LANSING, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Mar. 14, 2024) – The dilemma between justice and safety has been weighed by the Michigan State Police, and safety apparently has won out.
On Thursday, the head of the department, Colonel James Grady, announced that, effective immediately, troopers may only engage in pursuits, “if there is probable cause to believe the driver or occupant of the pursued vehicle has committed a life-threatening or violent felony.”
This comes after 33 pursuits by state troopers in the first two and a half months of 2024, 236 such chases last year, and 235 in 2022. The US Department of Justice says, on average, crashes occur in at least 3 out of 10 pursuits, with injuries or fatalities resulting in five to 17 percent of such chases.
Locally, the determination of conducting a pursuit is not an easy one to make, according to Holland Department of Public Safety Captain of the Patrol Division Keith Mulder.
The new state police policy is in line with recommendations from the Police Executive Research Forum’s 2023 report on vehicular pursuits.
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