Summary

The police officer pursuing a motorcyclist just before a fatal crash last month was radioing a supervisor about whether to continue the chase, according to county police officials, who said there are guidelines for any pursuit that could reach high speeds.A video from the Horry County police officer's dashboard-mounted camera released this week shows the motorcyclist speeding and weaving between lanes of traffic last month before the fatal collision.Before pursuing suspects, officers must consider the severity of the crime, the speed at which a suspect is traveling, potential harm to bystanders, the time of day, the condition of the police vehicle, along with weather, traffic and road conditions, officials said.dashcam0609A police officers dashboard camera captured the chase and fatal wreck of a motorcyclist."It comes down to: Do the dangers outweigh the necessity of making the arrest," said Sgt. Robert Kegler, spokesman for Horry County police. "If there's a guy you're trying to stop for a traffic violation and he's eluding the police and he's being reckless, cutting in and out of traffic, maybe it's raining ... that's something that's more than likely will get cut off. That's not a dire need to make an arrest."Officers are more likely to pursue a suspect in a homicide or kidnapping, Kegler said.In this case, the officer, Scott Calderwood, attempted to conduct a traffic stop May 15 on a motorcycle that had been seen speeding on S.C. 544, according to a police report. He reported the bike was "traveling at a speed greater than surrounding traffic."The officer pulled his vehicle behind the motorcycle and learned the registration was expired as the bike began to accelerate away from a traffic light at S.C. 544 and Singleton Ridge Road, according to an incident report. Calderwood turned on his blue lights and siren and tried to catch up with the bike, which at one point drove between a pickup and a dump truck, according to the incident report.The officer reported he "began to stay back from the motorcycle" and was talking to a supervisor about the pursuit when the crash occurred. He was about 100 yards behind the motorcycle when the bike struck a vehicle that had turned into the center lane of S.C. 544 near West Cox Ferry Road. The pursuit lasted 50 seconds and occurred about 1¼ miles from where the chase began.It has not been determined how fast the driver, Bret Hill Allen, 46, of Aynor, was traveling at the time of the crash. The S.C. Highway Patrol's Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team is investigating, according to Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins."There was no radar. [Calderwood] did not measure a specific speed, so he turned around and checked him out," Kegler said.James Preston of Darlington, who witnessed the crash, said this week that Allen passed him on S.C. 544 a few seconds before the crash. Preston said Allen "was probably speeding."Most area police departments mandate that officers talk to a supervisor before the chase begins or during its early stages.If the highway patrol is involved, the pursuing officer must be in constant communication with a supervisor. A backup vehicle will help communicate weather, traffic conditions and the speed of the chase to a dispatch official."If something like this occurs, the dispatcher will alert everyone in that area that a pursuit is in progress," said Sid Gaulden, spokesman for the S.C. Department of Public Safety. "That shuts off all other communication, except for those four people."Officers at the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office don't have a speed limit they must follow, said Sgt. Neil Johnson. They do have rules governing pursuits.In cases where police know the name of the suspect, officers may not pursue the suspect but rather obtain a warrant in hopes of arresting the person at a later time, Johnson said.Allen's death was one of three fatal motorcycle crashes reported during May's Harley-Davidson spring rally.