Report: LAPD Pursuits, Injuries To Bystanders Rose Last Year
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles Police Department pursuits rose by 53 percent last year and injuries to bystanders during those pursuits rose to their highest level since at least 2002, according to a report Thursday.
LAPD officers engaged suspects in 527 chases last year, up 53 percent from 345 chases in 2014, according to a Los Angeles Times report based on data from the California Highway Patrol.
Meanwhile, 78 bystanders who were not involved in those chases were injured last year. That was the highest number since 2002, the first year the CHP began recording such data, the Times said. Seven LAPD officers were also injured in chases last year, the Times reported.
The sharp rise in both pursuits and bystander injuries has spurred critics to advocate for reform in the department's policies.
The LAPD allows officers to engage in pursuits with suspects accused of relatively minor offenses including car theft and DUI, the Times reports.
LAPD Lt. David Ferry defended the department's practices to the Times.
"When you take a vehicle, a stolen vehicle, sometimes it's just for joyriding, but sometimes it's to be used in more felonious crimes that are predatory and are a danger to public safety," Ferry told the paper. "We have an obligation to protect the public."
