SJPD pursuit policy surrounding stolen vehicles
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Policy allows for officers to pursue a criminal suspect in a stolen car but St. Joseph police follow this rule with caution considering the danger and cost involved.
Following a police incident in the North End of St. Joseph Sunday night involving a stolen vehicle, law enforcement is addressing the importance of stopping criminal acts.
The police department has for years allowed officers to pursue suspects who have or are committing a felony and are considered a serious risk to public safety if they are not immediately apprehended.
Circumstances that would require the initiation of a pursuit involve first-degree assault, crimes involving a firearm or a kidnapping.
However, with developing security systems across the city, officers are detecting stolen vehicles more frequently and retrieving them from criminals as they are driving.
“We have license plate-reader systems placed all over town and when those go through intersections, we get hits and we can get officers in the area quickly to try to apprehend those vehicles,” said Sgt. Richard McGregory with the St. Joseph Police Department.
While St. Joseph police are urged to conduct pursuits only for violent and imminent situations, they sometimes can be prompted following a vehicle being stolen.
“Are we going to chase a stolen vehicle just because we see it? No,” McGregory said. “But if that vehicle was involved in a carjacking, abduction or something of that nature, that’s when our supervising and command staff will come in and they can manage a dispute where it can be ended safely without any threat to the public.”
Often, police take other actions to detain a suspect without putting the public at risk.
“Whenever possible, we utilize alternative methods such as stop sticks or utilizing the radio to have officers get ahead of the vehicle if they can get stop sticks in place, we can disable the car and try to apprehend them on foot,” McGregory said.
The police department’s goal is to balance the effect of law enforcement while minimizing risk to the community. Not pursuing stolen vehicles at all allows thieves to operate without fear and they will continue to balance the effect of law enforcement while minimizing risk to the community, officers said.
