For taxpayers, it means hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent annually to repair wrecked cruisers. And for some victims of cruiser crashes, it means the Police Division avoids financial responsibility for accidents. Sovereign immunity protects officers from liability for accident damages or injuries when they are responding to dangerous, urgent or emergency duties. The division's legal bureau, which handles citizen claims for reimbursement in cruiser crashes, has used chases as a basis for denying some claims. Because of haphazard record-keeping, the division is unsure how many pursuits occur annually.
Supervisors say administrative errors led to the underreporting.
At least 24 cruiser-related crashes involved officers who claimed to be chasing suspects but who had not activated cruiser emergency lights or siren, as required by the division's chase policy. Jackson acknowledged that he and his deputy chiefs discussed possible violations of the chase policy during their February meeting, although no evidence suggests widespread abuse, he said. The policy, established in September 1993, restricts chases to serious felony violators or those who present an immediate threat to public safety, such as drunken drivers. When an officer chases someone, the policy requires that dispatchers be immediately notified, cruiser lights and siren be activated and supervisors monitor the chase. Later, the division's fleet-safety committee reviews the pursuit to make sure the policy was obeyed.