Metro Police Can Now Chase More Drivers, Here's What Changed and Why

Sheriff Kevin McMahill has widened the rules for when Las Vegas Metro officers can pursue a fleeing car, adding DUI stops, stolen vehicles and major crime cases to the list. Chases are already picking back up on Valley streets.

The Rules Just Got Broader

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill has rewritten the department's vehicle pursuit policy, and the practical effect is that officers now have more room to give chase. Under the version that stood for the last couple of years, Metro largely kept patrol cars from pursuing property crimes, traffic violations, or drivers in stolen vehicles unless a pursuit met a strict violent-felony or immediate-danger standard. That approach was meant to cut down on the risk of high-speed chases hurting bystanders.

The updated policy keeps those two categories, violent felonies and clear danger to the public, but adds DUI suspects, stolen vehicles, and cases tied to what the department calls major case protocol, meaning drivers linked to an identified or ongoing crime series. In plain terms, a driver who takes off in a car reported stolen, or who's suspected of driving impaired and won't stop, can now be pursued in situations where officers previously had to let them go.

Why Metro Pulled Back, Then Pushed Forward

This isn't the department's first swing at the issue. Pursuits had fallen to a five-year low a couple of years back after Metro tightened its rules, a move driven by concern over injuries to people who had nothing to do with the underlying crime. But police leadership has since argued that pulling officers out of chases too often just let repeat offenders keep driving stolen cars and evading DUI stops without consequence.

The numbers from last year show how the balance has shifted. Metro recorded 60 vehicle pursuits in 2025, just below the five-year average of 64, and roughly 90 percent of those chases stemmed from felony-level offenses. That felony share is the piece the department points to most, arguing that the pursuits happening under the old rules were already serious cases, and that expanding the criteria simply closes gaps that let some dangerous drivers slip through.

Technology and the Trade-Offs

Supervisors haven't lost their say in any of this. Every pursuit still gets a case-by-case call from a controlling supervisor, who weighs the danger to the public against the seriousness of the offense, along with road conditions, weather, and whether the department has other tools on hand to end things without a prolonged chase. Those tools include helicopters, drones, and the Grappler system, a device designed to disable a fleeing vehicle's wheels from a safe distance.

Sheriff McMahill has been candid that this is a tough balance to strike. He's acknowledged the burden of the decision publicly, and pointed to a 2024 San Francisco Chronicle analysis that found more than 3,300 deaths linked to police pursuits nationwide between 2017 and 2022 as evidence of why supervisors weigh every factor before greenlighting a chase. Still, his stance on letting known offenders drive off has been blunt: as he put it, fleeing suspects are 'not going to get away from us anymore.'

What Viewers Have Already Seen

Since the broader criteria took hold, local reporting has tracked at least three stolen-vehicle pursuits across the Valley, each ending in an arrest. One of those incidents involved an officer-involved shooting that resulted in a fatality, described by local outlets as likely the first death tied to a stolen-vehicle chase under the new guidelines. No officers were hurt in that encounter.

For everyday drivers, the takeaway is straightforward: a pursuit that might have ended with officers backing off two years ago could now continue if a stolen car or a DUI suspect is involved. Neighbors near busy corridors have already noticed more police activity tied to chases, and Metro says the added oversight and technology are meant to keep those situations from spiraling. We'll keep tracking how this plays out across the Valley, so watch and stay connected with KTUD 25 for updates as more details come in.

6 Things to Know About the New Pursuit Rules

Here's the plain-language rundown of what's different and what it could mean if you're on Valley roads.

1. DUI stops can now lead to a chase: Suspected impaired drivers who refuse to stop are covered under the revised policy, a category that was largely excluded before.
2. Stolen vehicles are no longer automatically off-limits: Officers can pursue a car reported stolen, reversing a restriction that had kept many stolen-vehicle chases from happening.
3. Major crime series cases qualify too: Vehicles linked to an identified or ongoing pattern of serious crimes fall under the broadened criteria.
4. A supervisor still has to approve it: Every pursuit gets a case-by-case review weighing public risk, road conditions, weather, and available technology.
5. Tech backs up the decision: Helicopters, drones, and the Grappler immobilization device are all part of how Metro tries to end pursuits safely.
6. It's already changing what happens on the road: At least three stolen-vehicle pursuits have unfolded under the new rules, each ending in an arrest.

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