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Arkansas State Police say pursuits fell 29% after fleeing laws; prosecutors pledge tougher prosecutions
Summary
Arkansas State Police told a legislative committee that pursuits declined 29% from 2023–2025, with 180 fewer pursuits last year, and credited added troopers and prosecutor cooperation following felony-enhancement laws; lawmakers discussed whether to limit plea-downs in future sessions.
At a legislative committee meeting, Mike Hager, director of the Arkansas State Police, told members that pursuits fell 29% between 2023 and 2025 and that the agency recorded 180 fewer pursuits last year compared with 2023. Hager said the department also increased its trooper ranks by about 120 and credited a combination of new laws and prosecutor cooperation for the decline.
Hager said the agency supported legislation that raised fleeing-from-police offenses to felony levels (referencing Acts discussed during the hearing) and worked with prosecutors on public-safety messaging and prosecutions. "We believe our approach to this problem is effective and that those numbers bear that out," he said.
Why it matters: Committee members framed the issue as one of public safety—arguing that an unoccupied car traveling at high speed can be as deadly as other violent acts—and asked whether tougher statutory penalties change behavior. Hager and members said the decline in pursuits reduces opportunities for injury to civilians, suspects and troopers.
Lawmakers pressed prosecutors' role and plea practices. Several members asked if fleeing statutes could be written to mirror DWI statutes so that felony fleeing could not be routinely pled down. Hager said prosecutors are wary of restricting prosecutorial discretion; as an interim outcome, prosecutors publicly pledged to prosecute fleeing cases aggressively, and lawmakers said they would revisit the question of mandatory-adjudication language before the 2027 session.
Committee members also raised a widely viewed wrong-car pit incident. In response, Hager said the trooper involved was terminated, the family reported no injuries and requested privacy, and described the action as an "outlier" and "absolutely inexcusable." He said such incidents are exceedingly rare compared with total enforcement actions.
Details and context: Hager described the renamed tactic—TBI (tactical vehicle intervention), formerly the PIT maneuver—and said TBIs and pursuits are concentrated in populous troop areas, including the Little Rock area, East Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas. He said recent public-safety announcements and coordination with prosecutors have produced several significant prison sentences tied to pursuits.
The State Police also described the State Police Foundation's role in funding scholarships, emergency trooper-family assistance and training facilities such as the department's driving track.
What comes next: Lawmakers asked agency staff to continue sharing data and said the question of limiting plea bargains may return in a future session if prosecution numbers and outcomes do not hold. The committee did not take formal action during the meeting.
