JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Thursday evening pursuit between officers and an armed kidnapping suspect lasted about 30 minutes and reached speeds over 90 mph.
The chase ended with the driver of the suspect vehicle crashing into a retention pond off Interstate 95 near the State Road 9B exit and the death of a 5-year-old girl, who was found in the pond.
The I-TEAM is looking into JSO’s pursuit policy and how it applies to the situation. The agency’s policy states that officers have a duty to balance the risk of a car chase against the risk of not stopping the vehicle being pursued.
In a case like this, where an officer has reason to believe someone in the car has committed a felony by force, like kidnapping, and poses a threat, JSO policy says they can pursue.
A dash camera inside a News4JAX employee’s car caught a portion of the chase along I-95 southbound.
Retired Nevada police officer Tim Dees, who now writes online about policing, says in this situation, a chase seems justified.
“It’s difficult to imagine a call that would have a pursuit — that would have more seriousness then that of, you know, a kidnapped child,” Dees said.
Pursuit policies vary by law enforcement agencies. Dees says some agencies all but ban pursuits while others allow them for even minor violations.
JSO’s policy notes vehicle pursuits pose risks to the community as well as those involved, and officers have a duty to take that into account when determining whether a pursuit is justified.
The policy says officers may initiate a chase if there is reasonable suspicion that a driver or passenger has committed a forcible felony or if the car was driving extremely dangerously prior to being followed or stopped by an officer.
The officer who initiates a chase must determine if the risk of the chase is lower than the risk to the public of letting a suspect get away, and the officer should consider several factors including the threat the suspect poses, weather, traffic, speed and safety.
In Thursday’s case, JSO reported dozens of officers chased the suspect for about 30 miles, from the Northside to I-95 near State Road 9B, with the fleeing driver hitting speeds of over 90 mph.
It appears there was a light rain at the time.
“It’s a difficult situation for everyone, but I think the the best policy is to train officers well and hire good people that have good judgment,” Dees said.
A spokesperson for JSO says this incident, like all pursuits, will be administratively reviewed.
A Florida Department of Law Enforcement report found there’s not a lot of national data about police chases, but most regional studies show 40-50% of pursuits end in a crash while 1-2% end in death.