DeKalb County expands high-speed pursuit policy amid rising crime concerns
The Brief
DeKalb County has expanded its police department's high-speed pursuit policy, including training officers in the Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT maneuver) to address rising crime.
CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson emphasizes the policy's focus on public safety, with stricter evaluation guidelines for pursuits, resulting in recent arrests related to illegal street racing.
Critics, including Katrina Harris, express concerns over increased risks and deadly outcomes, citing a rise in innocent bystander fatalities during high-speed pursuits in Georgia.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - DeKalb County officials have expanded the police department's high-speed pursuit policy.
It is a controversial move intended to curb rising crime but one that has sparked concerns over public safety.
What we know
In a memo issued last month, Interim Police Chief Greg Phillips informed officers that the department will broaden the criteria for initiating vehicle pursuits and begin training officers in the Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT maneuver — a method used to forcibly stop fleeing vehicles.
What they're saying
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, who has been in office less than 100 days, said the changes reflect her administration's focus on improving public safety.
"Public safety from not only recruiting officers but keeping people safe — and across DeKalb we have seen quite a spike in street racing," Cochran-Johnson told FOX 5 Atlanta.
She said the department's previous lack of training in PIT maneuvers limited its ability to safely apprehend suspects.
"Previously, DeKalb County had not trained our officers in the PIT maneuver," she said. "PIT will only be used in times where there is a high risk of adversity to public safety."
The updated policy gives officers more discretion in initiating high-speed chases and authorizes the use of PIT under stricter evaluation guidelines. According to Cochran-Johnson, training is already underway and has led to early results: last weekend, officers arrested 11 people for illegal street racing, impounded 10 vehicles, and recovered multiple firearms.
Cochran-Johnson acknowledged the risks, but emphasized that every pursuit would be subject to a strict evaluation process.
"We recognize the risk," she said, "but this is about balancing enforcement with the need to protect our communities."
The other side
However, critics argue that the changes could lead to more reckless chases and deadly outcomes.
Katrina Harris lost her daughter Katie in October 2023 during a high-speed pursuit involving the Georgia State Patrol, DeKalb County police, and Stonecrest Mountain Police. Katie was struck head-on by a fleeing suspect on Memorial Drive.
"October 14, 2023, it was a Saturday," Harris recalled. "He ended up going down Memorial Drive the wrong way and hit my daughter's car. From what I understand, he was going close to 100 miles per hour."
Harris said her daughter was one of four innocent bystanders killed in Georgia high-speed pursuits in 2023.
"I wish I could've seen her one more time," she said. "I don't see how it could make anyone safer."
Dig deeper
A Georgia Department of Public Safety review showed that while high-speed pursuits statewide rose only slightly — from 1,673 in 2022 to 1,680 in 2023 — the number of innocent bystanders killed during those chases quadrupled.
DeKalb County ranked second in the state for total pursuits in 2022 and third in 2023.
The Source
FOX 5's Joi Dukes spoke with DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Katrina Harris lost her daughter Katie in October 2023 during a high-speed pursuit for this article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
TN Republicans' bill would oust officials who release 'confidential' immigration enforcement details
Top Tennessee Republican lawmakers have proposed a bill that would make it a felony and grounds for removal if public officials jeopardize the safety of federal law enforcement officers or disrupt federal immigration enforcement by revealing confidential operation details. The bill, filed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson on June 9, comes after a weeklong operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Nashville in early May. The operation led to hundreds of traffic stops, in coordination with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and nearly 200 arrests. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell has been under scrutiny from state and federal Republican leaders over his response to the arrests. During the operation, O'Connell updated an existing executive order that requires city departments to report communications with federal immigration officials to the mayor's office, tightening the timeline for those reports. Even in its original version, the executive order included a provision that those communications be posted online for transparency. When O'Connell's office posted that list in late May, it originally included the names of some officials who called. Those names have since been removed from the version of the spreadsheet posted online. During the sweeps in Nashville, O'Connell also repeatedly asked federal officials to release the names and charges of the people arrested, but to no avail. Some community members, meanwhile, were outspoken in their opposition to the operation. Immigrant rights groups and other Nashvillians showed up to protest at Nashville's ICE office not long after the sweeps began on May 4. That opposition extended to further protests several weeks later, an appearance from New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and a volunteer effort to monitor and verify ICE activity. U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles and other D.C. Republicans have since called for a federal investigation into O'Connell, which was officially initiated on May 30. Meanwhile, Sexton called for O'Connell to rescind his executive order, saying it risks the safety of federal immigration agents. "The people of Tennessee expect their elected leaders to protect law enforcement — not endanger them," Johnson said in a June 9 news release. "When a public official like Mayor O'Connell chooses political activism over public safety, especially by interfering with federal immigration enforcement, he has no business holding office in this state." Johnson said he hopes the legislation "sends a message" to O'Connell and other "blue city" leaders that may act similarly. 