Stricter rules and accountability needed to curtail dangerous police pursuits | Editorial
Motorists who do not follow the law share some responsibility, but that does not warrant potentially deadly high-speed chases.
In a just world, Bailey McKenna would be alive, and Philadelphia Police Officer Joseph Wolk would be off the force.
But McKenna died after being chased on his dirt bike through Northeast Philly by Wolk, who swerved his police SUV into the 18-year-old high school senior’s path — a maneuver a police directive prohibits.
The impact sent McKenna flying off his bike and into a parked car. Head injuries left him brain-dead. His parents and brother maintained a vigil for 10 months before he died in 2017.
Wolk, who leads the department with 10 crashes that a police review board deemed preventable, remains on the job — and he is not alone.
Philadelphia and Pennsylvania State Police frequently engage in dangerous, unwarranted, and costly chases, an investigation by Inquirer reporters Samantha Melamed, Max Marin, and Dylan Purcell found.
The alarming details uncovered should shock the conscience of city and state leaders. They include:
A disproportionate number of teens and young adults have been endangered in police chases.
Roughly half of all reported chases by Philadelphia police are not justified under department policies.
Philadelphia police receive no training on pursuit tactics.
There is little to no accountability for the reckless and unjust tactics that risk the lives of those involved in a chase and anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the middle. In fact, the department has never revoked an officer’s driving clearance.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia taxpayers are often stuck with the financial costs, which, since 2020, have amounted to $2 million in repair bills and $20 million in legal settlements.
The Inquirer investigation also found the state police employs fewer officers than Philadelphia but accounts for 10 times the number of pursuits. And most incidents occurred over minor summary traffic offenses.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
New Jersey launched an effort to curtail chases and reduce injuries. In 2023, New Jersey State Police engaged in 126 pursuits, compared with Pennsylvania state troopers who undertook more than 1,300 pursuits — or more than three a day.
In the Garden State, just over 10% of chases end in crashes. Across the country, about 30% of police chases resulted in crashes.
A speeding police car is essentially a deadly weapon and should be treated as such. To be sure, motorists who do not follow the law share some responsibility, but that does not warrant dangerous and potentially deadly high-speed chases.
Clearly, Philadelphia and state police need stricter rules for pursuits, regular training, and serious accountability.
That should begin with Officer Wolk. Two years after McKenna’s deadly crash, Wolk engaged in a pursuit of an eighth grader who was riding a scooter on the wrong side of the road.
After Ryan Miller, 15, twice evaded Wolk, a tow truck inexplicably joined the chase. Wolk dropped back while the tow truck senselessly led the pursuit.
Ryan sped through a red light, collided with a tractor-trailer, and died instantly.
Wolk told investigators there was no pursuit, according to court records. Ryan’s parents knocked on doors, spoke with witnesses, and collected surveillance footage — essentially doing the work of police to piece together what happened to their son.
Police Internal Affairs concluded Wolk violated multiple directives.
Again, he remains on the job. The Philadelphia and Pennsylvania State Police remain unaccountable. And low-level offenders and innocent civilians remain at risk from senseless police pursuits.