as well as the article as it appeared in the paper and reader comments posted online in response to the article. Note that one comment came from the deputy's grand-uncle. Numerous articles can also be found by going to www.stjoenews-press.com and typing in Charles Cook in the search page.

http://www.stjoenews-press.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=94384&SectionID=81&SubSectionI

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6/27/2007 1:51:00 AM Email this article • Print this article

Deputy Charles Cook remains in intensive care at the University of Kansas Medical Center following an on-duty accident Saturday. (Submitted photo)

Speed, wet roads factored in Cook's accident

Marshall White Reporter

Buchanan County Sheriff Mike Strong says speed and wet road conditions were contributing factors in Saturday's accident that critically injured a Buchanan County Sheriff's Department deputy.

Deputy Charles Cook had a stable night Monday. Family and officers at the hospital are optimistic, even though he remains in critical condition and is in intensive care at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said Mr. Strong.

One thing the sheriff wouldn't say Tuesday is that his deputy did anything wrong Saturday when he was injured.

Mr. Cook responded to a St. Joseph police officer's report about an erratic motorcycle driver on the Belt Highway shortly before 2:54 a.m. Saturday. Law enforcement officers think they've identified the motorcycle driver Mr. Cook hoped to intercept and stop, Mr. Strong said Tuesday.

Mr. Cook, with his brother-in-law Aaron Smullin riding along, turned around on the Belt and headed north with red lights and siren.

Police estimate he was going 70 to 80 miles per hour at the time, Mr. Strong said.

"It is what it is and I can't argue with that," he said.

Cresting a hill, the deputy swerved to avoid a truck and ran the Dodge Durango cruiser into a tarred utility pole at Cool Crest Garden Golf. The momentum carried the sport utility vehicle forward into a concrete pedestal, part of a traffic control box.

The Dodge Durango Mr. Cook drove wasn't a negative factor, said Mr. Strong. The old Ford Crown Victorias don't perform well on any kind of wet pavement, he said.

"The Durangos are the best thing I've seen as a police vehicle in 30 years," said the sheriff. "They hold up well and get us where we need to go."

The Sheriff's Department is conducting its own ongoing investigation in addition to the St. Joseph Police Department accident reconstruction report. The sheriff's department is examining chase policies even though there was no chase Saturday.

The deputy was getting into position to stop the motorcycle - that's a big difference, Mr. Strong said.

A chase shouldn't be the cause of anyone's death, he said.

The police report indicates Mr. Cook wasn't wearing a seat belt even though his brother-in-law did. Mr. Smullin sustained only minor injuries.

Deputies are trained to always wear their seat belts and it will be stressed again and again, Mr. Strong said.

While the internal investigation is ongoing, one change will be no citizen ride-alongs without the personal permission of the sheriff.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Drug Strike Force volunteered to work night patrols for deputies who worked with Mr. Cook, said Capt. Howard Judd, road patrol supervisor. Those deputies are sitting with the family at the hospital in Kansas City, he said. Other departments in surrounding towns and counties have repeatedly volunteered to help, Mr. Strong and Mr. Judd said.

7/15/2007 1:50:00 AM Email this article • Print this article

Pursuit policy reviewed Buchanan County Sheriff's Deputy Charles Cook died a hero. In a high-speed chase on a rain-slick highway, he swerved to avoid traffic and crashed into a metal traffic control box atop a concrete base near the intersection of the Belt and Sherman.

His family should be proud of the 28-year-old husband and father. The community can only hope that a sincere outpouring of sympathy and a funeral filled with fitting tributes from the law enforcement community will eventually soften the pain.

Still, Sheriff Mike Strong is to be commended for taking a hard look at the sheriff's department policies on high- speed chases. The temptation would be to circle the wagons.

Sheriff Strong is both right and courageous to admit that this fatal chase on that early Sunday morning was unnecessary. A punk popping wheelies is not worth the risks. Indeed, many departments dictate that a felony is needed before an officer can engage in a chase.

The sheriff is also reportedly leaning toward tighter guidelines that would require a supervisor to approve a chase. It is an important added check at a time when experience can help make critical decisions.

Sheriff Strong has already decided that all "ride-alongs" will require department approval, and those learning experiences will be limited to appropriate people who are either in law enforcement or training to become a law enforcement officer. In this particular case, a family member escaped serious injury in the tragic accident.

Stricter guidelines on the speed of the pursuit will likely also be part of the new department policy, according to the sheriff. This chase involved a sports utility vehicle racing at more than 90 mph after a motorcycle after an early morning rain. Those are the wrong conditions for a safe pursuit.

High-speed chases are a risky business. Good officers are forced to make life-and-death decisions in a blink of an eye, with adrenalin pounding through the body. That is why most law enforcement agencies set strict policies to protect both the officers involved and the general public.

It is also why we support Sheriff Strong's determination to build a better pursuit policy for his department.

Reader Comments

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Posted: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 Article comment by: Paul (grand-uncle)

Re Deputy Cook: I hope this is a lesson we can learn from rather than just being victims of another tragedy. High speed chases very seldom have a payoff that justifies the risk to innocent victims, the pursuing officer and property. Prohibit the officer's giving chase because, as we have seen, the cost is too extreme. May God bring Charlie back to us so this becomes a lesson we learn from.

Posted: Friday, July 27, 2007 Article comment by: BG

While I feel really bad for the family and friends of this officer, I think it serves a good lesson to cops everywhere. Cops are not above the law, they have rules to follow just like everybody else. If he would have used common sense and toned down the ego, he would have gone home that night. Sounds to me like he was trying to impress his ride-along.

Posted: Friday, June 29, 2007 Article comment by: Anthony

What a senseless tragedy. Why on Earth the officer was running hot, 80 mph, damp roads, no seat belt, a civilian passenger for what... a motorcycle with traffic violations? What a waste.

Submitted on 11/11/2007

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: St. Joseph News Press 6/27/2007

>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Maybe Toss: Not Amusing
Despite the "common knowledge" claim there's nothing to indicate anything even remotely like that in the article, so I don't feel like I can consider this anything more than an unfortunate accident, possibly caused by inexperience on the Deputies part, and not Darwin-level stupidity.

James said:
Definitely Toss: Not Amusing
I didn't see any evidence that he was "showing off", so I cannot consider that. Other than that, all he did was forget his seat belt. While unwise, it is not enough for a DA. In the end, it was perhaps a case of bad judgement rather than stupidity and I just don't find this amusing. Thanks just the same for submitting!

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2007 Slush Pile

Deput Dies Showing Off

2007 Reader Submission Pending Acceptance

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance