3 Days, 4 Families = Thousands Informed
Families representing four states participated in PursuitSAFETY's first regional Information Exchange meeting in the Southwestern Illinois, St. Louis area.
Kim Schlau of Illinois, David and Brenda Ehrensperger of Alabama, Cheryl Cooper of Missouri, and Candy Priano of California all said the high point of this Information Exchange was when they met with police chiefs.Families Crusade to Save Lives of Innocent Victims & Police OfficersMeet Kim Schlau, PursuitSAFETY's Team Leader for the Midwest This Information Exchange meeting took place |
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Unedited interview by KSDK |
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St. Louis Post Dispatch: Moms Put Human Toll on Police Chases
| Posted on April 26, 2010 at 10:33 pm (KMOV.com) -- Although it's been more than two years since Jessica and Kelli Uhl were killed in a car crash, their mother, Kim Schlau, keeps their memory alive today by working to make the roads a safer place. Schlau joined VIPS - Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY, a group dedicated to this cause, and hopes to make a difference in road safety. The group's mission is to prevent deaths to innocent bystanders and officers, help the surviving victims of car crashes heal, and create change in the law enforcement community. The founder, Candy Priano, says that nationwide, five innocent bystanders die every week due to a pursuit or police response-related crash. |
Mother still fighting for road safety
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Maryville Police Chief Rich Schardan spent some time with us on April 27. Candy and Rich have exchanged emails for a little over two years, but this was the first time they met in person. The families spent a good part of the morning with Rich at the station. He shared some information about his pursuit practices but mostly listened to our concerns as we told him about our children. We enjoyed lunch at Alfonzo's Pizzeria, a local favorite. Cheryl Cooper said she never could have imagined spending so much time with a police chief who was so understanding and listened to her. David and Brenda Ehrensperger said the experience was "healing" to know that officers, like Rich, cared about what happened to their family. |
Later that afternoon, Candy and Kim met with St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch. Just like with Rich, we talked about how PursuitSAFETY will work with law enforcement. That conversation with both chiefs included, but was not limited to, having Kim and Candy share their stories with new recruits and veteran officers. Tim recently invited Kim to speak to his recruits who are graduating June 17. Candy and Tim met via email in 2003, about a year after her daughter Kristie was killed. Candy was introduced to Tim through PursuitWatch, a Florida organization that partners with PursuitSAFETY. Tim was one of the first officers in the country who spoke to Candy about Kristie's death and showed so much compassion. They remained in contact, and finally, seven years later they met in person. (Sidebar: Unable to attend this meeting were David and Brenda, who had to be at the airport for their flight home, and Cheryl also needed to return home, which is a four-hour drive.) |
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