Flint State Representative Sheldon Neeley has been trying for years to put the brakes on Michigan State Police hot pursuits. They are deadly and expensive.
In the summer of 2014, an MSP Trooper was in a hot pursuit of a driver not wearing a seatbelt in Flint.
The trooper blew through a red light and t-boned a car. It killed 63-year-old Jacqueline Nichols.
More than a year later, the state would pay her family more than $7 million.
Now, Michigan State Police say they won’t do these pursuits in Detroit in traffic and misdemeanor cases. But only in Detroit while they evaluate this change.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig says, “This is a good first step.”
Detroit and MSP work to have a chopper in the air to pick up a chase. In Detroit, a supervisor makes the decision to continue or terminate a pursuit.
