#police-pursuits

#police-pursuits

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez wants Manhattan to be safer. To get there, the city and state governments must understand traffic violence as a fundamental threat to public safety, she argues in a 14-page plan published today. The document, called the "Manhattan Community Safety Plan," focuses on the overall safety of the borough, with sections devoted to behavioral health, housing access, and firearm policy. The first section zeroes in on street safety, and calls for the passage of several relevant bills pending in Albany and City Hall:

Chief Floyd Mitchell has sought to loosen the restrictions over the past year, with encouragement from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who agrees that the policy limits the Oakland Police Department's ability to track down suspects soon after crimes have occurred. The rules, which currently apply to vehicle pursuits at speeds over 50 miles per hour, were tightened by ex-Chief LeRonne Armstrong in 2022, eight years after a prior chief had first disallowed pursuits except for suspects in serious or violent offenses.