When can police chase a vehicle in Kansas City? Here’s the policy
A Kansas City man was struck and killed as a result of a KCPD car chase on Wednesday. The suspect police were pursuing had allegedly rammed a patrol vehicle with a stolen pickup truck and fled.
Although police say they ended the chase 45 seconds before the man was found dead, this isn’t the first time a bystander has been killed during a similar pursuit. Since 2014, at least seven innocent bystanders have been killed in crashes resulting from police chases in the greater Kansas City area.
Do official policies allow police to chase a vehicle whenever they want?
No. The KCPD has a 20-page policy outlining exactly when and how police can pursue a vehicle.
Here’s when and how KCPD can initiate a chase:
In cases of stolen vehicles, officers are allowed to initiate a chase only when the driver in question “has been involved in a dangerous felony” or “presents a clear and immediate danger to the safety of others.”
Police must follow certain traffic laws when pursuing a vehicle, and can’t drive the wrong way on a divided highway to catch a suspect.
“Tactical Vehicle Intervention” techniques like roadblocks and other extreme measures can only be used by trained officers, and must stop if they “would exceed the danger presented by the offender remaining at large.”
Fatalities from chases is a nationwide issue
Since the 1990’s, police departments around the country have been restricting these dangerous chases to extreme situations where the suspect poses an immediate threat to public safety.
Nevertheless, the problem remains widespread: Data suggests that around 336 people are killed in police chases every year. That’s nearly one death per day.
Experts point out that these chases, and their potentially fatal consequences, are not proportionate to the crimes they intend to solve or prevent. Many departments, including the KCPD, have policies that prohibit chases for crimes like DUIs, traffic violations and stolen vehicles.
But a 2019 Star investigation found that some agencies in the Kansas City area still allow officers to chase at high speeds for any infraction, regardless of how minor.
In one instance, a pursuit by an Independence police officer which began over a driver allegedly not wearing a seatbelt ended in severe injuries for two innocent bystanders. In another KCPD chase, former Ray County sheriff’s deputy Thomas Colatrella was killed just blocks from his girlfriend’s home while buying ice cream for her and her children.
While experts say police departments cannot eliminate pursuits of dangerous criminals entirely, critics continue to call for increased oversight and better adherence to department policies so that minor infractions don’t lead to unintended injuries or even death.
Do you have more questions about policing in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published May 26, 2022 at 5:22 PM.
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