Protestors push for changes to the Milwaukee Police Department's pursuit policy

Protestors push for changes to the Milwaukee Police Department's pursuit policy Five innocent people have been hurt or killed following Milwaukee police chases in just the past two weeks. Now, community members are calling for change and accountability. Advertisement Updated: 10:22 PM CST Nov 10, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Maddie Augustine Reporter Protestors push for changes to the Milwaukee Police Department's pursuit policy Five innocent people have been hurt or killed following Milwaukee police chases in just the past two weeks. Now, community members are calling for change and accountability. Updated: 10:22 PM CST Nov 10, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Maddie Augustine Reporter MILWAUKEE — Five innocent people have been hurt or killed following Milwaukee police chases in just the past two weeks. Now, community members are calling for change and accountability. On Tuesday, more than two dozen people, many of whom are with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, protested outside of Milwaukee Police District 5. The group said they were protesting a variety of issues, including pushing for changes to MPD's pursuit policy. Advertisement "Responding to reckless driving with more reckless driving isn't the answer," Julie Velazquez, outreach chair for Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, said. The group said they are not calling for an end to police chases, but they are calling for more restrictions to be put into the policy, in hopes it will help save innocent lives. A Nov. 1 collision at Layton Boulevard and Greenfield Avenue killed an innocent 18-year-old driver, David Hunt. Innocent person killed in Milwaukee police chase and crash An Oct. 19 crash at 30th and Center streets killed Jose Lezama-Flores, an innocent passenger in another vehicle, and an Oct. 20 crash near 27th and Highland killed the fleeing driver. "Their lives are being taken for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Tiffany Stark said. "Their lives matter, and there's something we can do and that we could have done, and we're continuing the same cycle. How many more innocent people die, and we're just going to be okay with it?" Stark said she has been fighting for more police pursuit policy change for more than a year now. "We weren't trying to stop all the chases, but we wanted restrictions to protect people from these chases that are not worth someone's life," Stark said. 12 News asked Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson about the recent string of injuries and deaths after police pursuits on Tuesday. "It's always the difficult thing to balance, right? Because folks want public safety. They want people who are driving recklessly or committing other crimes to be taken off the street. That's what the police are charged to do," Johnson said. "I am a repository for all the things that happened in Milwaukee. And I see when our police officers not just apprehend folks, but I see plenty of times, many times where the police call off these chases for a variety of reasons, including when they become dangerous. I think what's also very, very important here is for people to understand that the police aren't chasing themselves. Right? People are; the police are chasing people who are causing death, harm and destruction on the streets of Milwaukee." Johnson said the city has tried ending all pursuits entirely, but it didn't work. "That certainly doesn't work," Johnson said. "We tried that. We saw what the result of that is, and the result of it is a spike in people deciding to drive recklessly...We're not going to go back to doing that." The Mayor did say the city will continue to pursue other ideas, like their Vision Zero efforts, to help curb dangerous, reckless driving. Read Milwaukee Police's current pursuit policy by clicking here . Milwaukee's Fire and Police Commission recommended chase policy changes earlier this year . The recommendations did not make it past the Common Council or Chief Jeffrey Norman. 12 News reached out to Milwaukee Police and the FPC on Tuesday, asking if they are considering raising the issue again or making any changes to the city's police chase policy; we did not hear back. Make WISN a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks Ole Miss student apologizes after video showing women making racist gestures sparks backlash Video: Drone delivers food to ape stranded during Florida flooding Public health alert issued for three frozen meat products, USDA warns Paul McCartney achieves billionaire status, becomes world’s third-richest musician