The policies governing police pursuits are changing in police agencies all around the state of Indiana.

A statewide regulation establishing minimum requirements for how police can pursue individuals went into effect on January 1, 2023. This policy does not apply to the federal government.

The risk to the public's safety should be a high priority. Police officers must take into account a number of variables, such as:

Pursuit Factors

Potential danger if suspect isn’t apprehended immediately

Violation the suspect is accused of

Imminent danger to the public

Time of day

Traffic conditions and visibility

Officer’s familiarity with surroundings and population density

“Pursuits in general are risky business and they are dangerous,” said Tim Horty, executive director of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.

Horty also sits on the Law Enforcement Training Board, which developed the current pursuit policy for the state.

According to Horty, "We researched state law primarily and looked at other model policies from around the state." "I think it really makes police departments look deeply into their policy and make sure that they balance the difference the apprehension and the danger to our community."

Since 2015, 75 individuals have died in police pursuit crashes in Indiana, according to NHTSA data.

According to data, 35% of those fatalities included people who were not even part of the chase.

In September, after IMPD had called off their pursuit, a suspect escaping police drove the wrong direction. Unfortunately, the suspect crashed, killing a father and his 12-year-old daughter on I-465.

Prior to a collision that killed an innocent woman in February 2022, Mooresville Police and the suspect they were chasing reached speeds of more than 110 mph.

Because IMPD claims its pursuit policy is currently more stringent than the state average, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department does not intend to change it.

The IMPD's policy was amended in August 2020. Their policy stipulates that a pursuit cannot be started based merely on a traffic offense that has been seen.

A police department would have to confront the Law Enforcement Training Board, which might impose punishment if they violated the pursuit requirements.