Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - An internal police review recommends continuation of a policy allowing high-speed pursuits for even the most minor offenses, The Indianapolis Star reported Thursday.
The study was conducted after a suspect fleeing a traffic ticket April 27 crashed into a car, killing a 9-year-old boy and his mother.
A list of policy changes to the Indianapolis Police Department’s general orders, authored by Assistant Chief of Police Michael Spears, is still in draft form and could be weeks away from implementation. It has not been released, but a representative of a local police union had a preview Monday.
“It’s going to be a good product, and it tightens up the policy we already have in place,” Vince Huber, a sergeant with the department and a first vice president of the union, told The Star. “It protects the city, and citizens as well.”
Spears wants to revise General Order 8.02, which outlines the policy on emergency driving and high-speed pursuits, among the most dangerous acts performed by police officers.
In the chase in April, Officer Allan Whitesell’s patrol car wasn’t involved in the collision, and his supervisors said the collision was not the result of the department’s pursuit policy but of 19-year-old Nathaniel Williams’ decision to flee instead of pulling over.
From 1998 to 2001, almost one-third of 1,120 squad-car pursuits by Indianapolis police resulted in accidents, a rate lower than the 40 percent mark considered a national standard.
Some cities have tighter pursuit policies than Indianapolis, while other cities continue to debate whether to consider stricter rules - such as chasing only suspected violent felons.
Instead of taking that step, the Indianapolis policy will better illustrate and define officers’ roles during a pursuit and make it clear when to stop a chase and when one can proceed, said Lt. Paul Ciesielski, a department spokesman.
“I’ve been saying that this isn’t something that you can change overnight, but this is happening pretty quickly,” Ciesielski said.
The draft plan has to go through several divisions of the department, including planning and research and a general order committee, besides winning Chief Jerry Barker’s approval.