With robberies on the rise at levels not often seen in Chicago, state Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) says it is time to take the handcuffs off Chicago police by relaxing the city’s vehicle pursuit policy.

“It allows for criminals to know all they have to do is outrun the officer,” McClure, a former prosecutor, told The Center Square. “It encourages criminals to risk everything because, at some point, they know they’re not going to be pursued, and that’s just dangerous for everyone.”

With the Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability now studying the situation and weighing the possibility of amending the policy, McClure said he is hoping to see the agency quickly take action.

“The policy for whether or not law enforcement pursues someone in a vehicle should be a case-by-case basis based on the danger of the individual, what road they’re driving down and what the crime is alleged to be before they started the chase,” he said. “If you just have this blanket statement that you’re not going to pursue people, that just gives the bad guys a heads up and it’s going to cause bad behavior. If the bad guys know they could be pursued until the end then their behavior is going to reflect that’s the reality. It has to be based upon the facts on the ground as the officer sees them.”