Oswego police chief proposes $750 administrative fee for fleeing, eluding to deter risky pursuits

Chief Aston of the Oswego Police Department on Tuesday asked the Village of Oswego Committee of the Whole to consider amending the municipal code to add a $750 administrative fee for incidents of fleeing and eluding.

The presentation, delivered during the committee's January 20 meeting, said the fee is intended to recoup staff time and create a deterrent that complements criminal charges. "Typically, patrol officers spend about 3 hours on these cases, investigations about 5 hours and then court proceedings about 3 hours," Chief Aston said, adding that those steps together yield "more than $700" in staff time per incident, which informed the $750 figure.

Why it matters: Aston framed the proposal as a public-safety measure tied to changes in pursuit practices. He said many departments now use restrictive pursuit policies to limit risks to the public; that shift, he told trustees, has coincided with an increase in fleeing-and-eluding incidents in…