The St. Louis City and County NAACPs have been working on a study that looks at reducing fatal police pursuits. The groups plan to sit down with the DOJ and St. Louis City and County police departments within the next few weeks to talk about the findings of their study and some strategies that would help.
One thing they'll emphasize is the use of new technology. St. Louis County NAACP President John Bowman said he's interested in the use of a digital siren, which sends out alerts to phones in the area of a pursuit.
"It could really bring the attention to people at a time where they could prepare themselves for the unknown with traffic chases," he said.
St. Louis City NAACP President Adolphus Pruitt said they also plan to start conversations with children about the dangers of engaging in a car chase that could end in someone's death.
"This is what happens to your life afterwards, as relates to charges, sentencing, long term jailtime," Pruitt said. "And this is what happens with the rest of your life. So you're not only gonna ruin their lives, you're gonna ruin your own life."
The organizations are also looking at technology like Star Chase, which attaches a GPS probe to the fleeing car, which means police can keep track of the car without speeding after it.
