The California Supreme Court will soon decide whether a lawsuit against the Gardena (CA) Police Department can go forward, and the outcome of that decision could affect whether or not "people hurt and families of those killed during police pursuits will be more likely to win compensation from cities and counties," according to the Los Angeles Times .
California Supreme Court to Rule on Collisions in Police Pursuits
The California Supreme Court will soon decide whether a lawsuit against the Gardena (CA) Police Department can go forward, and the outcome of that decision could affect whether or not people hurt and families of those killed during police pursuits will be more likely to win compensation from cities and counties.
July 17, 2018
The case involves a pursuit in which a Gardena patrol vehicle performed a PIT maneuver on a pickup truck being driven by a man suspected of armed robbery. A 19-year-old passenger — Mark Gamar — was killed, and his mother, Irma Ramirez, sued the Gardena Police Department.
It was found that "about 10% of Gardena’s officers had not certified that they read and understood the pursuit policy in the year prior to the deadly chase," the LA Times said.
Last year, a lower court decided that 100% officer certification was not necessary for a police department to retain immunity in police pursuit incidents resulting in injury or death, setting up a conflict that the California Supreme Court now must resolve.
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