'Trending in a positive direction': Warren police chases down 50% from last year, commissioner says

WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins says he knows the perceptions surrounding his department and chases, so he wanted to set the record straight during a press conference addressing a chase that ended with a fatality over the weekend.

"I'm aware that there is a perception that there is an increasing amount of pursuits within the city of Warren. I'm aware that there is a perception that our officers don't use the appropriate discretion with these pursuits. I am aware of the perception that the majority of our pursuits are out of policy," he said. "But here are the facts."

By the numbers:

Hawkins, who has held the role of commissioner for five months, said that chases year-to-date are down about 50% from the same period last year. He didn't have the exact numbers, but said there have been about 60 chases this year, compared to around 120 for the first half of last year. 

Of those chases, Hawkins said roughly half were called off by either the pursuing officers or a supervisor monitoring the chase. 

"We are clearly trending in a positive direction with respect to this high-risk activity," he said.

The backstory:

Hawkins was joined by Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido for a media briefing Wednesday after 71-year-old Wendy Drew was hit and killed by a fleeing driver Saturday.

According to police, officers spotted a Chrysler 300, driven by 33-year-old Anthony Eugene-Douglas Grier Jr., going 72 mph in a 40 mph zone on Van Dyke near Miller just after 9:30 p.m. 

Grier did not stop, leading police on a chase. The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office said he allegedly drove on the sidewalk, in the middle turn lane, ran red lights, and reached speeds faster than 100 mph as he evaded officers.

Warren Police Lt. John Gajewski said additional officers and Michigan State Police air support were called as the chase continued on Van Dyke, with Grier running six red lights in the process. Officers had these intersections blocked.

Gajewski said officers deployed stop sticks at Van Dyke and 10 Mile, but Grier continued driving. More officers were at Eight Mile with stop sticks, but Grier didn't make it that far. 

While at the intersection of Van Dyke and Nine Mile, the suspect hit two vehicles, including one being driven by 71-year-old Wendy Drew. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Grier fled his crashed car on foot, but was caught.

He was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree fleeing police, and assaulting/resisting/obstructing police, and remanded to the Macomb County Jail.

Big picture view:

Hawkins said the deadly chase, like all chases, will be reviewed to ensure it meets department policy. The officers involved in the chase are on administrative leave while this review is conducted. 

The commissioner touched on that policy, which he said has been vetted and approved by the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police accreditation process, during the press conference. 

"We allow our officers to initiate pursuits under certain conditions. We have a policy that gives clear expectations of officers during these pursuits," Hawkins said. "Are we where we want to be right now? I think that if you would ask our command officers and even our rank and file officers, they would probably say that there's improvement that can be made, but there's irrefutable data and evidence that shows that this city, this police department has made substantial strides in terms of addressing these issues with this very high risk activity."

According to Hawkins, all chases by Warren police are monitored by supervisors in real time and reviewed afterward by administration.

"We are learning organization, so we review all of our pursuits, whether they are within, outside or within the gray area of our policy," Hawkins said. "And if there are opportunities for adjustments in our policy, we take the opportunity to make those adjustments and modifications."

Dig deeper:

Hawkins also discussed the issue with drivers choosing to flee police in the first place.

"Here's another observation that I've made – the amount of people who blatantly disregard the lawful commands of police officers and refuse to stop their vehicles is absolutely astonishing," he said. "For every police pursuit that we have, there is a suspect who has decided to use his or her vehicle as a weapon against innocent people in our communities. That, to me, is absolutely astonishing."

He went on to say that the people who run are the people to blame for these pursuits.

"The message has to be clearly set that this is not a police problem; this is a people problem," Hawkins said. "This has to be addressed."

Hawkins said that while legislative actions could help, his department will continue to learn and make changes as necessary.

"We will continue to train. We will continue to make our officers aware of some of the challenges with this extremely high risk activity will continue to trend in a positive direction with respect to what we're seeing with our officers internally," he said. 

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