"It's caused a ripple effect:" Greenfield Police reports an increase in number of pursuits

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GREENFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Greenfield Police has seen a significant spike in the number of pursuits over the last five years.

In 2013, the department had seven pursuits and within five years that number jumped to 101.

Greenfield Police Capt. Ray Radakovich believes departments like Milwaukee Police with strict pursuit policies have created some misperceptions about rules in other juridictions.

“It's caused a ripple effect not just within the Milwaukee Police department but all surrounding agencies in southeastern Wisconsin," said Radakovich. 

A number of agencies have seen similar numbers including Brookfield, Glendale and West Allis Police Departments. Like Greenfield, Glendale Police reported seven pursuits in 2013. But that number went up to 132 five years later. 

Below lists the number of pursuits these agencies responded to in the last five years: 

Greenfield PoliceGlendale PoliceBrookfield PoliceWest Allis Police
2013 - 72013 - 82013 - 72013 - 11
2014 - 192014 - 192014 - 8 2014 - 20
2015 - 342015 - 502015 - 242015 - 97
2016 - 612016 - 852016 - 192016 - 107
2017 - 1012017 - 1322017 - 292017 - 156

In 2017, Milwaukee Police made changes to its pursuit policy that allows officers to pursue more vehicles. 

The department released this statement: 

"The Milwaukee Police Department's previous pursuit policy was more restrictive and many believed it emboldened reckless driving. The pursuit policy was amended in September 2017, allowing officers to engage in more vehicle pursuits. While engaging in these pursuits, officers must still be mindful of the balance between achieving the goals of law enforcement while maintaining the public's safety."

Radakovich said people are unaware when they cross over into other jurisdictions.

"We will pursue for less violent crimes and we want people to understand the option to drive away from us is not going to save you from being arrested," said Radakovich. 

Greenfield Police said it maintains its pursuit policy to keep the public safe. 

"We try to induce these vehicles to stop whether it be through the pursuit intervention technique, spike strips or even other types of positive car contacts. We want to stop vehicles before they reach high speeds before they cause dangers to the public," said Radakovich. 




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