Four bystanders have been killed in Baton Rouge police chases in the past year, leading to mounting scrutiny on when and whether officers should launch such pursuits — and now a second Louisiana lawmaker is proposing legislation to address the issue.
Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, has introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 8, which would create an 8-person task force of lawmakers, law enforcement representatives, a prosecutor and a defense attorney.
“I have spoken to a lot of law enforcement personnel who are in support of this resolution because it is getting out of hand,” Kleinpeter said during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting to hear the resolution on Tuesday.
Kleinpeter said he was moved to create the task force after the deaths of Maggie Dunn and Caroline Gill, who were killed when an Addis police officer crashed into their car while pursuing a 24-year-old man who had stolen his family’s vehicle in Baton Rouge. The officer was charged with manslaughter.
“This happened in my hometown,” Kleinpeter said. “I knew both girls and they attended Brusly high school with my daughter. I’m able to see my daughter and the families that I know will never be able to see their daughters again.”
Kleinpeter said he doesn’t have all the answers and doesn’t know which cases would be worth a high-speed pursuit, but that is something the task force can discuss.
“I don’t know if a tier system is the answer where a murder suspect, armed robbery, rape, etc. is the exceptions of a high-speed pursuit,” he said. “What I don’t want to do is handcuff the police from doing their job and making it to where everyone runs as soon as the lights are turned on.”
State Rep. Edmond Jordan (D-Baton Rouge) is also proposing a bill related to high-speed chases. His would implement penalties for departments if a chase ends in death or injury to an innocent bystander, which he said could serve as a deterrent.
Kleinpeter said his proposed task force is different in that it does not penalize law enforcement.
“I want solutions as to how we fix this either through training, policy change with either adding a tier system, or increasing the penalties for aggravated flight,” he said. “The lack of respect for law enforcement by criminals has become a huge problem and I believe that’s why more and more high speed pursuits are becoming an issue.”
According to a March report, Baton Rouge Police officers launched 926 car chases between 2016 and 2022, and 101 of those chases — almost 1 in 9 — resulted in crashes. In those 101 crashes, 46 bystanders were injured and 3 were killed.
High-speed chases most recently drew scrutiny after two Baton Rouge Police officers were killed in a helicopter crash during the pursuit of a hit-and-run suspect in late March. Just weeks earlier, a 56-year-old man died when his truck was caught in the path of a driver fleeing from a Baton Rouge police traffic stop.
“I applaud Senator Kleinpeter for taking this issue by the horns,” said 18th Judicial District Attorney Tony Clayton, who sharply criticized the handling of the chase that led to the death of the Brusly High students. “I think it’s smart of him to put the task force together so we can find out what needs to be done and have all the stakeholders take part before any legislation is filed. Then we can come up with a law that’s in the best interest of the people of Louisiana.”
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