Nearly half of high speed chases by Georgia State Patrol end in crashes, AJC finds
![The Georgia State Patrol form a line on the quad on the campus of Emory University during a night of Pro-Palestinian protests on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The blue light of a police car is visible in the background.](https://www.wabe.org/app/uploads/2024/08/20240425EmoryStudentProtestEvening-86-1440x810.jpg)
A new investigative analysis by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution finds that of more than 6,700 high speed chases by the Georgia State Patrol over a five-year period, almost half ended in a crash.
And when someone ends up getting injured or even killed, it was most often a bystander or passenger.
Investigative reporter Asia Simone Burns and data reporter Justin Price teamed up to look at how GSP compares to other state agencies.
They say GSP’s policies set it apart from similar agencies in other states in that GSP has fewer restrictions on when and how troopers initiate a chase.
The agency responded by saying they stand behind their policies, and the pursuits are “proportionally responsive” to a rise in crime on the roadways.
Christopher Alston contributed to this report.