This petition is born out of a personal tragedy. My brother, David Pemberton, lost his life on Jan 13th, 2024, due to what I believe was a reckless high-speed police pursuit in Fayetteville, AR. The chase was initiated over a traffic violation but escalated into unsafe speeds through residential areas with crosswalks, roundabouts, apartment complexes, and schools at speeds reported at over 100mph at times, in a 35mph speed limit zone. It was also sub-freezing temperatures that day. It was a pursuit that should not have happened or should been quickly terminated. 

This is a call for change, not only in the state of Arkansas, but hopefully nation-wide. I strongly support law enforcement; however, it is clear to me that updated policy and better training is needed in regard to law enforcement traffic pursuits to better protect innocent civilians who are far too often the victims due to lack of clear guidelines and what I believe is insufficient training specific to residential area traffic pursuits.

Current training, policies and procedures largely do not seem to adequately protect innocent civilians like my brother from the dangers posed by high-speed pursuits. In doing just some quick research, I discovered that between 1996 and 2015 there were approximately 355 deaths per year as a result of police chases, which is almost one death per day. Between the years 2014-2018, there were over 2,000 deaths. More recently, 2020 was a peak year, with 455 deaths, which is well over one death per day. This battle for change may begin in Arkansas, where my brother was killed, but obviously this is a much bigger problem nation-wide.

My brother David, who was a father, son, brother and so much more, died in a ditch on the side of a road over a traffic violation, and that is unacceptable to my family and me. How many more innocent people need to die as a result of what I believe are many times over-aggressive and unsafe police pursuits before there is systematic change?

All local and state authorities should review and reform their policies regarding traffic pursuits and to improve the training as needed. We need clear guidelines that prioritize public safety above all else; clear guidelines that consider the nature of the offense, potential risks to public safety if the suspect is not immediately apprehended, environmental conditions such as weather or population density before continuing any traffic pursuit, especially when it involves high speeds.

I personally visited the site of my brother's death along with some family members, and we were absolutely shocked that a high-speed pursuit was conducted in that area and are convinced that there is no way that it could have been conducted without putting innocent civilians at great risk. This pursuit was questionable to begin with but absolutely should have been terminated to protect innocent civilians in my opinion based on the facts available to me.

My family is utterly devastated by this unnecessary tragedy. My brother David had just moved to Arkansas from California for a fresh start in life, and also to help our mother who has had recent health issues. He was simply going about his business when he lost his life due to this unsafe traffic pursuit. We never got to say goodbye and that is the most painful part. My brother was my childhood idol and my best friend as an adult, so I am making it my personal mission the ensure that his death is not in vain along with my family's support.

This is a direct call on the Arkansas State Police, and all state and local law enforcement agencies, for some acknowledgement, an immediate review of current policy and procedures with reform as needed, and either more, or improved training in regard to traffic pursuits, especially when in residential areas where the public should be the safest. This is the mission, and the goal is to save lives beginning locally in Arkansas where my brother was killed, and hopefully expanding nation-wide. 

This is not just about honoring my brother's memory; however, it's about preventing future tragedies of this nature from happening again. No family should lose a loved one over a traffic violation, or as a result of any over-aggressive, unsafe traffic pursuits of any kind.  Please join me in urging our great law enforcement agencies to take immediate action on this issue by signing this petition today. Thank you for signing and sharing.