Husband of bicyclist killed in 2003 police chase files suit

According to a Fox 4 news story:

It was a police chase that ended in tragedy when a woman killed riding her bike. Her husband has filed suit against the man who hit her and Kansas City police.

Biking was a passion for Toni Sena, but in a blink of an eye it all changed and now her husband hopes to prevent it from happening to anyone else. . . .
Police were chasing the suspect following a disturbance call. Since then the way police chase suspects has changed but Denny said that is not enough.

"I don't think the guy would have done all of this crazy stuff if the police would not have continued to chase him," he said.

Denny filed suit against the KCMO department a year ago. That case was dismissed, but as of Tuesday he has filed another suit. This time he hopes not only Kansas City Police but other jurisdictions will learn a lesson from their actions.

According to Denny, other police departments around the metro area and state still have police pursuit policies that lead to needless injuries and deaths while providing little or no police enforcement benefit.

The motorist who killed Sena while fleeing from police pled guilty and was sentenced for 2nd-degree murder.

Citizens, including representatives of Kansas City's bicycling community, were successful in getting substantial changes to Kansas City, Missouri's police pursuit policy.

However, despite the new policy, advocates say that KCMO police still continue to pursue in too many situations where the situation leads to extreme danger to police, fleeing drivers, and innocent bystanders.

And most other police departments in the state and region have pursuit policies far more lax than KCMO.

Some sobering facts about police pursuits:

* Over 14,000 crashes a year are caused by police pursuits
* About 1/3 of pursuit injuries and fatalities are to innocent bystanders
* Many pursuits end in injuries or fatalities to police officers
* It is possible for police departments to adopt pursuit policies that
- still allow pursuit when actually necessary
- minimize deaths and injuries of innocent bystanders and police officers
- still allow apprehension of criminals (most often hot pursuit is not the best way)

More about the issue of police pursuits, and why police departments should adopt and strictly follow more stringent police pursuit policies, from a St. Louis County police officer.