AJC INVESTIGATION REVEALS DANGEROUS PATTERN OF HIGH-SPEED PURSUITS BY GEORGIA STATE PATROL

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Aug 01, 2024, 09:00 ET

Reporting finds vehicle chases caused 63 deaths, numerous injuries over five years

ATLANTA, Aug 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- An in-depth investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, led by reporters Asia Simone Burns and Justin Price, has uncovered an alarming pattern of high-speed pursuits by the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), often for minor traffic violations, endangering innocent bystanders and leading to numerous injuries and deaths.

Chart showing data on Georgia State Patrol pursuits from 2019-2023. Out of 6,760 pursuits, 3,428 ended in crashes. Of these crashes, 1,215 caused injury or death, with 1,917 injured and 63 killed.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Chart showing data on Georgia State Patrol pursuits from 2019-2023. Out of 6,760 pursuits, 3,428 ended in crashes. Of these crashes, 1,215 caused injury or death, with 1,917 injured and 63 killed. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Infographic showing police-pursuit fatality rates per million people from 2018-2022. Georgia leads with 18.75, followed by South Carolina at 16.53, and Texas at 14.58. Other states' rates are also displayed.

The investigation found that over five years from 2019 to 2023, GSP troopers were involved in 6,700 pursuits, resulting in more than 3,400 crashes, at least 1,900 injuries, and 63 deaths. Many of the victims were bystanders or passengers in the vehicles being chased by troopers, not the drivers fleeing authorities.

Unlike most other state law enforcement agencies across the country, the GSP's pursuit policy offers troopers near-total discretion to initiate and continue pursuits, regardless of the severity of the initial offense or the potential risk to the public. The policy does not require troopers to obtain supervisory approval before pursuing or performing dangerous maneuvers, such as Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuvers, even at high speeds.

"The cost of all the injuries and deaths is not worth it," said Lou Dekmar, a retired Georgia police chief and former president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. "Especially when most of these started with misdemeanor offenses or traffic infractions."

The investigation also found that people died in Georgia more often as a result of pursuits on roadways than in any other state, according to federal data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The GSP leadership declined requests for interviews by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

As technological advancements in policing evolve, many law enforcement agencies have adopted restrictive pursuit policies to lower the risk of police pursuits to the public. However, the Georgia State Patrol's policy remains one of the most permissive, putting the motoring public of Georgia at unnecessary risk.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's investigation suggests the need for a comprehensive review and reform of the GSP's pursuit policy to prioritize public safety and align with best practices in law enforcement.

The AJC reporting team spent more than a year investigating the GSP's practices. The team filed more than 70 public records requests, reviewed data on thousands of GSP pursuits and conducted more than two dozen interviews with experts, family members and law enforcement professionals.

This will be a continuing series with other installments that examine various aspects of GSP and its pursuits.

See video of the investigation's findings here. Content may be disturbing for some viewers.

For more information and the full investigative report, visit www.ajc.com/chases.

About The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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SOURCE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution