William Johnson was waiting at a stoplight when his life came to a sudden end. A driver fleeing the Georgia State Patrol over a seatbelt violation crashed at high speed into Mr. Johnson’s car.

In an interview, his best friend of 30 years said simply, “I lost my brother… It’s just not worth losing a life...I think they need to be responsible, accountable.”

William Johnson. Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Sadly, Mr. Johnson is just one of many Georgia residents killed, injuried, or put at risk by excessive police pursuits.

Problem 

Georgia State Patrol chases are on the rise, and crashes involving state troopers are injuring and killing an increasing number of people each year. While this issue affects local police departments as well, due to the statewide nature of the problem the focus here will be on the state agency. 

According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s 2020 Pursuit Summary Report, there were 1,209 chases reported involving Georgia State Patrol in 2020, compared with 651 in 2019–an increase of 86%. As a Savannah media outlet reported, "the number of highway chases involving state troopers in Georgia reached a five-year high in 2020."

This matters because the vast majority of 2020 chases–71%–resulted in a crash. In almost a quarter of all crashes, a bystander’s vehicle was hit.

• 67 innocent bystanders were injured and four were killed due to pursuits involving state troopers in 2020, an injury increase of 56% and a fatality increase of 100% compared with 2019. 

Nationally, one-third of deadly police pursuits hurt or kill a bystander, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics — someone simply crossing the street, driving, or waiting at a stoplight.

• Pursuits also put the lives of law enforcement officers at risk. In 2020, 486 state troopers were injured during pursuits, compared with just 5 injured in 2019. That's an astonishing 9,620% increase. 

• Suspects, shown as "violators" in Georgia State Patrol's reports, faced greater risks in 2020 as well: 177% increase in the number of suspects hurt during a pursuit and a 400% increase in those killed. 

Source: Georgia Department of Public Safety’s 2019 and 2020 Pursuit Summary Reports

Fulton and DeKalb Counties are two of the top three Georgia counties with the most Georgia State Patrol pursuits. 

Data from the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s 2020 Pursuit Summary Report 

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Policy Agenda

Our 2022 Policy & Infrastructure agenda calls for the state to adopt policies limiting pursuits except when a suspect poses a grave and imminent threat to the public.

Police pursuits are another form of speeding that too often results in innocent lives lost. While they are intended to protect the public, all too often they endanger our communities.

Chillingly, a USA Today investigation found police chases kill Black people at three times the rate of the overall population. What’s more, Black Americans are disproportionately affected by traffic violence due to infrastructure that prioritizes driving and encourages speeding. As Dangerous By Design notes, “Although people of all ages, races, ethnicities and income levels suffer the consequences of dangerous street design, some neighborhoods and groups of people bear a larger share of the burden than others. People age 50 and up, and especially people age 75 and older, are overrepresented in these deaths.”

The Atlanta Police Department’s former chief Erika Shields put a halt to the Atlanta Police Department’s pursuit of suspects following multiple fatal crashes at the end of 2019. Chief Shields left the Department in June of 2020, and interim Chief Bryant ended the moratorium on police pursuits in December 2020, a year after it went into effect. APD then updated its policy by giving officers the authority to chase a suspect when they had “direct knowledge” of a forcible felony. This category of offense includes carjacking, aggravated assault, and escape in addition to murder, vehicular homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, and both voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. Pursuits for stolen property, misdemeanors, traffic offenses, and civil infractions are explicitly prohibited. 

In 2021, Neighborhood Planning Unit T wrote "The neighborhoods of NPU-T demand that the APD zero chase policy be reinstated immediately. We also demand that you remain committed to allowing the police department to investigate and implement better techniques which can result in rightful arrests but not put civilians at risk. We are also recommending that non-enforcement of this policy should be tied to an annual review of departmental funding during the budget hearings, independent investigations should be conducted and any legal fees or lawsuit settlements that result from non-enforcement should be paid from the department’s budget."

APD-initiated chases often end with Georgia State Patrol getting involved:  statewide, 85% of GSP’s pursuits were initiated by a local police agency. This makes it even more essential that all law enforcement agencies in Georgia prioritize safety equally. 

Public safety officers should not endanger people’s lives in trying to save them.

There are times when a person suspected of a crime poses an immediate danger to the public, and we recognize the need for a pursuit policy that addresses this circumstance. But most suspects can be apprehended more safely using technology to locate and arrest them. An Atlanta Police officer called license plate readers “one of the better crime-fighting tools” and the Atlanta Police Foundation found crime was reduced by 20-50% in areas with license plate readers. 

As Pursuit Safety points out, it’s a myth that crime will go up if the police cut back on chases. It’s also a myth that people who flee the police have something to hide or are guilty of a serious crime: “Only about 10% of the drivers who flee are violent felons.” 

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Recommendations

Georgia State Patrol’s pursuit policy begins with its purpose, “To maximize the Member’s safety, the safety of the motoring public, and to minimize exposure to liability.” It goes on to state “Sworn members of the Department are expected to make reasonable efforts to apprehend violators who flee or otherwise attempt to elude.” This creates the expectation that no matter the seriousness of the offense, state troopers will initiate a chase. 

In contrast with Atlanta and many other metro agencies, the only restrictions GSP places on pursuits are for broken equipment or if the trooper already has someone in their vehicle. The policy does not require approval or guidance from a supervisor unless more than three patrol cars are involved, and the officer has complete discretion whether to keep going or stop a chase. There are no limits on what types of offenses officers can initiate a pursuit for – a routine traffic stop can lead to a deadly chase. 

In April 2021, we wrote to Georgia State Patrol’s Troop C, which covers Fulton, DeKalb, and other counties, and called for a change to the policy. We did not receive a response of any kind.  

We join the friends and family members of victims of Georgia State Patrol’s pursuit policy in calling for a more disciplined approach that 1) prioritizes public safety and 2) seeks to prevent police chases whenever possible. 

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References

Georgia Department of Public Safety 2020 Pursuit Summary Report & 2019 Pursuit Summary Report

Georgia Department of Public Safety Policy Manual: pursuits | policy number 17.02 | Revised 5/15/2019

Georgia Board of Public Safety | meeting minutes

Atlanta Police Department annual reports on pursuits | 2019, 2018, 2017

Media Coverage

April 30, 2021 - Loved ones question GSP chase policy after man dies in wreck with fleeing suspect

February 4, 2022 - 12-year-old boy killed during Paulding County chase, attorney says it should have never happened

March 28, 2022 - Neighbors upset with high-speed GSP chase through quiet Decatur community

Apr 6, 2022 - Westview residents raise concerns over police chase PIT maneuver in neighborhood

June 08, 2022 - Stunning new video shows violent crash involving 2 Atlanta police cruisers

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Take Action

If you want Georgia State Patrol to adopt restrictions on pursuits, join us in calling for statewide standards for high-speed chases.