Oakland loosens rules on police chases, giving officers more leeway

The Oakland Police Commission this week gave police Chief Floyd Mitchell the green light to allow officers to start a car chase without prior approval from a supervisor and to exceed 50 mph in those pursuits. 

Previously, officers were required to get supervisor approval before chasing any suspects and had to abandon the chase if it exceeded 50 mph.

Mitchell has been advocating for a new chase policy for the department for over a year. Though he did not need the Police Commission to approve the policy change, he sought its input.

With unanimous consent from the commission on Thursday, the new policy will allow Oakland police to chase someone if they have a reasonable suspicion of their involvement in a violent crime. Officers are still prohibited from chasing suspects in commercial burglary cases because those offenses are considered non-violent, which some members of the commission disagreed with. 

“Other cities like San Francisco, San Jose, Fremont, Emeryville, San Jose, just to name a few, already allow pursuits for serious property crimes,” Commissioner Samuel Dawit said. “And unfortunately, in this specific regard, Oakland is the outlier.” 

The policy change comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom urged Oakland leaders in a July 2024 letter to loosen its restrictions on police pursuits, claiming that the previous set of laws were too restrictive. While acknowledging that vehicle pursuits can be dangerous, Newsom said,  “But there is also an extreme danger to the public in allowing criminals to act with impunity, and the reckless driving associated with sideshows and other criminal acts is a significant threat to public safety.” 

At the time, some residents voiced concern that changing the chase policy could be harmful. In May, Castlemont High School teacher Marvin Boomer was killed when a suspect, fleeing from a California Highway Patrol car, struck a fire hydrant in the city’s Clinton neighborhood that then hit Boomer. California Highway Patrol is not required to follow Oakland police rules while in the city. 

Boomer’s death renewed concerns that changes to the policy could pose unintended dangers. During public comment at Thursday’s meeting, some residents raised that isse. 

“It’s sad to say, but there’s going to be more loss of life,” said Lance Wilson, a spokesman for the Anti Police-Terror Project. “And it’s going to be innocent folks that are going to be killed because of this policy.”

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