Committee urges reforms to state trooper pursuit policies; resolution unanimously approved

The Public Safety Legal Administration Committee unanimously approved a resolution on April 28 urging the Georgia State Patrol to adopt stricter vehicular pursuit policies and asking the Atlanta Police Department to review protocols for requesting backup from state troopers.

The resolution, sponsored by Council Member Liliana Bakhtiari and advanced by the committee, aims to limit high-speed pursuits that the sponsors and speakers said have led to deaths of bystanders inside Atlanta. Devin Barrington Ward of the National Police Accountability Project told the committee the measure responds to “another senseless death of a bystander” in a pursuit and urged the body to move the resolution to the full council.

Ward said Georgia Highway Patrol troopers have broader discretion than APD officers and that many recent fatal incidents have occurred during pursuits involving GHP inside city limits. He also asked the committee to consider how APD requests backup from the state agency for minor traffic violations, noting a recent incident on Moreland Avenue in which a 19-year-old bystander died.

The committee’s vote was 5-0 in favor. The motion to approve was seconded by Council Member Isha Collins. Committee Chair Andrea Boone opened the vote, which closed with five yays and no nays.

The resolution asks the state to change its pursuit rules and asks the chief of police to review APD practices for requesting state backup for routine traffic stops. Committee members and public speakers framed the measure as a public-safety step intended to reduce bystander casualties in high-speed incidents involving state troopers.

The resolution now goes to the full city council for consideration, as proponents asked the committee to advance the policy request to the mayor and governor-level decisionmakers.