Pursuit policy OHP fought to keep confidential shows troopers’ actions in pursuits should be used only in ‘extenuating circumstances’
By: Corey Jones, Tulsa World
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s “confidential” vehicle pursuit policy includes prohibitions against wrong-way chases and overtaking the lead pursuit unit that appear to have been broken in separate chases that killed an OHP lieutenant and an uninvolved motorist.
Both fatal crashes also appear contrary to the pursuit policy’s overarching aim to “promote the safety of all persons” and strike a balance between “law enforcement effectiveness and the risk of injury to the public.”
The Highway Patrol didn’t hand out discipline in either fatal crash, which involved people who hadn’t committed a violent crime prior to fleeing and were unarmed.
