“A 10-year-old child has just been struck by an illegal dirt bike. He’s in critical condition. The group of all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes is headed north. Locate, pursue, and detain.”
In a normal capital city, those words would approximate how a police dispatcher would respond after a child was struck by a hit-and-run driver. But not in Washington.
On April 4, a 10-year-old child and his friend were hit by a dirt bike rider on one of the city’s busiest streets. The rider was one of many in a group illegally driving dirt bikes and ATVs. Police went to the scene but did not pursue the drivers. The man who hit the child is still at large. He’s probably flying down city streets each weekend without a care in the world.
This injustice reflects the pro-crime leadership of the left-wing Council of the District of Columbia. Under legislation passed in 2022, most police pursuits are banned, and the rest are strongly discouraged. Countless serious criminals have avoided justice as a result.
The district’s vehicle-related crime problem extends far beyond joyriders.
District criminals face new pressure from President Donald Trump’s successful crackdown on city crime, but they also know that after mugging, carjacking, shooting, or stealing from someone, their best move is to jump into a vehicle. If a police car attempts to pull them over, they need only speed away. The police will not pursue them.
That is not necessarily true in the district’s Virginia and Maryland suburbs. In those areas, there’s a good chance police will chase someone evading a stop. Federal law enforcement officers can also conduct pursuits in the district, as the U.S. Park Police did successfully two weeks ago. But Metropolitan Police Department officers are legally prevented from doing so in all but the most extreme situations. They might be allowed to chase a driver firing a gun out of his window, for example, but that’s about it.
This restriction persists despite Trump’s crackdown. On paper, the MPD can conduct pursuits when a violent crime has been committed or an evading driver poses a threat of serious bodily harm to others. But even in those circumstances, district law imposes a ludicrously long list of additional requirements that officers must satisfy to protect themselves legally. They must make these complex decisions in the heat of the moment, so the rules deter officers and aid suspects.
After an October 2020 crash in which a 20-year-old man was struck and killed by another vehicle after evading a police pursuit, two police officers were prosecuted and sentenced to prison terms. Trump pardoned the two men after returning to office in 2025, but the prosecution taught city police officers that doing their jobs thoroughly could put them in prison.
Criminals know this. They know that a bike, moped, or car is the ultimate getaway vehicle. They know they can escape by disregarding traffic laws rather than obeying an officer’s order to stop. This situation is utterly incompatible with the rule of law and with the right of district residents and visitors to safety.
WATCHDOG URGES DHS TO REVIEW MICROSOFT CONTRACTS
The best way to fix this would be for Congress to pass legislation superseding district law and authorizing vehicle pursuits whenever a suspect evades a lawful stop. Failing that, Trump should declare a state of emergency and assume federal control of the MPD. The Justice Department could then authorize new pursuit rules. Trump could also withhold federal funding from the district until the council changes the law.
Whatever option he chooses, Trump should act. No U.S. city, let alone the capital, should be a place where criminals need only drive away to escape justice. Police must be legally authorized to pursue those who break the law.
Continue reading...
[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
