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High-speed chases: How local police decide whether or not to pursue

QUAD CITIES, Iowa/Illinois — It’s a decision a police officer is trained to be able to make. Whether or not to pursue criminals in their vehicles who try ...

QUAD CITIES, Iowa/Illinois — It's a decision a police officer is trained to be able to make. Whether or not to pursue criminals in their vehicles who try to flee.

Pursuits are rapid and can change in an instant. Officers have to process a lot of information at one time. The decision to pursue is ultimately the officer on patrol's decision. They take into account the severity of the crime and danger to the public. Other factors like time of day, for instance when school is getting out or weather conditions, can play a role in deciding.

Davenport and Moline police departments implement a restrictive pursuit policy.

"The crimes that they're wanted for or they're fleeing from have to rise to a level like a forcible felony," said Scott Williams, Public Information Officer for the Moline Police Department.

A forcible felony entails the use or threat of physical violence.

Just this week there was a high speed chase between Davenport and Bettendorf that ended with the driver trying to go the wrong way on the I-74 exit. High-speed chases are intense and dangerous for the officers involved. Brent Biggs, Davenport Police Captain says it's part of a police officers job.

"When that need to apprehend that person immediately outweighs the officer's safety as well as the safety of the community," Captain Biggs said. "That's the officers job."

Sometimes qualifications to pursue are met, but a high-speed chase is still not necessary. There are other ways to get the criminals. Recognizing a suspect's face or identifying a license plate number is a way officers are able to catch the suspect after they flee.

"We don't want to see anyone hurt as we enforce the law and that's what these pursuit policies reflect," Williams said. Our attempts to find the balance between enforcing the law, keeping the public safe but still pursuing when we can, criminals."

Success is qualified by the balance of catching criminals in the Quad Cities, trying to keep officers safe, and upholding public safety.

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