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Fire & Police Commission presentation: MPD tightens vehicle‑pursuit rules; committee seeks data on effect
Summary
The Fire & Police Commission and MPD described substantive updates to vehicle‑pursuit SOP 660 that narrow conditions for pursuits, require additional reporting and risk consideration, and protect officers who terminate risky pursuits; aldermen asked the commission to track pursuit counts after the change.
Leon Todd, executive director of the Fire & Police Commission, and Assistant Chief Craig Sarno described substantive revisions to MPD Standard Operating Procedure 660 on vehicle pursuits, which took effect Feb. 6. Todd said the updates were modeled in part on recent policies from other cities and aim to balance public safety with needed enforcement.
Key changes explained to the committee include updated reporting tied to MPD’s new data platform, explicit direction to consider elevated risks for motorcycles, ATVs and similar vehicles, a requirement that officers report firearms or overt threats to dispatch during pursuits, consideration of minor passengers, and language that officers will not face discipline for choosing to terminate a pursuit when risks to the public outweigh benefits. For pursuits for reckless driving, the SOP now specifies that speed alone is not sufficient justification; at least one additional behavior showing substantial and unreasonable risk must be present.
Aldermen probed operational questions about the role of drones and the practical meaning of the new reckless‑driving language. Assistant Chief Sarno and other MPD staff said current drone technology cannot safely follow vehicles at pursuit speeds but may assist at the conclusion of a pursuit; they agreed to provide the committee with a written explanation of technological limitations. Alderman Scott Speicher asked that the commission and MPD track and report how pursuit counts change after the policy’s adoption so the board and council can evaluate real‑world effects.
A member of the public, Jeannie Lupo of the group Enough Is Enough, told the committee she supports the police changes and urged outreach to the public on consequences for fleeing. The communication from the Fire & Police Commission was placed on file.
