NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Effective on March 14th of 2024, Michigan State Police Troopers will not enter a vehicle pursuit, unless the suspect is believed to be involved in any violent or life-threatening felonies.
“Ultimately the decision to change the policy comes down to bystander safety, passenger safety of those vehicles, and our trooper safety,” commented Michigan State Police Lt. Mark Giannunzio.
This clarification comes from several comments from the public questioning why vehicle pursuits have been cut short. MSP stresses that vehicle chases in any sense can be dangerous, as most involve high speeds and dangerous maneuvering. Out of 56 total line-of-duty deaths for MSP, over 30% had involved a vehicle.
“We’re going to find that person who did take off from us and we’re going to hold them extremely accountable for violating not stopping for us, that is a felony in itself,” continued Lt. Giannunzio. Similarly to MSP, Marquette City Police prioritize public safety over pursuing a suspect, and if the officer does not feel comfortable in pursuing they will call it off for the whole department.
“Even if they’re the ones that initiated the pursuit, they can shut it down. At any point they decide that it’s not safe they can shut it down and everyone else has to also,” commented Marquette City Police Captain James Finkbeiner. Marquette’s City Police pursuit policy also does not allow them to aid in any pursuits outside of city limits.
“The only time we would do that is if an officer was in some type of danger or something like that of course we’re always going to help them,” continued Finkbeiner.
MSP noted that the policy overall recognizes the necessity of safety for troopers and the public. “The last thing I want to be called to at night is one of my troopers being injured or killed because of high-speed driving so if it means we have to tweak this policy to make our troopers safer then I’m for it,” continued Lt. Giannunzio.
