About

Public Speaker and Advocate for Public Safety

Candy Priano’s presentations and articles address the inherent risk of injury and death of innocent bystanders and police officers resulting from car crashes involving police in pursuit of nonviolent offenders or responding to calls. Candy founded PursuitSAFETY, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit public safety organization, in 2007. Download her CV from the safe PursuitSAFETY website.

Over the course of a decade, she has analyzed thousands of pursuit stories and identified how some pursuits could have had safer outcomes not involving the death of an officer or innocent bystander. Her extensive knowledge has benefitted from officers who share their experience and expertise with her. She has gathered the stories of many victims of police-related car crashes and shares these stories, and her own, with officers and the public. Candy has developed three presentations, each tailored to a different audience:

The Other Side of the Windshield provides law enforcement trainers, street officers, recruits, and government safety officers with a new perspective on the need to extend more protection to innocent bystanders.

Pull Over: Have no regrets, an appeal to teens, should be included in every high school driver education class. Every day, teenagers flee from the police, risking their own lives as well as those of their friends and innocent bystanders. If one teenager decides to pull over instead of fleeing from the police, then Pull Over: Have no regrets is a success!

Faith: Before and During Tragedy is for citizens and church groups. Illustrating the fact that tragedy can strike anyone, Candy tells the story of how she continues to live with her daughter’s death. Just 15 years old when taken, Kristie Priano reached out to others in need, served many volunteer roles, and spread her joy throughout her home and community. Candy reads entries from Kristie’s journals and remembrance notes from others. She talks about her own and Kristie’s walk with the Lord.

Candy also works as a panelist, discussing this critical public safety issue with officers, legislators, and concerned citizens. She promotes safer methods of catching fleeing drivers. PursuitSAFETY’s annual Safer Way Award sets a standard of professionalism for police officers, recognizing trained officers who use alternative resources and technologies to bring about the capture of known flight risks.

As the founder and victim services director of PursuitSAFETY, Candy says her most important role is one of sharing, so no one has to be alone in their grief. She travels the country to meet with families and welcomes their phone calls and e-mails.