The Commission on Police Practices recommended last month that the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) make changes to their vehicle pursuit policy.
At the top of their list: Limiting vehicle pursuits to incidents involving violent felonies.
The San Diego Police Officers Association (SDPOA) is pushing back against the suggestion, calling it horrific and dangerous.
They didn’t respond to requests for an interview, but have been posting on social media about it.
They wrote that the change would prevent them from pursuing people suspected of things like driving under the influence, dealing fentanyl, battery and human trafficking.
The commission began reviewing the department’s policy after a December car chase caused a crash that killed Mason and Malikai Orozco-Romero, just four and eight years old.
“The family was just taking a drive,” said commissioner Armando Flores. “There’s no need for recklessness to that degree on the streets.”
The commission analyzed more than 1,000 chases over the past five years.
They found that the majority of SDPD chases started over minor infractions, like speeding or running a red light.
About 1 in 5 involved some kind of collision, most of which left at least one person injured.
The pursuits disproportionately involved Black and Latino residents.
“It’s become normalized to us,” said Flores, who grew up in Southeast San Diego. “We really just see cops speeding by and we give it no second thought.”
The commission made preliminary policy recommendations last month.
They include requiring supervisory oversight of the pursuits, creating a vehicle pursuit review board, and implementing training.
Flores said they also want to see the department begin to better track data around these pursuits and review their effectiveness.
The main recommendation — to limit vehicle pursuits to violent felonies – is not unusual.
The commission found police departments in many major cities already do this, including San Jose.
National policy groups, including the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Police Executive Research Forum, recommend vehicle pursuits be limited to violent crimes.
Flores said the commission’s recommendations are preliminary for a reason. They want to talk with the SDPOA to get their feedback and refine them.
As for the union’s social media campaign, Flores said, “The last few posts have just been very pointed and not really in the context of what the actual policy is.”
“We just need collaboration,” he said. “We need to really know that the community has a voice, and there’s no ‘us versus them.’”
He said he hopes the union will attend one of the oversight commission’s meetings.
