HOUSTON — Houston Police Department leaders testified Thursday before the city of Houston's Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee about their pursuit policy.
Council members wanted to learn more about what goes into deciding to chase a suspect after several recent law enforcement chases turned deadly across the area.
"There's been a lot of questions around that recently," said council member Abbie Kamin, Chair of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.
HPD Assistant Chief Thomas Hardin explained how officers weigh factors like the seriousness of the reported rime, any risk to bystanders, and even things like weather or population density before pursuing a fleeing suspect.
"These are rapidly changing situations," Hardin said. "Some pursuits are slow, with DWIs, some are longer and faster. It's all situation-dependent."
It may seem like more, but in the last three years, HPD said less than half of 1% of all their traffic stops have resulted in police pursuits.
The average chase in Houston lasts 5 to 6 minutes. That's still plenty of time for something to possibly go wrong, according to critics.
Via phone, council member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz voiced her concerns.
"We are putting countless lives in danger of innocent people," Evans-Shabazz said.
The issue is front and center again after multiple deadly police pursuits this month. The most recent case involved a Harris County Sheriff's Office pursuit that ended in the death of rugby player Pedrie Wannenburg. He was killed by a teen who fled at 100 mph away from law enforcement.
"The people that are forcing law enforcement to go after them happen to be one of our most dangerous actors right now," Kamin said.
HPD said most of its pursuits start with routine traffic stops, but too often, suspects end up fleeing for far more serious reasons.
"The No. 1 priority should be the public's safety and safety of the community at large," Kamin said.
If you'd like to read HPD's full pursuit policy, you can find it here.