A bill that originally addressed police pursuits has been amended again to include pursuits. The bill was amended in committee to remove police pursuits and was again amended on the Senate floor to, once again—address pursuits.
SB 5919 received a mixed vote as it left the Senate floor passing on a vote of 31-18. As amended, the bill now:
- Allows vehicular pursuits once reasonable suspicion is established, for crimes against persons or other criminal offenses where the public safety risks of failing to apprehend or identify the person are greater than the safety risks of the vehicular pursuit, under the circumstances.
- Authorizes a law enforcement officer to use physical force to effect an investigative detention with less than probable cause if the law enforcement officer has reasonable and articulable facts that point towards criminal activity, including when,
under the totality of the circumstances, the situation escalates so that there are now facts sufficient to effectuate an arrest, whether or not an arrest is carried out.
SB 5919 now heads to the House to await a hearing in the Public Safety Committee.