Dallas residents, like all Americans, have been spending less time in their cars overall in the past few years. It may come as a bit of a shock that the National Safety Council reported an 8% increase in motor vehicle deaths during 2020. Many people are in disagreement about whether Dallas law enforcement policies are doing enough to keep the public safe. 

The city of Dallas has a long history of #StreetRacing, which is illegal as it constitutes unsafe operation of a motor vehicle. 2020 saw a spike in street racing, and in response to the uptick, Dallas City Council decided to pass an ordinance increasing the penalties for street racing. The new regulations stated that people could be prosecuted for watching street races or knowingly allowing such events to be planned.

Dallas Police Department has had an Emergency Vehicle Operations policy since 2011 that stipulates, “the decision to initiate a pursuit must be based on the pursuing officer’s conclusion that the immediate danger to the officer, public and suspect created by the pursuit is less than the immediate or potential danger to the public should the suspect remain at large.” In other words, police chases should only occur in specific circumstances outlined in the document.

Some people believe Dallas should continue to observe a “No Chase” policy. They say that #police pursuit only adds fuel to the street racers by adding to their adrenaline, making fatal errors in judgment especially prevalent. Others believe that the only way to stop street races is by stopping violators. They claim that the best way to do this is by taking swift, decisive action by immediately pursuing and apprehending the racers involved.

The question up for debate is, should Dallas Police amend their existing “no chase” policy to combat street racing?