High-Speed Chase Policy Upheld

After  in July that resulted in crashes with innocent bystanders, City Council  on those pursuits. 

Last week, Police Chief Chuck Harmon and Mayor Bill Foster said the policy is working and would not change. 

"Pursuits are one of the most dangerous (things) that a law enforcement officer can engage in," Harmon said. "This has always been a tough decision for us, what to chase and what we don’t chase."

Crimes that warrant a pursuit include but are not limited to: murder, treason, manslaughter, home invasion, burglary, aggravated assault and stalking. Before entering a high-speed pursuit the officer must get authorization.

Harmon said compared to other Tampa Bay area lawn enforcement agencies, St. Petersburg has one of the most restrictive pursuit policies.  

Since 2010 St. Pete Police have been in 66 high-sped pursuits. According to Harmon only four or five didn't follow procedure. In 2010 there were 16, 34 in 2011 and 16 so far this year. 

City Attorney John Wolfe told the Council last Thursday that in recent years the city has been taken to court over chases four times. Two resulted in settlements, one was thrown out and another ruling sided with the city. 

Council member Karl Nurse said those facts show the city's policy is correct. 

"Crime is the problem, not the police department," Kornell said. "Putting all the blame on the police is so inaccurate and so the wrong frame of mind. (Chases) are caused by crime."

The two council members pushing for the review were Wengay Newton and Chair Leslie Curran. 

"I care about life," Newton said. 

"I'm also concerned with the safety of our officers," Curran said. "A red light on their car doesn’t keep them safe."

Foster said when he changed the police policy in 2010 that he was aligning it with state statutes and other law enforcement agencies. 

"This always is a tough issue," he said. "(However), I insist that the policy itself is a good one."

Harmon said that while there is a risk for bystanders during a chase, there is also the risk of other crime victims if criminals get away.

"We caught some bad people doing some very bad things," he said. "We’re not chasing people for very minor offenses. These are pretty significant." 

The  started after calls of multiple home burglaries. Police were chasing four burglary suspects, including two minors, when the suspect's car slammed into a vehicle the intersection of Martin Luther King Jt. St and 9th Avenue N.

The next day a pursuit of a man on an outstanding warrant for violating probation led to a chase in Childs Park that resulted in a bystander's car being sideswiped.