SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego’s Commission on Police Practices will meet Wednesday afternoon to take a closer look at the tough question of when a police chase becomes more dangerous than the person officers are trying to arrest.
The commission has outlined nine recommendations for revising the San Diego Police Department’s vehicle pursuit policy to improve public and officer safety.
The first recommendation calls for revising the purpose of pursuit procedures to emphasize protecting the lives and safety of the public and officers, a change that the department has agreed to implement. Another recommendation is to adopt a clear definition of a pursuit, which SDPD has also agreed to do.
The commission suggests that officers make both verbal and physical acknowledgments when terminating a pursuit. While the department agrees with parts of this recommendation, it has not fully embraced it. Another proposal is to establish a vehicle pursuit review board, and SDPD has indicated its willingness to consult with the city attorney’s office about its creation.
The fifth recommendation entails including incidents resulting in injury, death, or property damage in a report analysis; however, the department disagrees, stating it depends on fault. Additionally, integrating Commission on Police Practices staff and commissioners into the department’s training curriculum was agreed upon, as was exploring advanced technologies for pursuit management.
One unresolved point is the pursuit of law enforcement accreditation, which the department disagreed with due to a projected budget deficit. Lastly, the recommendation to avoid pursuits for lesser offenses was also rejected.
“We feel that sends the wrong message that fleeing from the police has no consequences. We have seen other jurisdictions implement restrictive pursuit policies and then have to change course to address a rise in crime. That is a risk we are not willing to take here,” SDPD Chief Scott Wahl explained. “I think it is important to note that we train our police officers on when it is necessary to have or maintain a pursuit and when it is important to terminate. One out of five pursuits that we are in, we proactively terminate because the conditions are not worth the need for immediate apprehension.”
SDPD has yet to respond to inquiries regarding which jurisdictions Chief Wahl referred to in his comments.
The suggested changes come in the wake of several deadly police pursuits in San Diego.
In Dec. 2023, 4-year-old Mason and 8-year-old Malikai Orozco-Romero were killed after a suspect fleeing from police crashed into their car. This tragedy prompted the commission to review the SDPD’s pursuit practices.
Additionally, on Aug. 26, 2024, a high-speed pursuit resulted in the death of Officer Austin Machitar and critical injuries to his partner, Zach Martinez, when 16-year-old Edgar Giovanny Oviedo collided with their patrol car.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed nearly a year after Mason and Malikai’s deaths by their family against the city of San Diego continues with the next court date scheduled for the end of this month. Officer Martinez returned to work three months after the incident, and his return was noted by the San Diego Police Officers Association.
Chief Wahl is expected to formally respond to the nine recommendations at Wednesday’s meeting, which is open to the public and scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Southeast Live Well San Diego Conference Room in Chollas View on Market Street.
