Anti chase police study soundly criticized as inaccurate (Pasco Police file image)
And then it was gone…
Study used by Democratic Senator to justify cutting police chases disappears
A few days ago, Democratic State Senator Manka Dhingra of Seattle tried to justify not giving a hearing to a bi-partisan bill that would restore police chases by saying streets were safer without them,
Dr. Martina Morris, a retired doctor of statistics and sociology at UW wrote a piece defending the reduction of police pursuits, and this study was used by Senator Dhingra to justify not giving the bill, SB 5352 a hearing.
However, the study was roundly criticized for it’s methology and flaws by Bob Scales and other data experts. And how, the study has been removed from the website hosting it. According to The Center Square, the page now reads:
“HTTP 404: Not Found.”
Scales, who is a former King County Deputy prosecutor and the President of a group called Police Strategies LLC, publicly condemned the report and linked to it. Critics said Morris claimed there were 13 deaths from drivers and pedestrians by way of police pursuits from 2017-2021 but Scales and others say the actual number was 3.
Now, it appears Morris’ work has been pulled from the website, likely late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
Morris apparently spoke to Dhingra’s committee during a hearing, but other testimony, including statistics and data, were presented contradicting Morris’ claims.