We Can’t Keep Losing Lives Like This: Rethinking Police Pursuits in Our Communities

Loss of life is always devastating—especially when it involves innocent bystanders who had nothing to do with a crime. Unfortunately, that is exactly what’s happening in our communities when high-speed police pursuits tear through residential neighborhoods without clear and consistent policies to weigh the risks.

This issue is personal to me. Just this month, a police chase ended in my own front yard when the suspect, driving a stolen vehicle identified just a mile away, crashed. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but my property sustained damage—and I shudder to think what might have happened if children had been playing across the street at the community park, as they often do.

These near misses are not isolated. In 2016, my West Jackson community lost Lonnie Blue—a schoolmate of mine and a beloved son, brother, and friend. He was headed home from work when he was tragically killed during a police pursuit that began over a stolen television. His life was worth so much more than property loss. No family should have to endure such senseless tragedy.

That’s why I filed House Bill 298 during the 2021 legislative session. The bill would require all local law enforcement agencies in Mississippi to develop, adopt, and adhere to written policies governing vehicular pursuits—policies grounded in public safety, transparency, and accountability. To this day, the bill has never made it out of committee.

I recently met with Capitol Police Chief Bo Luckey and Jackson Police Department Deputy Chief Wendell Watts to share my ongoing concerns. I urged both agencies to reexamine their pursuit protocols, particularly in residential zones, and determine when a chase is actually warranted.

Police pursuits must balance the goal of apprehending suspects with the safety of the public they are sworn to protect. Too often, that balance is missing. We need thoughtful, standardized guidance that ensures chases don't escalate into deadly events for people simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It is my hope that tragedies like Lonnie’s—and near misses like the one that unfolded outside my own home—will finally compel action. Mississippi must adopt uniform pursuit policies that preserve life, protect neighborhoods, and prevent more families from suffering irreparable loss.

Because no one’s life should be collateral damage.