After several years in which police department policies around high-speed chases have been front and center in the public discourse, following a number of high-profile deaths caused by them, one new SF supervisor is pressing the SFPD for answers about the latest example that left seven people injured.

Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who represents the Mission District on the Board of Supervisors as of last month, has submitted a formal letter of inquiry to SFPD Chief Bill Scott, following Sunday's dramatic crash on 24th Street that injured seven and destroyed a parklet at the Napper Tandy pub.

Among a list of questions Fielder asks are, "What is the existing SFPD policy regarding police chases and how have officers been trained on it?",  "How did this incident comply with current SFPD policy, and how did it rise to the level of vehicle pursuit that ultimately put many lives in danger?", and "Were there other options, such as drones, or other measures that could have been deployed to avoid a vehicle pursuit that puts lives in danger?"

She also cites statistics about SFPD chases, and how 15% of them between 2018 and 2023 resulted in someone being injured, and 38% of them resulted in a collision.

High-profile incidents of injuries and deaths resulting from police chases have prompted multiple Bay Area departments to question and/or change their policies — though in the last eight months, there has been political pressure to change these policies again, in order to not let felony suspects get away.

Voters in SF approved Prop E last March, enabling the SFPD to employ more tools, including drones, to aid in pursuing suspects. But Prop E also changed the rules around chases, allowing the SFPD to pursue non-violent felony offenders suspected of drug dealing, or, in this case, car theft. The SF Police Commission has been in discussion about those rules since last spring.

Oakland's new Chief of Police Floyd Mitchell also recently responded to a call from Governor Gavin Newsom to get tougher on crime in Oakland, and allow more occasions in which suspects can be pursued. Mitchell laid out his proposal in December before the Oakland Police Commission.

The Chronicle did an extensive investigation last year into how deadly police chases have become around the country. Nationally, the years 2020 and 2021 were the two deadliest on record for fatalities from police pursuits, with a total of 1,377 people dying in those two years alone.

The two women in the SUV that crashed into the parklet on Sunday were in a "wanted vehicle" that was reported stolen out of Contra Costa County. The vehicle had been spotted at Stonestown Galleria, and police chased the suspects into the Mission District.

All seven people injured in the crash, including a mother and child, six of whom were hospitalized, are expected to survive.

Fielder concluded her letter to the SFPD saying, "Public safety requires holding all people accountable for the harm they cause, no matter who causes it. I am concerned for the safety of our community, and want to ensure that the San Francisco Police Department is doing all that it can to avoid such an incident in the future."

Previously: Driver Fleeing Police Crashes Into Mission Parklet During Super Bowl, Injures Six

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images