Oakland police chief calls for more authority to chase violent suspects
The proposal, presented to the Oakland Police Commission on Thursday night, has sparked renewed debate over how to balance public safety with community risk.
Under existing rules, officers must stop a pursuit if speeds exceed 50 miles per hour unless they receive direct approval from a supervisor. According to Mitchell, this has led to 1,228 so-called "non-response pursuits" in 2024 incidents in which officers were forced to let suspects drive away without attempting to stop them.
"It would be a good idea to change the policy to where cops can actually chase them. Otherwise, they'll continue to do the robberies," said Osvaldo Sanchez, general manager of Agave Uptown restaurant.
Sanchez said his business has been targeted repeatedly by thieves, recording 22 burglaries and robberies between 2016 and 2024.
"Are we willing to stay in the area or should we move to a different area? Are we staying open or close?" he recalled asking himself.
Sanchez supported the policy change and believed officers should have more leeway in pursuing suspects.
"They should have a little bit more power so that crimes and robberies should stop little by little," he said.
In December, California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Oakland's policy publicly, questioning why officers are barred from pursuing suspects even in dangerous driving situations.
"You can be drunk, you can run a red light, you can come close to sideswiping a school bus during the morning hours right in front of a police officer, and the pursuit policy in Oakland says we cannot pursue that suspect," Newsom said during a press conference.
East Oakland Councilmember Ken Houston, who stood with Newsom at that event, echoed the sentiment.
"We have to bring back law and order, have to bring it back," said Houston of District 7. "We have to bring harsher penalties, and we have to let them know that 'you cannot come to Oakland and do this.'"
But critics of the proposal said the risks of high-speed chases are too great. Between 2020 and 2022, four people were killed in crashes linked to police pursuits in the city. Opponents argue that expanding the pursuit authority could endanger innocent drivers and pedestrians.
Chief Mitchell acknowledged the potential dangers. The proposed changes, he emphasized, would apply only to violent crimes or suspects armed with guns-not to lower-level offenses like car theft or burglary.
"You have to balance it, which one is causing more harm?" said Houston. "Is it the one that's allowing them to get away with those crimes, which emboldens them to higher crimes? You have to draw a line. Nothing is going to be perfect, right?"
The Oakland Police Commission is required to act on the proposal within four months. The civilian body has the authority to approve, reject, or amend the policy.
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