OAKLAND, CA - The Oakland Police Commission (OPC) held a vote earlier in September loosening the pursuit policy so that officers can engage in reasonable efforts to apprehend fleeing suspects. However, despite the mild alterations afforded in the updated policy, area locals have expressed concerns about dangers associated with high-speed police pursuits.
Policy changes related to the Oakland Police Department’s pursuit policy were first initiated by two of the OPC council members back in 2023 while crime in the area was experiencing an alarming surge. At the time, pursuit policies for the department were heavily restricted due to concerns of general public safety surrounding the externalities that can occur from high-speed pursuits.
Yet, with the concerns associated with crime seemingly going unpunished, in tandem with Governor Gavin Newsom exerting pressure in December 2024 to have police crackdown on crime due to the optics fueling a soft-on-crime narrative, the OPC voted unanimously on September 25th to grant some degree of leniency regarding officers pursuing fleeing suspects.
Among the changes approved that were proposed by Chief Floyd Mitchell include officers being able to exceed 50 miles per hour amid pursuits, but with the caveat being that all pursuits will only be related to violent felony suspects. Speaking of the aforementioned, Chief Mitchell stated, "The pursuit of nonviolent felonies is just not on the table."
Despite the alterations to Oakland Police Department's pursuit policy being relatively mild and centered around public safety, some locals are convinced that the dangers from high-speed pursuits outweigh the public safety interests related to apprehending violent offenders and suspects.
Elana Tesfanicael, a 17-year-old Oakland resident, is among those largely against the alterations to the Oakland Police Department's pursuit policy due to the collateral damage associated with pursuits gone awry. Making a nod to the Castlemont High School teacher killed by a fleeing suspect this past May during a California Highway Patrol pursuit, Tesfanicael stated, "Honestly, I know that these criminals, they are criminals. And even if they did a big or small crime, they should be caught, but at the end of the day it's not worth an innocent life being stolen."
According to Tesfanicael, she believes that the possibility of landing an arrest of a fleeing suspect isn't worth wagering the possibility of an uninvolved party being injured due to a police pursuit, saying, "I feel like doing these chases isn't always the solution that we need because at the end of the day, there's a bigger risk for the chases than there are solutions."
Policy changes related to the Oakland Police Department’s pursuit policy were first initiated by two of the OPC council members back in 2023 while crime in the area was experiencing an alarming surge. At the time, pursuit policies for the department were heavily restricted due to concerns of general public safety surrounding the externalities that can occur from high-speed pursuits.
Yet, with the concerns associated with crime seemingly going unpunished, in tandem with Governor Gavin Newsom exerting pressure in December 2024 to have police crackdown on crime due to the optics fueling a soft-on-crime narrative, the OPC voted unanimously on September 25th to grant some degree of leniency regarding officers pursuing fleeing suspects.
Among the changes approved that were proposed by Chief Floyd Mitchell include officers being able to exceed 50 miles per hour amid pursuits, but with the caveat being that all pursuits will only be related to violent felony suspects. Speaking of the aforementioned, Chief Mitchell stated, "The pursuit of nonviolent felonies is just not on the table."
Despite the alterations to Oakland Police Department's pursuit policy being relatively mild and centered around public safety, some locals are convinced that the dangers from high-speed pursuits outweigh the public safety interests related to apprehending violent offenders and suspects.
Elana Tesfanicael, a 17-year-old Oakland resident, is among those largely against the alterations to the Oakland Police Department's pursuit policy due to the collateral damage associated with pursuits gone awry. Making a nod to the Castlemont High School teacher killed by a fleeing suspect this past May during a California Highway Patrol pursuit, Tesfanicael stated, "Honestly, I know that these criminals, they are criminals. And even if they did a big or small crime, they should be caught, but at the end of the day it's not worth an innocent life being stolen."
According to Tesfanicael, she believes that the possibility of landing an arrest of a fleeing suspect isn't worth wagering the possibility of an uninvolved party being injured due to a police pursuit, saying, "I feel like doing these chases isn't always the solution that we need because at the end of the day, there's a bigger risk for the chases than there are solutions."
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