New MPD Vehicle Pursuit Policy in Effect Today
The policy revisions allow Milwaukee Police to pursue fleeing vehicles that have been engaged in criminally reckless driving and those involved in drug dealing.
After months of study and debate, revisions to the Milwaukee Police Department Vehicle Pursuit policy go into effect today. The policy revisions allow Milwaukee Police to pursue fleeing vehicles that have been engaged in criminally reckless driving and those involved in drug dealing. A review of this morning’s local news provides sufficient context for why this policy was addressed:
Pedestrian struck and killed by hit-and-run driver
Near 28th and Lisbon, shortly after 1:00 a.m. a woman was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash.
2 teens in custody, 2 sought after officer’s squad rammed during police pursuit
Following a vehicle pursuit by Greenfield police, two suspects, both aged 16, were arrested. Both had prior arrests for auto theft, and both were in possession of opiates and will be charged with intent to deliver.
Once in a coma, victim of hit-and-run crash released from hospital
A ten-year-old Milwaukee boy made a miraculous recovery and is lucky to be home after a hit-and-run crash left him in a coma. The accident occurred near Fond du Lac and Armitage Avenues, and the vehicle that fled the scene was estimated to have been driving 55 mph beyond the speed limit.
The Fire and Police Commission (FPC) urges all local leaders to do more to encourage safer driving on our streets; dangerous police vehicle pursuits should be a last resort, not a first. The FPC recently sent a letter to the Public Safety and Health Committee encouraging further efforts towards this goal. The FPC is committed to problem oriented approaches to our city’s public safety concerns and stands ready to partner with our entire community to find effective, just and reasonable solutions. As the civilian oversight body for the Milwaukee Police Department, the FPC will also continue to robustly and transparently monitor and report on the effects of this policy revision.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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