Arkansas State Police clarify use of vehicle pursuit policy

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A lawsuit settlement has prompted the Arkansas State Police to clarify when its troopers can try to slow a fleeing vehicle by striking it with a patrol car. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Sunday that use of the tactic increased every year between 2016 and 2020. It came under scrutiny after a July 2020 incident in which a trooper’s use of the technique caused Janice Nicole Harper’s car to flip over. On Friday, state police reached a preliminary settlement with Harper. Due to the settlement, state police have clarified its policy, instructing troopers to judge whether using the technique would be “objectively reasonable.”