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NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch made an announcement on Wednesday detailing a new policy that restricts officers to vehicle pursuits only in cases where felonies and violent misdemeanors are suspected. The policy comes after vehicle pursuits were encouraged by former Chief of Patrol John Chell and injuries to both officers and pedestrians skyrocketed. Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton spoke with Mendte in the Morning about the new policy and why it’s right for New York to put it in place.
“It’s a trend that’s been underway for quite some time in the country and New York is now catching up,” Bratton tells host Larry Mendte. “It will save lives, put officers less at risk in that pursuit as well as the civilians that might be in the area.”
Bratton believes that there are alternative options to vehicle chases that make more sense: “With increasing technology capabilities, drones for example, there may not be a need for some of these chases.”
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