AURORA | Just weeks after Aurora police changed longstanding policies to allow officers to chase stolen-car suspects, an officer was injured Friday during just such a pursuit when he crashed into the car of a bystander, police reported.
The unidentified officer was taken to a nearby hospital Friday morning after the crash, suffering what police said appeared to be minor injuries. The bystander was uninjured.
At about 5:45 a.m. other officers determined that a Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck was stolen out of Denver. Those officers decided to pursue the suspect, who refused to pull over, police said.
Shortly after, another officer aware of the pursuit, headed from the north part of the city to the south, joined the chase to try and catch the pick-up truck driver.
A few minutes later, as that officer was southbound on South Buckley Road at East Dartmouth Avenue, with patrol car lights and sirens activated, the officer’s car crashed into that of a woman not involved in the chase.
The woman was not injured, police said.
The driver of the pick-up truck was not caught, police said. Investigators said they did not yet have details on the truck nor the suspect, but that the person was still at large.
Police pursuit police changed in March
The crash comes after Aurora’s police chief eased restrictions in March on when officers can chase criminal suspects, allowing for car pursuits linked to stolen vehicles and drunken-driving suspects, the Sentinel previously reported.
“Over the past several years, the Aurora Police Department has not engaged in pursuits of stolen vehicles, despite auto theft being a felony offense,” Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said in a statement in March. “This has created a reality where offenders believe they can victimize our community with no consequence, simply fleeing from law enforcement to avoid accountability.”
Aurora police have for years allowed officers to pursue suspects who have committed or are committing a felony and considered a serious risk to public safety if they are not immediately apprehended. Police policy has also allowed officers to pursue a suspect committing a crime involving a firearm who the officer believes poses a serious threat to the public.
Allowing police to chase suspects solely for stealing vehicles or driving under the influence were essentially the only changes to the policy, according to Aurora police spokesperson Sydney Edwards.
Fatalities, injuries and property damages resulting from police pursuits have become increasingly controversial over the last two decades, with numerous vetted, national studies warning against the dangers and costs of police pursuits.
Police departments renewed pushes for relaxing pursuit policies when crime spiked in Colorado, and across the nation, from 2020 to 2022.
Chamberlain said that despite documented reduction in car thefts in Aurora and across the metro area, he hears from residents and community leaders that people feel unsafe.
“As the chief of police, my primary responsibility is ensuring the safety of the Aurora community while upholding the rights of residents not to be victimized by crime,” Chamberlain said in the statement.
Most national police organizations and public safety advocates cite numerous studies revealing that police pursuits are dangerous for police, suspects and bystanders, while showing little or no benefit in impacting crime rates.
“There are ways to incentivize people to follow the law, apart from engaging in a dangerous police chase that is putting the lives of officers and bystanders at risk, and also putting the lives of the driver and passenger at risk who don’t deserve the death penalty for fleeing because of a stolen vehicle,” said Josh Parker, deputy director of policy for Policing Project.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation published a landmark report in 2010, saying that during police chases, 30% of suspects crashed, 30% stopped, and 25% outran the police. The report also said that the people who fled were usually accused of nonviolent crimes, with 32% driving a stolen car, 27% having a suspended driver’s license, 27% wanting to avoid arrest, and 21% driving under the influence.
Critics of permitting police chases say the dangers are substantial.
In an Aurora carjacking police pursuit in 2024, a 24-year-old bystander died from injuries while sitting in his parked car. The suspect was being chased by police in a northwest Aurora neighborhood, hit a speed bump, lost control and crashed into multiple parked vehicles, including the bystander’s vehicle.
Chamberlain said in March that officers will consider the risks and try to avert injuries to suspects, bystanders and even themselves.
“This agency remains committed to prioritizing public safety in every decision we make,” Chamberlain said in the statement. “Pursuits will be conducted in a manner that weighs the risk to the community against the necessity of apprehending criminals who threaten our residents. Aurora is not a place where offenders can operate without fear of consequence.”
Chamberlain said the change in policy is meant to address what he perceives to be people behaving as if there were no consequences to criminal behavior.
“This is unacceptable,” Chamberlain said in the statement. “Public safety demands a balanced approach, one that allows officers to exercise discretion in holding offenders accountable while always considering the risks associated with vehicle pursuits. “This broader policy does not mean that officers engage in reckless chases but rather a measured and responsible approach to stopping those who exploit gaps in enforcement.”
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.