I-Team: Police chase of suspected drunk driver in West 7th District raises questions about FWPD's hidden pursuit policy
FORT WORTH - Saturday's police chase of a suspected drunk driver has, again, raised questions about the Fort Worth Police Department's pursuit policy that the city has refused to make public.
According to police, after observing a pickup truck nearly colliding with other vehicles, Fort Worth officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop when a suspected intoxicated driver fled from officers at a high rate of speed towards the West 7th Entertainment District.
A department spokesperson said officers pursued the driver before backing off and slowing down.
The suspected drunk driver hit another vehicle along with two pedestrians, sending three people to the hospital.
When asked Monday by the CBS News Texas I-Team if officers followed the department's chase policy, Sgt. Jason Spencer answered, "I always hate to dive in and say everyone did everything right or did something wrong. Their chain of command is still reviewing. I can tell you … the officers did what the public wants them to do when they see a driver that appears to pose a danger to the public. They tried to get that person off the road."
Last Tuesday, the Fort Worth City Council signed off on a lawsuit to block public records requests made by the CBS News Texas I-Team and other news organizations for the police policy. The lawsuit came after the Texas Attorney General's Office ruled Fort Worth Police must release the policy to the I-Team under the state's public record laws. The city disagreed with the ruling, so it filed a lawsuit against Ken Paxton's office.
The I-Team requested the policy after a July police chase that killed an uninvolved motorist, Andre Craig, 57.
In the lawsuit, Fort Worth claims if the policy is released, "The safety of the public and of police officers could be jeopardized."
But other North Texas police departments share their policies online.
From those policies, it's known what officers are told to do when it comes to chasing a suspected drunk driver.
According to the Dallas police policy, "officers will not pursue a motorist whose only offense is driving while intoxicated if the actions of the driver escalate beyond merely failing to yield."
The Lancaster police policy states, that in suspected DWI cases, an officer can chase if the "officer reasonably believes it is immediately necessary" in order to protect the public.
Meanwhile, the Plano police policy lays out 10 conditions that officers must consider before chasing a suspected drunk driver, including the driving skills of the officer.
Sgt. Spencer acknowledged the ongoing litigation as the reason he could not answer the I-Team's questions about the policy on Monday.
However, the police spokesperson said, "What I can tell you is the pursuit policy looks at the danger a driver possesses to the public based on a number of factors and that our officers always have to weigh whether letting a person escape creates a greater danger to the public than attempting to apprehend them."
