Milwaukee police chase policy under review; city leaders question MPD

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Police Department's chase policy is under scrutiny.

2025 has been a deadly one for innocent bystanders.

It's a debate about whether to chase or not to chase for Milwaukee police.

MPD is talking to vendors about technology that could help avoid them, something that Chief Jeffrey Norman wants for 2026.

Some of the tech out there are GPS darts. Police shoot them at the car—to track it without chasing it.

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The numbers are stark.

In 2024, no one died in a Milwaukee police chase.

But so far, in 2025, nine people have died. Six of them were innocent bystanders.

Public Safety Committee meeting

What they're saying:

"It broke my heart, the last incident, where three family members died," said Milwaukee Alderwoman Sharlen Moore.

So on Thursday, Oct. 2, the Milwaukee Common Council's Public Safety Committee grilled police leaders.

"This is a big enough issue, why isn’t the chief here to speak on it?" asked Milwaukee Alderman Scott Spiker.

"I’m grateful to work for a department where the chief recognizes that his leadership represents him and the department and gives us this opportunity to present to very important groups, such as this council," answered MPD Chief of Staff Heather Hough.

After several questions like that, Hough walked out in tears.

"I’m sorry, I just feel like Alderman Spiker, you’re really rude sometimes and I have to take a break," Hough said.

But there's no break from the problem.

Police chase statistics

By the numbers:

In 2025 through the middle of September, MPD reports 778 chases, which averages to three a day.

MPD stopped chasing in 29% of this year's chases.

Chases are up from the same time last year, which stood at 683, of which 227 were terminated by police, or 33%.

Total chases in 2024 were 957, an 11% drop from the 1,081 in 2023.

"I do remember a day when we didn’t chase, and I remember what happened as a result. Mobile drug dealing became a thing. It became a super-charged thing," added Alderman Spiker. "It truly is a dammed if you, dammed if you don’t situation. If you pursue, the people you pursue are fleeing at ever increasing speeds, which are putting themselves and the wider community in danger, and killing people. On the other hand, if we don’t pursue, we basically give free rein to the same people who flee to engage in reckless driving behavior, which kills people."

"There’s a sort of dance. We do it, we don’t’ do it, we do it, we don’t do it," added Alderwoman Moore.

MPD data also shows chases are faster.

In 2024, MPD reported 71% of chases sped past 75 miles per hour. In 2008, it was much smaller at 15%.

"That’s a huge, huge danger that you’re not confronting that you didn’t have to deal with back in 2008," said Alderman Spiker.

So, is it time to change the policy?

"One life lost is too many. So, we are examining the policies, as I said before: policies are put in place to protect the member, the department and the community,"said MPD Assistant Chief Craig Sarnow. "We consider SOP 660 and all our SOPs to be living documents and subject to change. And we’re going to be evaluating that.

MPD's current policy says MPD officers can chase for a number of reasons, like if a suspected violent felon is inside, or someone is shooting from a car.

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Though the number one reason MPD begins chasing, they say, is reckless driving.

In 2025, MPD reports using 91 stopsticks. That's more than all of last year, which was 88.

Act 12, the big shared revenue law, made changes to who controls the MPD Standard Operating Procedures.

It used to be Milwaukee’s Fire and Police Commission.

Now that power rests with the police chief.

But, the act allows the Milwaukee Common Council to change policies with a 2/3rds vote.