By Police1 Staff
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Metro Police Department is rolling back to a stricter pursuit policy after previously loosening restrictions.
The PD says the change is to limit potential risk to motorists and pedestrians. According to WDRB, the PD had a strict pursuit policy enacted in Dec. 2012 after a number of bystander deaths. The policy limited police pursuits to those involved in a violent felony.
According to the Courier-Journal, that policy loosened over time as a reaction to an increase in stolen vehicles, which police said were often being used in drive-by shootings. New policy allowed LEOs to pursue stolen vehicles.
From 2013 to 2015, there were zero deaths related to pursuits. The department’s strictest policy was enforced during these years.
In a statement to WDRB, the PD said the rollback to the stricter policy “furthers LMPD’s mission of removing dangerous criminals from the streets while ensuring that our officers are not pursuing offenders for non-violent crimes. Stolen vehicles can be recovered by other measures that do not jeopardize the safety of motorists and pedestrians in our community.”
Officers can also pursue an individual who has committed a violent felony in the past or is under investigation for a violent felony, according to the report.