Int. No. 1431
By Council Members Cabán and Avilés
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requirements for police department high-speed vehicle pursuits
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 14 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 14-191.1 to read as follows:
§ 14-191.1 Police department high-speed vehicle pursuits. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meaning:
Evasive tactics. The term “evasive tactics” means exceeding the speed limit, rapidly and repeatedly changing lanes, or other tactics used while operating a motor vehicle, motorcycle, or other motorized transportation mode that are used to avoid arrest.
High-speed vehicle pursuit. The term “high-speed vehicle pursuit” means a pursuit in which an officer attempts to apprehend an individual who is using evasive tactics.
Officer. The term “officer” has the same meaning as set forth in subdivision a of section 14-174.
Tactical vehicle intervention. The term “tactical vehicle intervention” means a vehicle pursuit tactic in which the pursuing vehicle makes intentional contact with the fleeing vehicle in an attempt to force the vehicle to stop.
Violent felony offense. The term “violent felony offense” has the same meaning as set forth in section 70.02 of the penal law.
b. High-speed vehicle pursuit guidelines. 1. No more than 2 police units shall engage in any high-speed vehicle pursuit.
2. An officer shall not engage in a high-speed vehicle pursuit unless:
(a) There is probable cause to believe that a person in the vehicle is attempting to commit, or is in immediate flight from having committed or from attempting to commit, a violent felony offense;
(b) The officer reasonably believes that the suspect would pose a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another person, for reasons other than the suspect’s attempt to flee, unless the suspect is immediately apprehended;
(c) The officer reasonably believes that a high-speed vehicle pursuit will not pose a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another person; and
(d) The officer obtains verbal authorization from a supervisor to engage in a high-speed vehicle pursuit prior to initiating such pursuit.
3. Any officer participating in a high-speed pursuit shall activate their body-worn camera and vehicle-mounted camera.
c. Officer supervision. An officer shall immediately notify a supervisor prior to initiating a high-speed vehicle pursuit. The officer shall provide the supervisor with the reason for the pursuit, the location of the pursuit, the traffic conditions, any available information on the identity of the driver and passengers, the number of occupants in the pursued vehicle if known, the identity of any person in the pursued vehicle who is a person of interest, the speed of the pursued vehicle, the driving behavior of the pursued vehicle, and any other information required by the commissioner. The officer shall continue to update the supervisor on this information as the pursuit develops.
d. Pursuit intervention techniques. An officer shall use pursuit intervention techniques, such as tire deflation devices, only with supervisor approval, previous training on the technique, and when the technique can be used safely while minimizing the risk to the public and property damage. An officer shall not use tactical vehicle intervention during a high-speed vehicle pursuit.
e. Aerial support. Upon notification of visual contact by an aerial unit, all ground units, unless re-authorized to continue by a supervisor, shall disengage from the high-speed vehicle pursuit. After disengaging from the high-speed vehicle pursuit, an officer may trail the pursued vehicle by responding to the directions of the aerial unit to facilitate the arrest or detention of the driver or occupants of the vehicle.
f. Outside agency pursuits. The department shall assist an outside law enforcement agency with a high-speed vehicle pursuit only when the outside law enforcement agency requests the department’s assistance and the high-speed vehicle pursuit is conducted in compliance with the requirements of this section.
g. Review of pursuits. 1. Within 24 hours of a high-speed vehicle pursuit, any officer in a vehicle involved in that pursuit as well as the supervisor that authorized the pursuit shall complete a report detailing the events of such pursuit. Within 48 hours of a high-speed vehicle pursuit, the commissioner shall convene a review board to review all reports regarding such pursuit and any other information the review board deems necessary in evaluating the pursuit. In convening the review board, the commissioner shall include at least 7 officers, at least 1 of whom must be a traffic safety expert, at least 1 of whom must have supervisory authority over the officer involved in the pursuit, and at least 1 of whom must have an executive position within the same precinct as the officer involved in the pursuit.
2. On a monthly basis, the commissioner shall review incidents of high-speed vehicle pursuits from the previous month and update department policies as necessary to improve compliance with this section.
h. Release of footage. Except as otherwise required by law, the commissioner shall release footage of a high-speed vehicle pursuit within 30 days of such pursuit. Released footage may be redacted to protect the privacy, life, or safety of members of the public.
§ 2. Chapter 1 of title 14 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 14-191.2 to read as follows:
§ 14-191.2 Reporting on high-speed vehicle pursuits. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section the term “high-speed vehicle pursuit” has the same meaning as set forth in subdivision a of section 14-191.1.
b. Annual reporting. No later than March 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall submit to the mayor and speaker of the council and shall post on the department’s website an annual report regarding high-speed vehicle pursuits that occurred over the previous 12 months.
c. Requirements of the report. The annual report shall include a table in which each separate row references a unique high-speed vehicle pursuit. Each such row shall include the following information, as well as any additional information the commissioner deems appropriate, set forth in separate columns:
1. The date of the high-speed vehicle pursuit;
2. The reason for the high-speed vehicle pursuit;
3. The duration of the high-speed vehicle pursuit;
4. The starting location and ending location of the high-speed vehicle pursuit;
5. Whether the high-speed vehicle pursuit resulted in a collision;
6. Whether the high-speed vehicle pursuit caused death or injury to an officer or member of the public;
7. Whether the high-speed vehicle pursuit resulted in an arrest; and
8. Whether a review pursuant to paragraph 1 of subdivision g of section 14-191.1 found the high-speed vehicle pursuit to be in compliance with departmental procedures.
§ 3. This local law takes effect immediately.
PS/JMF
LS #18130
10/24/2025 9:00 AM