The NYPD will pump the brakes on pursuing suspects wanted for lesser crimes, announced Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch last Wednesday, Jan. 15. Officers can still start car chases if a felony or violent misdemeanor is involved. But they can no longer rush after a vehicle over traffic violations or non-violent misdemeanors, including most “fled traffic stops” which accounted for 67% of vehicle pursuits last year.
The policy goes into effect next month.
“The NYPD’s enforcement efforts must never put the public or the police at undue risk, and pursuits for violations and low-level crimes can be both potentially dangerous and unnecessary,” said Tisch in her statement. “The advanced tools of modern-day policing make it possible to apprehend criminals more safely and effectively than ever before, making many pursuits unnecessary. Now, our cops will have clear, unambiguous parameters for when to initiate, continue, and terminate these pursuits.
“This new policy will also expand supervision over such pursuits and require more detailed and timely documentation when these pursuits occur. These key changes will make both the police and the public safer and further improve the NYPD’s service to the city.”
Roughly a quarter of the NYPD’s 2,278 car chases last year ended in “some combination of a collision, property damage or physical harm.” Last October, cyclist Amanda Servedio died from a collision after a vehicle fleeing police struck her. Her father, Frank Servedio, welcomed the news.
“I’m happy with the fact that there’s been conversation –– there was a lot of conversation beforehand, and a lot of advocacy beforehand,” he said over the phone. “There have been other lives lost and other people injured, and that conversation was ongoing even before we got involved. But we [are] certainly encouraged by having so many people now continuing to talk and continuing to work hard to try to make the streets safer, and we will continue to do so…people are finally starting to take it to heart, and maybe real changes are going to take place that are going to make it a lot safer for all New Yorkers.”
He says his daughter, an avid cyclist, would be pleased to learn about the new street safety reforms. Servedio’s family remains involved in her memory, particularly in the 114th precinct where the crash occurred.
Alexa Sledge, a spokesperson for nonprofit Transportation Alternatives, called the policy a “huge victory.”
“Nothing that’s killing us is keeping us safe,” said Sledge. “For example, in the case of Amanda Servedio, she was biking home from a bike ride with her friends and the police chase was happening because of a suspected burglary. Amanda had nothing to do with [the] suspected burglary. That’s usually not a life-or-death situation, but somebody was killed because of it.
“And that’s just the exact kind of situation they want to avoid at all costs. Absolutely no one should be dying because they are leaving their home to travel somewhere, or leaving somewhere to travel to their home, and they’re killed just for doing that.”
The new policy also delineates plans to allow for discretion during chases when driving through residential communities and driving through a school or playground along with enlisting supervisors to monitor pursuit speeds. Additionally, officers can end a car chase if they have safety concerns without worrying about recourse.
NYPD Chief of Department John Chell, who once championed more vehicle pursuits, touted the new policy as a balanced approach for chasing after suspects “when appropriate” and dialing things back when the risks “outweigh the benefits.”
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
Author’s Note: A previous version mistakenly referred to TransAlt, which is short for Transportation Alternatives as “Transit Alternatives.”