opinion

Deadly police chases show need for rules

Two children dead. Three more injured. And a further blow to the public trust once vested without question in police officers.

That's the toll of a deadly police chase last week in the city of Detroit.

It's impossible to understand what the officers involved in the chase were thinking. Last Wednesday, Detroit cops pursued a man identified as parole absconder Lorenzo Harris into a Detroit neighborhood. Before the chase was over, two children were killed — Makiah Jackson, 3, and Michaelangelo Jackson, 6 — and three more were seriously injured, hit by Harris' Camaro. He's been charged with their deaths.

Harris has a substantial criminal history, records indicate, and officers said they saw a gun in the car. When the deadly crash was over, no gun was found. Police are still investigating, but from the information available, it appears the chase may have been conducted in violation of the department's policy, which says public safety takes precedent over apprehension of a suspected criminal; in fact, a supervisor tried multiple times to end the chase.

There is no consolation for the death of a child. For those who loved Makiah and Michaelangelo, this wound will never heal. That police were involved — reports suggest the cop car "tapped" Harris' Camaro, sending him up onto the sidewalk where the Jackson children played — makes it worse.

But let's place this in context: Michigan has more deadly police chases than almost any other state in the nation. Last year, two people died each month, on average, in police chases, according to statistics examined by Free Press reporters. Worse, the numbers show that while the frequency of police chases has fallen, the number of chase-related deaths has increased: In 2005, there were 887 crashes involving police chases. Thirteen people died. In 2014, there were 555 crashes. Twenty-seven people died.

Policies among Michigan's law enforcement agencies are a patchwork of permissiveness, with some restricting the circumstances in which police can chase a fleeing vehicle, and others — like the Michigan State Police — leaving the question entirely to a trooper's discretion.

Other cities have called a halt to police chases, except in the aftermath of a violent felony, and seen dramatic reductions in the number of fatalities.

Statistics bear out that such policies keep the public safer, but don't have a negative impact on law enforcement agencies.

Government can't solve every problem. But it can solve this one. State lawmakers need to examine Michigan's car-chase policies, and implement uniform, statewide guidelines aimed at keeping members of the public safe — and instituting real penalties for those who violate such policies.

Because right now, in Michigan, State Police can pursue a fleeing car for minor infractions, like having tinted windows or an out-of-date license plate or running a stop sign. It's an absurd use of a tactic that should be reserved for the most serious of criminal situations. When such heavy-handed tactics result in death or injury, who is served?

Definitely not children like Makiah and Michaelangelo Jackson.