Even Feldman says his group would like to see departments limit chases. He'd like to see departments train officers to better weigh the potential risks against what they hope to accomplish. The number one change he'd like to see is a formal police policy stressing that no officer will be punished for choosing not to chase, or for calling off a chase. If an officer feels second-guessed for calling off a chase, he or she will be more reluctant to stop chasing the next time around. Almost no departments have this policy yet, Feldman says.
New Haven is one that does.
It puts it in all capital letters. His policy made the department a pariah among suburban departments because it, among other things, banned joining chases begun in other towns which come through New Haven unless a supervisor demands it. The policy forbids almost all chases. Other departments' policies vary widely, but they do seem to call into serious question chases like the deadly ones pursued by Trumbull and, especially, East Haven cops last month. Some departments' policies, like Fairfield's, caution against unwise chases, but only in vague terms.