Maryland needs to turn the corner on police pursuits | STAFF COMMENTARY

Lack of a uniform policy (along with standardized reporting and data monitoring) do not inspire confidence in efforts to curb unnecessary chases.

For anyone concerned about people killed as the result of unnecessary police chases — and given that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows such deaths have reached 577 annually nationwide that should apply to all of us — this has been a difficult week. First, it’s clear that police in Maryland (whether county by county or municipality by municipality) don’t have a uniform policy for deciding when it’s reasonable to initiate a high-speed pursuit. And second, even those departments that claim to be monitoring such behavior don’t seem to be doing so especially well. A case in point: the Baltimore Police Department, which initially claimed not to have data on how often officers pursued suspects, hit reverse and acknowledged they do: In fact, they chased 29 vehicles last year and seven so far this year, according to a report released to The Baltimore Sun last Monday.

How can BPD not know what data it has? A spokesperson blamed “miscommunication” and restrictive data systems. But here’s another theory: The issue is not taken as seriously by the department as its leadership would have us believe. And what’s worrisome about that possibility is not just what’s happening in Baltimore where the state attorney general’s office has investigated the deaths of at least three people as a result of pursuits since October of 2021 (as high a number as any Maryland subdivision) but that it is typical of what’s taking place elsewhere, too. Baltimore has twice revised its pursuit policy and it’s now among the more restrictive in Maryland: The suspect inside must have committed a violent crime and pose an immediate threat of death or injury, which essentially mirrors what’s been recommended by experts. Elsewhere, policies vary across more than 150 police agencies — and that is alarming.

Keep in mind that most of the victims are people like Alfred Fincher, the 54-year-old demolition worker killed 16 months ago when a driver fleeing police crashed into another car and then into him as he was walking along the sidewalk about two blocks south of Clifton Park. Or Dimeka Thornton, 37, of Windsor Mill, who had the misfortune of driving on the Baltimore Beltway two months ago when she was hit head-on by a 23-year-old driving the wrong way on the highway to avoid Baltimore County Police. It is all too common for victims of police chases to be passengers in the vehicles being chased or, as was the case with Fincher and Thornton, simply innocent bystanders.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has indicated that he would like to see greater uniformity in how police decide when to chase. We share that sentiment. And that policy should be that a pursuit shouldn’t be initiated unless the suspect has committed a violent crime and poses an imminent threat of committing more violent crimes. There is some judgment here, of course. An armed carjacking in progress might, for example, justify a pursuit. But in 2024, police have far too many safer alternatives, including tracking by GPS, to put civilians in grave danger unless under the most perilous of circumstances.

One more suggestion. Attorney General Brown and his Independent Investigations Division, which is obligated to investigate and keep track of all such incidents, ought to be doing a better job of keeping the public informed of exactly what is happening. There is no need to jeopardize active investigations or prosecutions, but if police agencies can share important public safety information about homicides, for example, the AG can surely maintain some accessible database on incidents of pursuit. Would that convenience trial attorneys looking to sue authorities for damages caused to the innocent by unnecessary chases? Perhaps, but that is the price one pays for integrity and public trust — including from any local police agencies that don’t seem to know exactly what they know.

Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.