After deaths, Indianapolis police consider new pursuit policy
Indianapolis is a city known for speed, but the top brass in the police department is waving a caution flag. The deaths of two teenagers on Tuesday has prompted the police department there to reconsider its policy toward pursuits. Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department initiated a traffic stop near Pershing Square shortly after 9:30 p.m. when they observed a sport-utility vehicle similar to a stolen model. Rather than submitting to officers, the two suspect occupants — ages 15 and 19 — decided to flee. Both were ejected and killed when the SUV crashed in a residential area. Under a new policy being consideration by Chief of Police Paul Ciesielski, cops would only chase suspects of violent crimes who present an immediate threat. While Mr. Ciesielski has cited an “ethical obligation” to the people of Indianapolis, the president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police said that such a policy would be surrendering to the city’s criminal element. In 2009, 693 travelers were killed in traffic accidents on Indiana roadways, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That number has fallen four years in a row from a high of 938 in 2005. The NHTSA reports that speeding was a contributing factor in 174 deaths. Meanwhile, 179 fatal accidents were rollovers, such as the one in Indianapolis on Tuesday.
