Policy, Law Changes Haven’t Reduced Kansas Police Chases

Despite efforts by many Kansas police departments to improve their policies regarding police chases, Kansas drivers continue to flee when officers try to stop them.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the fleeing drivers are causing accidents more than four times a week on Kansas roads.

The Kansas Department of Transportation says that five people died in police-pursuit crashes in 2009, slightly above the average for the decade.

That comes despite efforts by many Kansas police departments to change their policies on high-speed chases. And the state passed a law in 2005 making it first-degree murder if a driver kills someone while running from police.