Findlay Police Department Talks About High Speed Chase Policy

3/1/17 – 5:03 A.M.

The Findlay Police Department is talking about its high-speed chase policy following last week’s chase that ended with a crash downtown. Acting Police Chief John Dunbar tells the Courier that while there is a policy in place, the nature of a chase doesn’t allow for ironclad rules. He says officers must consider things like time of day, traffic levels, pedestrians, and road conditions.

City officers acted in a secondary role in last week’s chase. The pursuit began outside of the city and the suspect led officers from other agencies into town. Dunbar says in that case, officers try to reduce risk. Last week they blocked off streets ahead of the chase. Dunbar said that wasn’t fool proof since there are many side streets for a suspect to use.

If a chase starts in Findlay, the police department tries to limit the number of cruisers involved to three at the most. Dunbar says two is ideal. One officer can focus on the chase while another uses a radio to get information out to other emergency responders.

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