LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State Police announced amendments to its pursuit policies Thursday to better protect the lives of innocent bystanders and law enforcement.
The new policy takes effect immediately, according to Col. James F. Grady II, the director of the Michigan State Police.
Now, MSP enforcement members may only engage in a pursuit if there is probable cause to believe the driver or a passenger inside the vehicle has committed a life-threatening or violent felony.
MSP says its members engaged in 235 pursuits in 2022. That increased to 236 pursuits in 2023, and, so far this year, MSP members have been involved in 33 pursuits.
Nationally, on average, crashes occur in at least 30 percent of vehicle pursuits, according to data from the U.S. Department of Justice, and injuries or deaths occur in five-to-17 percent of pursuits.
“High-speed pursuits are one of the most dangerous circumstances police officers face,” Col. Grady said. “A key consideration in any pursuit must be the seriousness of the underlying crime and whether the risks of a pursuit outweigh the public safety benefits of immediately apprehending the suspect. In all decisions, protecting lives – that of innocent bystanders, police officers and fleeing suspects – is of paramount importance and it is for this reason we have revised our policy.”
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