High-Speed Chase 'Appropriate,' Gulfport Chief Says

Gulfport Police Chief Robert Vincent has released his full review of the police chase that ended in a collision between a stolen vehicle and PSTA bus and crash into a building in St. Petersburg on Monday, July 9.

Derrick Mims, 21, was charged with grand theft auto, fleeing and eluding police and child endangerment after leading officials on a high-speed chase through Gulfport and reaching speeds up to 90 mph on I-275 before exiting into a residential neighborhood and crashing into a PSTA bus. There were three passengers in the stolen rental including the driver's 2-year-old son.

Immediately following the incident, Vincent told officials he would conduct a complete review of the pursuit.

The pursuit and crash prompted harsh comments from St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster that evening. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Foster said his officers would not have pursued under the same circumstances.

Gulfport residents have since commented about the Foster's comments on our story "Police Chase Hits 90 Mph With Toddler In Stolen Car." Some are disappointed in Fosters words, others said Gulfport Police should not have followed the driver out of their jurisdiction. 

Chief Robert Vincent's Blog

Chief Robert Vincent is sharing his review and department report on his blog to be clear, informative and candid with residents. To view the report in it's entirety, check out the blog post. Patch has provided excerpts from the Chief's review below.

Pursuit Policy

Vincent stands by the current rules and notes that "this has historically been a crime that has victimized many of our residents, and I believe I echo the community's concerns when I say that our police department should not have a standing policy that prohibits intervention and lets these criminals get away scott free."

The current rules allow officers to initiate a pursuit if they believe the driver of the vehicle has committed a forcible felony, which includes burglary. Vincent adds that "the suspect must also exhibit conduct which indicates he or she is an immediate or continuous threat to public safety."

Thirdly, Vincent writes, "The pursuit may be allowed to continue based on constant review of road & traffic conditions, speed, additional violations, and many other factors. At any point, a supervisor may order that a pursuit be terminated."

Possible Revisions

Vincent explains in his blog that other aspects of the current policy may be revised such as "adding a component that requires pursuing officers to take into consideration their lack of familiarity with a neighborhood in deciding whether or not to continue a pursuit." The Chief writes that he will be talking with local agencies about how to improve procedures for interagency operations when incidents like this cross into other jurisdictions.

Policy Violations

Vincent says four minor violations were noted, however, he states that the "overall performance of the officers in this pursuit was commendable. They exhibited excellent teamwork, good communications skills, and they operated their vehicles in a reasonably safe manner as they made every effort to apprehend a dangerous felon. At the conclusion of the pursuit, they acted appropriately to secure suspects and get medical attention for the injured while coordinating with other agencies for crowd control."

The four violations are listed with descriptions on the Chief's blog.

Policy Requirements

There are 21 required actions, (including reasonable grounds, who may be involved, implementing a plan) each listed with a description and conclusion on the Chief's blog.

Pursuit Report

Chief Vincent's complete pursuit report includes a summary of the pursuit, policy requirements, reviewer's actions, policy violations and a conclusion. The four violations are listed as well as 21 required actions that are requirements in pursuits. You may view the complete report on the Chief's blog.