PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Putnam County deputies now have more authority to pursue fleeing drivers, regardless of the offense. The sheriff’s office said the goal is to stop high-speed chases before they turn deadly.
Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said high-speed chases are becoming more common and more dangerous. So, they added PIT maneuvers to their pursuit policy to shut down police chases faster.
Body cam and dash cam video of a high-speed chase, one showing a flipped car after the suspect fled.
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High-speed chases across Putnam County are becoming more frequent and more dangerous. Some top 100 miles per hour and cross multiple jurisdictions. That’s why the sheriff’s office changed its policy: to end them faster and more decisively.
“My philosophy is if we’re going to chase someone, we’re going to PIT early and PIT often. We’re going to terminate these pursuits and we’re going to put your behind in jail if you’re violating the law and putting other people in danger,” said Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach.
The new policy allows deputies to pursue any driver who flees - no longer limited to violent crimes or DUIs. It mirrors a recent update from Florida Highway Patrol, which also loosened pursuit restrictions statewide.
Sheriff DeLoach says other methods weren’t showing much progress.
“Stop sticks aren’t always necessarily effective because we’re not able to always get someone in front of that vehicle to be able to intercept it,” said DeLoach.
Instead of waiting or hoping a suspect stops, deputies are now trained to use the Precision Immobilization Technique or PIT to end the pursuit early.
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“This is not about reinventing the wheel. This is about taking a common-sense approach to a problem we are seeing in law enforcement.”
The sheriff said they won’t always be limited if the pursuit leads into another county.
“Just because you flee across the county line does not necessarily mean that we’re going to immediately terminate that pursuit. Nine times out of 10, given the circumstances, we’re going to continue to chase you, and we’re going to try and PIT you as early as we can,” said DeLoach.
Deputies said the goal isn’t more chases, it’s shorter ones. The PIT policy is already in effect, and training is ongoing.
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