NYPD cops ordered not to chase some drivers who flee after spate of high-speed crashes

NYPD cops won’t chase drivers who speed away into traffic unless they’re wanted for the most serious and violent crimes — under a new policy announced Wednesday.The revamped policy, which takes effect Feb.1, bars cops from pursuing suspects for traffic infractions, violations or non-violent misdemeanors, police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

The announcement comes after a spate of dangerous — and often deadly — high-speed crashes.“The NYPD’s enforcement efforts must never put the public or the police at undue risk, and pursuits for violations and low-level crimes can be both potentially dangerous and unnecessary,” Tisch said in a statement.“The advanced tools of modern-day policing make it possible to apprehend criminals more safely and effectively than ever before, making many pursuits unnecessary.”The rule change — first reported by Streetsblog — came after a staggering rise in NYPD car chases, many of which led to devastating crashes that left innocent New Yorkers injured or dead.Police pursuits jumped nearly 600% during the first three months of 2023, and led to a record-breaking more than one crash per day last year, The City reported.The chases left a tragic trail of carnage, such as an October hit-and-run crash by a burglary suspect trying to shake NYPD cops on his tail in Queens.The speeding suspect struck and killed avid bicyclist Amanda Servedio, 36, as she pedaled down a quiet Astoria block.Another cyclist in December was injured by a fleeing suspected drug dealer, who stole a car and led police on a wild chase through the narrow streets of Greenwich Village.

The suspect drove the wrong way, with cops close behind, before barreling into the 44-year-old cyclist.And a sicko accused of abducting a 9-year-old girl from a Queens supermarket in August died after he crashed while fleeing cops.Dramatic footage showed the alleged perv — Wayne Noel, 64 —speed down a Queens Village street before he T-boned another car.NYPD data show rough...

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Publisher: New York Post

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