MILWAUKEE — It’s a story we’ve reported on time and time again - a pursuit involving a Milwaukee police car and a reckless driver, ending in a crash and leaving innocent people hurt.
This time it happened in a residential area at 70th and Congress.
The moments leading up to the crash were caught on ring video by neighbors.
The video shows officers were chasing a car when an uninvolved driver hit the squad car. Six people were injured, three of them children. The suspect vehicle got away.
It has the community asking if police chases are even worth it. So Mariam Mackar brought the video and those questions to city alders.
“What’s your initial reaction watching that video?” Mackar asked Alderman Scott Spiker.
“It’s horrific, I mean it’s unfortunately a day in the life of the city these days. Reckless driving is completely out of control, it's been out of control, and we seem no closer to getting a handle on it,” said Spiker.
The 13th district alderman is chair of the Common Council’s Public Safety Committee. Mackar asked Spiker if he thinks police chases are worth the risk to public safety.
He says without going after reckless drivers there won't be accountability.
“If there’s no accountability, there’s not going to be a change in behavior,” Spiker explained.
But he admits that type of accountability has caused higher risks.
“People when they are pursued, are fleeing at much higher speeds, more regularly than ever before.”
It’s a trend community members are also clocking.
Ari Brown, a researcher with the Wisconsin Policy Forum, went to 16 community listening sessions with MPD over the past two years. He says high speeds and crashes are a top worry for many Milwaukeeans.
“More and more residents are really concerned about this and want to see something done,” said Brown.
Brown says even residents have mixed opinions on the effectiveness of police chases.
But officials I spoke to agree it’s an issue that needs focus and innovative ideas for change.
Mackar asked the alderman of the crash’s district, Mark Chambers Jr., for comment. He declined an in person interview with and said he would send a statement.
After a few hours, he then declined to make a statement on this crash.
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