AKRON, Ohio — The Akron Police shooting of Jayland Walker initially started with a traffic stop; according to investigators, officers were trying to pull Walker over for a broken taillight and license plate light.
Eventually, Walker led officers on a high-speed chase; but former police officer Dr. Kalfani Ture said the initial chase was unnecessary.
“It is not sufficient and useful and rather it is also dangerous to have police officers pursuing misdemeanor traffic offenses," said Ture.
Police pursuits have been widely scrutinized across the country; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said more than 500 people died in police pursuits in 2020.
Last August, News 5 talked to the family of Cameron Crews; he was killed when an SUV being chased by Garfield Heights police slammed into the vehicle he was driving.
More than eight months later, investigators are still looking for the person who hit Crews.
“Minor infractions, many times you can track and go find that person later on in a more peaceful way, say, at their residence or where the car is registered to," said law and safety expert Tim Dimoff.
Just last year, Cincinnati Police changed policy and no longer engages in pursuits with people who are suspects of misdemeanor offenses.
Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said he plans to make changes to his department's policy too.
“There will be adjustments to the pursuit policy,” said Mylett in an interview with News 5 back in April 2022.
There is one big difference in Walker’s chase that law and safety expert Dimoff points to, though; it happened about 60 seconds into Akron Police chasing Walker.
“Once Jayland Walker fired a firearm out the window at the police officers, that completely changes everything that I discussed, and that pursuit should stay intact because we’re talking about a felonious assault," said Dimoff.
Ture still believes Akron Police should revise its policy.
“It should be reduced to individuals who police officers know have or will commit a felony,” said Ture. “In other words that they will place in danger someone’s life.”
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