Officers discretion to begin a pursuit is weakened and limited to the most serious violent crimes
January 16, 2025 at 19:40
- The NYPD will no longer pursue suspects allegedly involved in non-violent criminal activity.
- This policy includes traffic violations, minor infractions, and other non-violent misdemeanors.
- It’s unclear how the NYPD will view those who engage in highly dangerous reckless driving.
In a move that appears to signal a shift toward prioritizing safety, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has rolled out a new policy for the department tightening the rules on vehicle pursuits. The updated guidelines restrict chases to only the most serious of crimes. The Commissioner says this will strengthen street safety, still enable officers to do their job, and require the department to use modern tools to apprehend low-level offenders.
For years, one of the key issues with police pursuits has been the department’s vague or inconsistent protocols. For example, officers were to consider the location and population density before beginning a pursuit. Now, they’re specifically discouraged from pursuing a suspect if they’re near a school, a playground, or in a residential area. In addition, officers cannot be the subject of criticism or discipline for terminating a pursuit out of a concern for safety.
Read: NJ Police Gave Drivers With Courtesy Cards Or Police Ties A Pass On Serious Traffic Violations
Commissioner Tisch pointed out some sobering statistics during the policy announcement. In 2024, , there were 2,278 vehicle pursuits by the NYPD. A full 25 percent of those chases resulted in “some combination of a collision, property damage, or physical harm.” On top of that, 67 percent of these chases stemmed from suspects fleeing a routine traffic stop, situations that under the new policy will no longer warrant a pursuit.
Notably, this is absolutely in line with modern policing studies and research. Police who study the subject have even admitted that chases are dangerous and they often happen too easily. No policy will ever be perfect and the NYPD does have some tools that can help, like the helicopter featured below.
While the new policy appears well-intentioned, some concerns remain unaddressed, like the growing trend of “swimming” in the tri-state area. Viral videos have shown brazen criminals going as far as to do donuts around NYPD patrol cars who then didn’t give chase.
Video: BMW 7 Series Flees NYC Traffic Stop, Crashes Into Pedestrians
Carscoops reached out to Commissioner Tisch to clear up some of the concerns about such driving. As of this writing, she has not replied. If she does, we’ll be sure to update you. For now, it seems as though the highways in and around New York City might be the new American Autobahn for those willing to run from police.