'Mayor O'Connell's public refusal to rescind his executive order makes the need for this legislation unmistakably clear to prevent future political defiance that undermines the rule of law and puts law enforcement at risk,' Johnson said in the release. Sexton and Johnson did not provide any examples of O'Connell's interference with immigration enforcement operations. The bill would make it a Class E felony for state or local officials to "negligently release" information that identifies officers tasked with immigration enforcement and paves the way to oust those who violate the law, according to the release. Additionally, it expands provisions under the Tennessee Public Records Act to protect undercover officers and sensitive enforcement activity and beefs up penalties for unauthorized disclosures of protected law enforcement information. The bill is backed by top Senate Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile, Republican Caucus Chair Ken Yager and Finance Committee Chair Bo Watson. It is set to be taken up in the 2026 legislative session. O'Connell's office had not responded to The Tennessean's request for comment by 11 a.m. on June 10. The move by Tennessee Republicans comes a few days after U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, introduced legislation to make it illegal to 'dox' federal law enforcement officials. She said the bill is a direct response to the spreadsheet published by O'Connell's office detailing recent communications between city departments with federal immigration agents. Blackburn filed the Protecting Law Enforcement From Doxxing Act on June 4, explicitly naming O'Connell as the impetus. That bill would make it illegal to 'publish the name of a federal law enforcement officer with the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation or immigration operation.' An individual found guilty of doing so would face a fine and imprisonment of five years. In their joint news release on June 9, Sexton and Johnson praised Blackburn's efforts and say their proposed legislation complements her proposal. "Tennessee has always stood with law enforcement and we will not allow politically motivated actors to put officers' lives in danger simply to score political points with the far left," Sexton said in the release. "Tennessee will not become California, and Nashville will not become LA or San Francisco on our watch." Typically, "doxxing" refers to the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the internet, such as their home addresses, private contact information and names of family members. As for the public availability of law enforcement officers' names, they are not typically considered private information. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN bill would punish officials who reveal immigration enforcement details
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Heart medicine stolen from porch of transplant patient in Glasgow Village
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Tiara Johnson, a heart transplant recipient, is speaking out after her heart medicine was stolen from her porch Friday afternoon. 'I was inside with the door open when it happened,' she said. Her doorbell captured images of the theft. She reported the crime to St. Louis County Police investigators. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'It's not an Amazon package,' said Johnson. 'That was my medication I depend on to live.' She fears there will be few consequences because the suspects are juveniles. 'I need them to know the significance and harm they caused,' she said. Johnson reported the crime to her pharmacy. She said the pharmacy is investigating before determining whether the medication will be replaced. St. Louis County Police confirm one juvenile suspect was identified. In cases involving minors, police are limited in how much information they can share publicly. Johnson said even before the crime, she was facing medical debt from the transplant. She started a GoFundMe to help with expenses. 'I fought very hard, almost eight years, to get this heart, and I try my best to be a good steward over my heart in memory of my heart donor,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
3 sentenced for pandemic-related unemployment fraud, ID theft
ST. LOUIS – The last in a trio of people who committed COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment fraud and stole dozens of identities along the way appeared in federal court on Friday to be sentenced. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Daryl Jones Jr., 46, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud. Between June 22, 2020, and July 15, 2020, Jones fraudulently obtained $84,592 in pandemic-related unemployment benefits from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on debit cards issued to him and four other people. Cheryl Johnson, Jones' girlfriend, provided some of the personal identifying information to Jones. She obtained this information by supervising the victims at various St. Louis area businesses. Those businesses were not identified in a federal statement obtained by FOX 2 News. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now On June 3, 2021, Jones submitted fake pay stubs from a phony business to obtain a $31,700 car loan. Jones and Johnson submitted counterfeit insurance cards to accept delivery of the car. The pair used James Whitiker's St. Louis County home to commit their crimes, prosecutors said. Later that month, authorities obtained a court-approved search warrant for the home. They found a notebook containing the names, Social Security numbers, and birthdates of nearly three dozen people, plus separates pieces of paper containing personal info of 18 more people. Investigators also recovered three stolen ID documents, nine Pennsylvania unemployment benefit debit cards, as well as stolen debit and credit cards. Jones was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $116,587. Johnson, 44, pleaded guilty on Feb. 20 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud. She was sentenced on May 22 to 55 months in federal prison and ordered to repair $116,587. Whitiker admitted knowing that Jones and Johnson were using his home to commit fraud and to using two debit cards during the conspiracy. He pleaded guilty in July 2024 to a conspiracy charge and was sentenced this past October to three years in federal prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
