New rules on police pursuits will allow some suspects to get away

EVERETT, Wash. — There will be fewer high-speed chases in Snohomish County like one last month that crossed into King County and ended with a spinout.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is changing its pursuit policy.

Many cities in the county already have restrictive pursuit policies in place, but the Lake Stevens Police Department has one of the strictest.

A police officer’s job is to protect the public, but Lt. Jeff Lambier with Lake Stevens police says there’s a fine line between keeping the streets safe and making them more dangerous.

“It’s not worth hurting a member of the public, it’s not worth hurting one of our officers, it’s not worth hurting the people we’re chasing over something that is not a serious threat to public safety,” Lambier explained.

So last year, Lake Stevens amended its pursuit policy.

The department’s officers now only give chase if there is an imminent threat to innocent people.

Lambier says more agencies nationwide are going in that direction.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office on Monday became the latest agency to restrict pursuits by its officers.

Deputies will no longer chase into other jurisdictions without approval.

They’ll stop the chase if the suspect goes the wrong direction on a highway or one-way road, or if their patrol car is involved in a collision.

The sheriff says it will cut pursuits by half.

Lambier says that’s what he has seen so far in his department. Lake Stevens police average a half-dozen chases a year; last year, they had three.

“I think the time of chasing someone for a stolen vehicle and property-related crimes is long gone,” he concluded.

Lambier also says because of surveillance cameras and repeat offenders that many times they can identify suspects and the safer option is to make contact with them later.

Some highlights of the new policy rules include:

• No joining pursuits in other jurisdictions without supervisor approval
• No calling off a pursuit and then continuing to follow the suspect
• No chases for misdemeanor crimes and traffic infractions, except DUI
• No chasing wrong-way vehicles
• Pursuits must be ended if a deputy crashes, regardless if there's only minor damage to the patrol car
• Nearly three years ago, a 40-year-old wife, mother and nurse, Rachael Kamin, was killed in downtown Everett when a stolen pickup being pursued by an officer struck her vehicle at an intersection.

A Bothell police officer had been pursuing the suspect for 18 miles.

Last week, Kamin's family won $3 million in a settlement with the City of Bothell.

Kamin is not the only bystander who was killed in police pursuits in Snohomish County. At least five others have been killed in the last three years.

Like in Kamin’s case, in other cases the vehicle being pursued was stolen and struck other vehicles, including a patrol car.

Kamin's family told KIRO 7 that a stolen car isn't a serious enough crime to warrant a chase.

"I feel very strongly that the loss of property is not enough to justify such a lengthy police pursuit,” said Kamin’s sister, Misty Sibly.

Many of the cities in Snohomish County already have strict policies in place.

Cox Media Group