Milwaukee Common Council declines to revive proposed police pursuit policy changes

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — The Milwaukee Common Council declined Friday to reconsider proposed changes to the Milwaukee Police Department's pursuit policy that had previously failed.

The proposal would have required officers to end a pursuit when it posed a risk to public safety. It also would have prohibited pursuits for reckless driving unless officers witnessed the reckless behavior before attempting a traffic stop.

Ald. Scott Spiker warned that reviving a failed motion could set a precedent allowing council members to repeatedly reconsider measures that had already been rejected.

"Now there's a motion to take it from file and discuss it again, and I just want to stress to people that is a dangerous precedent because that means nothing that we as a council have voted down is truly done for a while," Spiker said. "So if anyone wants a second kick of the cat, just be mindful of what we are doing there."

The motion to bring the proposal back for discussion failed on a 9-6 vote.