CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department has changed the name of the controversial Downtown Safety Patrol unit and adopted a new vehicle pursuit policy, following months of public pressure after two high-speed chases resulted in the deaths of innocent bystanders.

Under the new rules, deputies may only chase suspects if they are believed to have committed one of 39 violent felonies, including murder, robbery, assault, burglary, domestic violence, arson and rape. They must also end a pursuit if they fail to get a supervisor’s permission, if the suspect’s identity is known and they can be arrested later, or if they lose sight of the suspect, the policy says.

The 16-page policy also outlines more specific directives for when pursuits must be terminated, how they should be

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