The City of Chicago has implemented a new policy that prohibits police officers from pursuing potential misdemeanor suspects on foot.
The policy strictly prohibits officers from chasing individuals who commit certain “less than Class A misdemeanor offenses,” including “business offenses, parking violations (e.g., curfew drinking on the public way),” and Class B or C misdemeanors including “simple assault or criminal trespass to land.”
Class A misdemeanors such as battery, aggravated assault, trespassing and theft are exempt from this policy.
“The impact on crime has been studied (and) we can look back at what has made officers safer, has made communities safer for over a decade,” Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown told reporters at a press briefing on the policy.
“Department members should consider alternatives to engaging in or continuing a foot pursuit in the following circumstances…[if] the circumstances create a particularly high risk for the department members and the public,” the policy proposes.
An officer should refrain from chasing an individual if “the person being pursued is visibly armed with a firearm,” according to the policy.
The policy does not acknowledge a person’s avoidance of police as a reason for officers to pursue them on foot; officers are forbidden to chase after a suspect “based solely on a person’s response to the presence of police.”
“People may avoid contact with a member for many reasons other than involvement in criminal activity,” according to the directive.
Today, we released the new finalized foot pursuit policy which is rooted in community safety and officer safety. The policy will be implemented after officers receive training on the new guidelines.
The full policy can be viewed here: https://t.co/pdfADFW3oP
— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) June 21, 2022
The directive comes as the city of Chicago is reporting record-high crime numbers. City-wide crime has already increased by 34% from 2021 to 2022, according to police reports. (RELATED: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Imposes 10 PM Curfew Ban On Minors After Violent Weekend)
The new policy closely resembles a draft policy put in place following the deaths of Adam Toledo and Anthony Alvarez, who were armed when they ran from police in 2021.
The Chicago Police Department did not respond to TheDCNF’s request for comment.
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