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'We are saying there's a problem': Leaders, residents come to town hall to discuss police pursuits

"There are risks with these police pursuits and we think that's a problem," said St. Louis NAACP President Adolphus Pruitt.

ST. LOUIS — It was a tough, complicated and emotional issue that brought leaders from St. Louis and St. Louis County together with residents Monday.

The St. Louis and St. Louis County NAACP presidents, St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory and dozens of citizens came to the Omega Center in north St. Louis for a town hall on public safety.

The hot topic at this meeting: "discussing the safety of police pursuits throughout the St. Louis area."

"There are risks. We're not saying who's necessarily right or wrong, but we are saying there's a problem," said Adolphus Pruitt, the president of the St. Louis chapter of the NAACP.

Pruitt told the crowd they continue to see innocent people injured or even killed during police pursuits.

"Whether the person police are pursuing gets hurt, whether it's the officers or whether it's the public, when people are hurt or killed there are legalities that come with that," Pruitt said. "When it's a pursuit and it's a loss of life or some serious injuries, somebody will get hurt emotionally and psychologically."

"We have a very, very, very restrictive policy," said St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory.

Gregory said the department has a 14-page police pursuit policy.

Last year, there were 52 police pursuits in St. Louis County.

So far this year, there have been 42.

"The first thing we do is see if the helicopter's up because if the helicopter is up we can pull those cars that we're chasing, we can pull somebody off," Gregory said. "The only cars that we chase are people that committed a felony."

Several residents still oppose that idea.

"We can do better on how we deal with these felony criminals," one woman told the crowd.

"My son's life is like so heavy to me and my family," Crystal Crump said.

Crump says in April her son was killed during a traffic violation that ended in a police pursuit in the city.

 "There was really no need for the police to chase him where he had an accident and died. It just doesn't make any sense," Crump said.

"When a pursuit starts from our department, it's monitored by the supervisor that's on duty," Gregory said.

Meantime, Chief Gregory also said St. Louis County police officers' vehicles will soon be equipped with a new police pursuits technology.

"When the red lights are turned on on their patrol cars, that technology will send out a free app to the public and when that app goes off, they will know within two miles, there's a pursuit that they are near," Gregory said.

Several residents were disappointed that no one from the city of St. Louis or the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department attended the town hall.

Nick Desideri, a Spokesman for Mayor Tishaura Jones said "Mayor Jones had a prior commitment speaking at the Gravois Park Neighborhood Association Meeting tonight."

Desideri added, "we appreciate input from our community partners on issues of public safety and will review their suggestions."

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