IMPD and police union in talks about pursuit policy
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s administration has analyzed its pursuit policy for almost a year. Changes to the policy are on the horizon to ensure the policy is safe for citizens and officers. IMPD Chief Bryan Roach released statistics on pursuit numbers for police departments comparable or larger than Indianapolis.
In June 2015, a vehicle that police were pursuing crashed into Donna Niblock, 63, and killed the grandmother. The crash injured LaDonna Rogers, 37, Indianapolis and an 11-year-old boy was also critically hurt in the crash. Police later arrested and charged 21-year-old Matthew Edmonds at the scene of South State Avenue and Prospect Street on the city’s southeast side. Police say that officers were pursuing Edmonds at one point for stealing a pair of jeans at a Wal-Mart.
IMPD released the department’s pursuit statistics for the past two years, including 2017’s numbers:
- 2015 – 462 pursuits
- 2016 – 464 pursuits
- 2017 – 106 pursuits
Those numbers were accumulated from a staff that includes 1,635 IMPD officers. However, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina has a larger police department that includes 1,906 officers, and less pursuits.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department pursuit numbers:
- 2015 – 34 pursuits
- 2016 – 48 pursuits
- 2017 – 9 pursuits
24-Hour News 8 has learned that the Charlotte Police Department has more restrictions on when officers can and can’t pursue a vehicle.
Currently, IMPD is working with the Fraternal Order of Police (police union) to determine what policy may or may not be best for the city of Indianapolis.
Despite the discussion, much of the framework for the new policy is in place, and Roach made it known he is anxious to get something done.
“We are concerned about the number of pursuits here in Indianapolis and we are working to tighten that policy down, ” said Roach.
We could learn more about IMPD’s pursuit policy in the coming months.
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