Are cop car computers distracting police from the road?

Abbotsford police have set out a new policy limiting the use of cruiser computers. Mar. 4, 2013. (CTV)

The death of an 18-year-old pedestrian who was struck by a B.C. RCMP cruiser has led one local police force to reconsider its policy on using technology behind the wheel.

Ashley Guiboche was killed while jaywalking across King George Boulevard in Surrey on Jan. 31, 2011. A coroner’s inquest heard the officer who struck her was responding to a stolen car call, and had looked at his in-cruiser computer.

“It is my belief that if he had been watching the road he might well have avoided hitting her, but he didn’t. It appears he never saw her,” said BC Coroners Service lawyer Rod MacKenzie.

The inquest concluded last month with a list of six recommendations, including the introduction of hands-free technology for cop car computers. It suggests the devices should be capable of transmitting audio readings of all incoming messages, and receiving verbal responses from officers who are driving.

Police in B.C. are exempt from distracted driving laws, including bans on cell phone use. But in light of Guiboche’s tragic death, the Abbotsford Police Department has voluntarily implemented a new policy to limit the use of technology regardless.

Police in the city are still permitted to use hand-operated radios, but are now limited to the use of hands-free phone devices. They also can no longer send messages on their computers while driving.

“Our expectation is that [police] are only hitting key strokes when you’re parked or if you’re in a two-person car, where one person focuses on [the computer] and the other person can focus on the task of driving,” said Const. Ian MacDonald.

The Vancouver Police Department told CTV News its policy allows for electronic devices, but only if it is a priority and there are no reasonable alternatives.

The RCMP says it is still studying the coroner’s inquest recommendations made in connection with Guiboche’s death.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Mi-Jung Lee