August 2024. Blues Vol 40 No.8

AROUND THE COUNTRY

AROUND THE COUNTRY PINELLAS COUNTY, FL. “It’s called the law, and it’s obvious people don’t care about it, so you’ve got to up the game,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. By Lesley Cosme Torres, Tampa Bay Times PINELLAS COUNTY, FL. — The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is fulfilling its promise to seize cars from people who flee deputies. According to the sheriff’s office, there have been six vehicle seizures under a policy launched over a month ago that aims to reduce dangerous high-speed police chases. Many other law enforcement agencies seize vehicles involved in felonies, but Pinellas is the first agency in the nation to enact a blanket seizure policy for evasion cases. “It’s called the law, and it’s obvious people don’t care about it, so you’ve got to up the game. You’ve got to add additional consequences,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told the Tampa Bay Times. “Don’t run from the cops and follow the law. Why is that a hard concept?” The sheriff’s office will seize vehicles during an arrest or at a later date if they suspect someone is trying to outrun them, Gualtieri said. If the driver doesn’t own the car, they will issue a written warning to the It’s called the law, and it’s obvious people don’t care about it, so you’ve got to up the game. You’ve got to add additional consequences,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told the Tampa Bay Times. “Don’t run from the cops and follow the law. Why is that a hard concept?” owner. Those who flee deputies will be charged with felonies, he added. According to Gualtieri, attempts to flee law enforcement can lead to fatal consequences. At a June news conference, he cited a crash in October 2022 that left a teen dead and a high-speed crash that overturned an ambulance and injured four people in May. From 2019 to 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found a 40% increase in fatal crashes from police pursuits compared to the previous three-year period. Those crashes left 1,919 people dead. “When a person doesn’t stop and they flee, they flee at a high rate of speed. They’re driving dangerously and that’s a problem,” Gualtieri said. “They’re running from the cops and driving in a reckless manner, that’s what endangers others.” Leslie Sammis, a criminal defense attorney in Tampa, says the policy is different from other law enforcement agencies’ 46 The Blues - August ‘24

The Blues - August ‘24 47