LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — As the holiday season continues, Arkansas State Police have been warning people of a serious crime.
In the past few years, troopers allegedly have seen an increase in fleeing from police.
Now, they are letting people know that they will be doing whatever it takes to stop and arrest you.
"When someone flees law enforcement it's like you're driving a bullet down the road. It could be your family or mine. Our troopers will not look the other way," Colonel Mike Hagar said in ASP's new public service announcement.
The new PSA features the state's public safety director, Colonel Mike Hagar, and has been bringing attention to the act of fleeing from police.
According to ASP, for Central Arkansas in 2017, there were 78 fleeing incidents. In 2022, officers saw more than four times that amount with 324.
And with that increase also comes an increase in troopers using PIT and TVI maneuvers. Data from Arkansas State Police shows an average of 482 pursuits per year from 2018 to 2021, with troopers using the PIT maneuver around an average of 108 times.
"We've seen years of people seeing that there's not just a great consequence of fleeing. We have a lot of law enforcement agencies that have decided not to pursue," said Hagar.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin and the state hope to change that. Legislators passed a new law this year that makes fleeing from police a Class D felony.
If someone is prosecuted they could spend three to six years in prison.
"This is a serious crime. You are putting people at risk. We've had people more than once die as a result of someone acting like a fool running from law enforcement," said Griffin.
Police hope that the PSA will alert people of the new consequences, but ultimately keep innocent bystanders safe.
"We will pursue you as the Arkansas State Police, and in doing that, we are going to do what's safest for the general public. That a lot of the time will be the use of a TVI (tactical vehicle intervention) because that's what's safest for the public. It's not safest for the public, it's not safest for the trooper, but our oath is to protect the general public," he explained.