Community activists in Oakland rallied Thursday in a call for California Highway Patrol officers to adhere to the Oakland Police Department's pursuit policy when they’re on city streets.
The action comes in the wake of a horrific crash that killed a beloved Oakland teacher who had been out for a walk. The suspect in a CHP chase was driving at a high speed and lost control, veering off the street and slamming into a couple on the sidewalk.
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WATCH HEREMarvin Boomer was killed and a woman companion was injured after teen driver Eric Hernandez-Garcia was trying to evade the CHP, which said officers abandoned the pursuit minutes earlier.
The Oakland Police Department's pursuit policy prevents officers from exceeding 50 mph without approval.
The Anti Police-Terror Project and other community organizations stood outside CHP offices in Oakland on Thursday and called for an end to CHP pursuits and the agency's entire operation in Oakland.
"We are tired of our communities being endangered because of high-speed police policies that the data shows do not prevent nor do they solve crime," Anti Police-Terror Project co-founder Cat Brooks said. "High speed chases don’t prevent crime, they don’t stop crime, they don’t solve crime, what they do is make our communities less safe."
As NBC Bay Area recently reported, Oakland police Chief Floyd Mitchell has asked the police commission to reverse course, saying the current pursuit mandate has resulted in an uptick of officers not pursuing suspects committing crimes, with data showing more than 1,200 "non-response pursuits" in 2024.
"That's what my proposed changes to our current policy do is to provide that balance of safety to our community but also provide security to the residents, security regarding criminal activity," he said.
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SIGN UP On Thursday evening, the Oakland Police Commission discussed Mitchell's proposal.
Ricardo Garcia Acosta, president of the commission, said any policy change must prioritize public safety.
"We have a charter responsibility to lean in and look at this and have further thought and at some time a vote," he said.
The commission has three months to review the proposal before making a final decision.
