Deadly Georgia State Patrol chase in Atlanta reignites debate over pursuit policies
Public safety advocates are speaking out after 51-year-old Santana Patterson was killed when a driver fleeing Georgia State Patrol lost control and crashed into her at a Southeast Atlanta gas station during the Memorial Day weekend.
The incident is drawing comparisons to another deadly pursuit last month in DeKalb County, where a teenager was critically injured and a 56-year-old woman was killed after a stolen vehicle chase ended in a crash.
"This is really just a similar situation that we saw just last month in DeKalb County," said public safety advocate Devin Barrington-Ward. "The behaviors of the Georgia Highway Patrol is creating unnecessary danger for the people who live in the city of Atlanta, people who visit the city of Atlanta. And that danger has resulted in another innocent life being lost."
Barrington-Ward and other advocates are now calling for increased accountability and changes to pursuit tactics, arguing that technology could reduce the need for dangerous high-speed chases.
"With the amount of technology that we have available, the camera systems that are in place in the city of Atlanta, it's abhorrent that the police would engage in this type of destructive behavior," he said.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety, a trooper attempted to stop a Hyundai Elantra on Interstate 20 for speeding 90 mph in a 55 mph zone. Officials say the driver exited onto Hill Street and the pursuit ended in the crash that killed Patterson.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety has also come under scrutiny following a separate internal investigation last month involving troopers and pursuit-related conduct.
Barrington-Ward said accountability is still lacking.
"I don't put that responsibility of the death of this recent individual solely on the driver who was fleeing," he said. "Because why are we holding law enforcement to a lower standard than the suspects that they are trying to apprehend?"
In a statement, Georgia DPS said, "The loss of life in a traffic crash is always heartbreaking," and called the incident a "painful reminder" of the dangers of fleeing law enforcement.
Atlanta city leaders have previously imposed restrictions on police chases within city limits, limiting pursuits to violent felonies and requiring supervisor approval, along with banning PIT maneuvers in dense neighborhoods. Those restrictions, however, do not apply to Georgia State Patrol.
Barrington-Ward says the issue demands urgent attention as the number of bystander deaths continues to rise.
"This needs to be a priority," he said. "Because we continue to see residents in the city of Atlanta bear the brunt and be collateral damage as these law enforcement agencies are attempting to apprehend individuals."
