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Ohio's Attorney General Announces Guidelines for Police Chases

photo of Mike DeWine
JO INGLES
/
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU

A task force is recommending better training, policies and collection of data on police chases.

In May, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine set up a process to gather ideas for improving both officer and public safety. 

He  formed a panel of community, local government and laws enforcement leaders to draw up best-practices recommendations.

Akron police pursuit
Credit Ohio.com
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Ohio.com
Police pursuit, Akron, OH

Ongoing training tops the list, which stresses evaluating conditions and careful decision making.

“Two ways that police officers die in the line of duty are by gunfire and auto accidents. ... And it’s not just the police officers. Their lives are very important, but you also have innocent bystanders.

"You know, a high=speed chase goes through a red light and, boom, they’re killed. And we’ve seen too many of these.”

More than 350 people have died during police chases in Ohio since the early 1980s, including 150 bystanders.

By state law, police agencies in Ohio now must have a vehicle pursuit policy. 

Click here to see the complete report on recommendations for police pursuits.