As crime in the Windy City surges, the Chicago Police Department has announced that in some circumstances, it will no longer pursue fleeing suspects.
At a press conference held on Tuesday, the department announced the new policy and stated that it would take effect after “every officer” had received training, according to Superintendent David Brown.
Before we hold officers accountable, there are a few clarifications that need to be made, Brown said on Tuesday.
Brown emphasized that the new policy “enhances law enforcement to do their job” and “makes it safer” for his cops, though he did not go into specifics of what officers needed clarification on.
The new foot pursuit policy would help prevent potentially dangerous physical interactions between law enforcement and suspects, particularly armed assailants, the superintendent emphasized, noting that 25 officers have already been shot or shot at this year.
The new policy outlines the limited circumstances in which a foot pursuit is legal, provided that it outweighs any risks to officer safety or the safety of the public.
One of them is when a suspect is “committing a felony, Class A misdemeanor, [or] a traffic offense that endangers the physical risks of others,” as well as when criminals have already committed or are about to commit a “arrest-able offense.”
The following offenses, among others, will allow officers to pursue suspects: battery, assault, unlawful use of weapons, and criminal home trespassing.
The policy stated that, however, police must avoid foot pursuits in the following situations: public intoxication, land trespassing, and simple assault.
Before engaging in a foot pursuit with the suspect, law enforcement must have a reasonable suspicion that the suspect is committing a crime that puts the public in danger.
At the press conference on Tuesday, Brown stated that “the safety of our community members and our officers is at the foundation of this new foot pursuit policy.”
This year, crime in the city has increased by 34%. Robbery, theft, and break-ins have all increased dramatically, by 65, 31, and 21%, respectively.
As radical as the new policy may appear to be, according to Brown, it is only new to Chicago and not to law enforcement.
He remarked, without mentioning whose agencies he was basing the new policy on, “There are many departments that have foot pursuit policies and there are new policies being put in from other departments.”
There is a ton of information available that can teach us about what foot pursuits do.
Foot pursuit policies help law enforcement in two ways, according to Brown. Helping the department “train officers” and “keep officers safe” are two advantages.
There is undoubtedly a lot of physical contact between the suspects and the authorities at the conclusion of a foot pursuit. Once you’ve chased someone, you now have to take them into custody, which frequently results in a lot of physical contact.
He said, “Officers get hurt, suspects get hurt, and innocent people get hurt.”
Although Brown maintained that “officers” would ultimately decide whether or not to pursue suspects, he added that the documentation made available following the pursuit would help Chicago learn how to make its officers safer.
The revelation of the policy change follows nationwide demonstrations over the officer-involved gunshot deaths of Adam Toledo, 13, and Anthony Alvarez, 22.
The police department was required by the shootings to evaluate its foot pursuit policy, but according to Brown on Tuesday, the department had been talking about this policy for “years.”
According to the Chicago PD, shootings are down 17%, while homicide is down 11%.