https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNyk5gKCHYo

Note: In addition to the video, please see the following article regarding a recent change in New York Polic Department (NYPD) policy regarding high-speed chases.

“NYPD Changes Policy on High-Speed Chases”

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nypd-policy-high-speed-police-chases-cracking-after-117707880

According to the article, New York City’s police department is curbing its use of high-speed chases after finding that about one-quarter of more than 2,200 initiated by officers last year led to a collision, property damage, physical harm or death.

The New Policy

A new policy, effective February 1, 2025, will limit vehicle pursuits to only the most serious and violent crimes, barring them for traffic infractions, violations and nonviolent misdemeanors.

Officers will also have to consider whether a pursuit would pass through a residential neighborhood or near a school or playground, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. They will have discretion to terminate chases if they do not feel it can be continued safely.

Last October, a bicycle rider was struck and killed by a pickup truck that police were chasing after a suspected robbery in Queens.

“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," Tisch said in a 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.”

Of 2,278 pursuits last year, about two-thirds involved a vehicle fleeing at a traffic stop. Many of those would not be allowed under the new policy, the NYPD said.

 

Training and Reviews

The department said it will train all uniformed officers in the new policy and conduct monthly reviews to ensure it is being followed. It will also issue an annual report tracking compliance.

According to 911 data obtained by the website Streetsblog NYC, vehicle chases spiked from 15 in January 2022 to 227 in January 2024. Police made more than 100 pursuits each month from July 2023 to September 2024, the last month for which data was available, according to the site.

 

Discussion Questions

1. As indicated in the article accompanying the video, the NYPD found that approximately one-quarter of more than 2,200 high-speed chases initiated by officers last year led to a collision, property damage, physical harm, or death. Are you surprised by this data? Why or why not?

This is an opinion question, so student responses may vary. In your author’s opinion, the data related to high-speed chases initiated by police officers leading to a collision, property damage, physical harm, or death comes as no surprise. There is no way to accurately “game plan” the results of a high-speed chase. Certain precautions, such as training, can be undertaken, but each pursuit has its own “fingerprint” and end result.

 

2. Discuss the potential liability officers, the NYPD, and the city of New York face in terms of high-speed chases.

Although the law can vary somewhat depending on the state, in New York, police officers and municipalities are not immune from liability for high-speed chases. Officers are personally accountable for their actions, especially if gross negligence or reckless disregard for safety is involved. The officer’s department and municipality can also be held liable on a respondeat superior (Latin for “let the master answer”) theory, which results in employer liability for employee torts occurring within the “course and scope” of employment.

 

3. As indicated in the article, the new policy, effective February 1, 2025, will limit vehicle pursuits to only the most serious and violent crimes, barring them for traffic infractions, violations and nonviolent misdemeanors. Explain the justification for this “nuanced” policy. In your reasoned opinion, should the subject policy be rewritten to ban all vehicle pursuits? Why or why not?

The rationale for the “nuanced” policy is that those who commit minor infractions do not present a substantial risk to the public, while those who commit serious and violent crimes do.

 

Student opinions may vary in terms of whether the subject policy should be rewritten to ban all vehicle pursuits. In some respects, this policy decision is based on a cost-benefit analysis—that although the public may be harmed in the high-speed chase, such risk would be “worth it” in terms of increasing the likelihood that a serious criminal will be apprehended.