CHICAGO (AP) — After a police officer chased a 13-year-old boy into an alley and shot him to death, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot demanded a new policy that would protect officers, suspects and bystanders in what she called one of the most dangerous actions an officer can take: a foot pursuit.
The mayor's demand was fueled by the release of a video showing officer Eric Stillman shooting Adam Toledo in the chest following a foot chase that lasted a mere 19 seconds. Now a host of questions loom about what, if anything, can be done to reduce the risk of such a deadly encounter.
WHY SHOULD ANYTHING PREVENT A POLICE OFFICER FROM CHASING A FLEEING SUSPECT?
The first answer is this: Pursuing suspects, whether in a vehicle or on foot, can be incredibly dangerous. In Chicago, five years before Adam Toledo was killed, a Chicago Tribune analysis found that a third of police shootings in the city included foot chases. There have been scores of similar stories in other cities, including Dallas, where a shooting death led David Brown, the police chief at the time who now heads Chicago's force, to establish a policy that limited foot pursuits.
DOES THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT HAVE A FOOT PURSUIT POLICY?
Sort of. The department does not have a formal foot pursuit policy, but says it is drafting one. It does have a training bulletin that covers when suspects should not be pursued and when deadly force is not justified.
The bigger question is why the city has been so slow to enact a policy. The department already has a strict vehicle pursuit policy that dramatically limits when officers can engage in a car chase. A few years ago, the city entered into an agreement with the state of Illinois that, among other things, called for the department to track the number of foot pursuits. The agreement also called for a training bulletin...
