PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Drivers in Pinellas County who flee from deputies will now have their vehicles seized from them following a recent spike in deaths from police pursuit-related crashes, according to the sheriff's office.
"It's getting more and more frequent, and it's got to stop," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.
In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Gualtieri says starting Tuesday, the agency may now seize and forfeit a vehicle that flees from deputies during a stop, in accordance with the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act.
Gualtieri shared crash data from the National Highway Safety Institute that states deadly crashes from police pursuits kill on average one person a day in the U.S.
Other data he shared also shows police pursuit-related deaths made a 40% increase between 2019 and 2022 in the country.
In Pinellas County, the sheriff reported that there have been 1,042 cases of fleeing and alluding from deputies when someone has been stopped.
"The data establishes that these incidents abound and that they are deadly," he said at the press conference.
With the use of dashcams installed on deputy vehicles, the agency will arrest the driver, seize the vehicle and then sell it.
Gualtieri did clarify that not every vehicle caught will be seized during the pursuit, based on a policy change the sheriff's office made in 2014.
The sheriff explained the department averaged 100 pursuits a year before the policy change. Since then, it now averages 10 pursuits a year, including only five pursuits in 2023.
"The lower number of pursuits doesn't mean people don't flee," Gualtieri explained. "What it means is we don't actively engage in dangerous, high-speed pursuits when they do flee because we value life over traffic violations and over property."
Instances that were described as necessary for a pursuit include when someone is engaged in a violent crime, a threat to the community or is dangerously driving.
In the middle of Wednesday's press conference, a video was played showing a compilation of various pursuits in Pinellas County. One video included a crash that led to the death of a 16-year-old after three teenagers reportedly stole a car.
"He's crashed, he's crashing!" someone in the clip can be heard saying as the car wrecked into a sign in front of a building on 62nd Avenue North.
Another clip showed a crash from May 18 in Largo where a vehicle fleeing from authorities rammed into an ambulance and left three people with serious injuries.
Gualtieiri cited the main reasons people flee are because the driver is drunk, possessing drugs, has a suspended driver's license, has an outstanding warrant or because the car is stolen.
"There's a simple solution to the problem, if you violate the law, don't run from the cops. And most importantly, don't hurt or kill someone because you don't want to be accountable for your actions."
The sheriff did clarify that if the person driving the car that flees is not the owner, then the proper owner will be provided with a written notice regarding the incident. They will be warned that if the same person drives their car again while fleeing from authorities, then their car will be seized and sold.
"If you do, and they run again, then it's on you and you're going to lose your car," Gualtieri explained.
He also explained that the rule will also apply to rental car companies.
Florida law states that fleeing and alluding from an officer is a felony.
"If you own a car and value it, don't run from the cops," Gualtieri said. "If you own a car and value it, don't loan it to someone you know runs from police."