On Sunday March 6th 2005, Kamal Lal, 43, of South San Francisco, was shot to death by a police officer after a chase between the Peninsula and San Francisco. According to the California Highway Patrol, the number of car chases has grown by hundreds each of the last three years for which statistics are available: 5,895 in 2001; 6,337 in 2002; 7,171 in 2003. This common feature of television news and police procedure has brought death and serious injuries to many: Fifty-one people died in 2003 as a result, or nearly one each week, and not all of them had been involved in the pursuit, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A UC Berkeley graduate student named Jie Wang recently joined the list of the seriously injured after a driver who was escpaping an Albany police officer ran a red light and crashed into Wang's car.

More deaths related to car chases occur in California than in any other state. The California Legislature is set to repeat past attempts to change the way that law enforcement officers pursue potential criminals. A bipartisan group of legislators is pushing SB718 and SB719, which would include penalties for police who recklessly pursue drivers. Law enforcement groups are pushing for SB1015. which will increase penalties for fleeing drivers. The police-sponsored bill would promote education of drivers about the stiffer criminal penalties that they — not the police officer — are liable for if anyone is injured or killed during a car chase. It would also make bystanders eligible for monetary compensation from the states victims fund.

Bill Overview:
SB1015 (introduced by Senator Romero)- This bill would declare as a crime victim anyone who suffers an "injury or death caused by any party where a peace officer is operating a motor vehicle in an effort to apprehend a suspect, and the suspect is evading, fleeing, or otherwise attempting to elude the peace officer."
SB718, (introduced by Senators Romero and Aanestad)- This bill would enact Kristie's Law and would express the intent of the Legislature to ensure that motor vehicle pursuits can be conducted in the safest and most effective approach throughout California to eliminate any unnecessary risks that evolve from these pursuits.
SB719, which was introduced by Senators Romero and Aanestad. Under existing law, a public agency employing peace officers that adopts a written policy on vehicular pursuits is immune from liability for civil damages resulting from the collision of a vehicle being operated by an actual or suspected violator of the law who believes he or she is being pursued by a police officer. This bill would "declare the intent of the Legislature to enact appropriate legislation to develop a policy governing vehicular pursuits by law enforcement to protect the public safety, lives, and property of the people of the state."

Kristie's Law Web site | PursuitWatch | Oakland Tribune Article On Car Chases