In Flint Monday, a judge will hear arguments over dismissing a lawsuit concerning police car chases.
In 2014, a state police trooper tried to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle in Flint, which sped away. A high speed chase ensued. It ended when the fleeing vehicle caused a chain reaction crash that left one person dead and another permanently injured.
That’s just one of the accidents attorneys blame on the state police pursuit policy.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for innocent bystanders or their families as well as major change to the MSP pursuit policy.
A recent study finds Michigan state police troopers are two to three times more likely to start a high speed chase in majority black communities.
The attorneys contend changes to the policy in 2017 didn’t go far enough.
Lawyers for the state say officers in similar police chases in the past have been covered by governmental immunity. They say because of that, and the fact the policy has been changed, the lawsuit should be dismissed.
