- FHP chase deaths tripled after rule change, from 5 in 2023 to 15 in 2024.
- Experts say the policy defies safety guidelines and endangers everyone.
- Critics push for safer options like aviation patrol and delayed arrests.
“These things are dangerous. People get hurt. People die.” Those were the words of Sergeant Spencer Ross with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). His flippant attitude toward police chases and safety is drawing the ire of locals and those outside of the Sunshine State. The scrutiny comes as new data shows that fatalities have tripled since the FHP loosened its rules regarding police chases.
Have Things Gone Way Too Far?
In the past, FHP prohibited chasing a fleeing suspect unless the person was a felon or was an imminent danger to the public. Essentially, it stopped police from creating a greater threat to public safety by chasing a person. Today, that restraint is gone. Troopers are now permitted to chase anyone who attempts to flee a stop, regardless of the offense.
More: Police End 140 MPH Chase From The Sky Without A Single Tire Screech
The consequences have been severe. According to TCPalm, that policy has cost lives that not even the most staunch police supporter can get behind. It includes the lives of police officers and innocent bystanders alike. The statistics can be a bit misleading, but they’re still nothing to scoff at. After the loosening of chase rules, fatalities jumped from five in 2023 to 15 in 2024. The use of PIT maneuvers jumped from 100 to 286.
A Deadly Example
In one case, an FHP trooper driving in oncoming traffic during a chase hit a truck driver head-on, killing both. Now, the family of the deceased truck driver is suing the state, claiming that the FHP officer was unsafe in his pursuit.
“The data just proves what they’re doing is not safe,” said Roy Taylor, a national police procedure expert and former chief of police in Jackson County, North Carolina. “If you’re going against what the nationally recognized police organizations are recommending, that’s a problem.”
Don’t Act Harder – Just Think Smarter
Taylor is referring to countless guidelines from all over the USA that say chases should be used only in the rarest of occasions. The Department of Justice has issued similar guidance and even told police agencies not to PIT vehicles at over 40 mph due to the safety concern that it poses to everyone on the road. Law enforcement organizations also say that alternative methods need to be used more. Those are options like aviation patrol, arresting the suspect at a later time, and leveraging tools like Starchase.
At the end of the day, there’s no perfect solution here. Police have a tough job, and catching some criminals who run is sincerely in the best interest of public safety. Scofflaws who know that officers won’t chase are even more emboldened to commit crimes.
A Question of Balance
None of that makes the loss of innocent lives justified, though. It’s even more damning that law enforcement agencies across the nation and even at the federal level are trying to reduce chases. Perhaps it’s time for Florida to take after its opposite coast sibling and start chasing from above the sky above rather than on the ground.
Credit: FHP
