H.R. 5143 · Passed House · Crime and Law Enforcement

District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025

Sponsor: Clay Higgins (R-LA)

What it does

• Repeals DC restrictions on police vehicular pursuits of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles.
• Replaces the 2022 rule that allowed a chase only for a violent crime or immediate threat, when necessary and unlikely to cause death or serious injury, and after other options were exhausted.
• Generally requires officers to pursue fleeing suspects unless the officer or a superior reasonably believes the chase would be futile, unacceptably risky to others, or less effective than other means of arrest.
• Requires the Department of Justice to report to Congress on the costs and benefits of the Metropolitan Police Department's adoption of the policy.

Official summary

District of Columbia Policing Protection Act This bill repeals restrictions on the circumstances under which law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia (DC) may engage in vehicular pursuits (i.e., police chases) of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles, and instead generally requires such pursuits in the absence of other means of apprehension. Currently, pursuant to DC's Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, law enforcement officers generally may not engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles unless the officer reasonably believes (1) the suspect was involved in a crime of violence or poses an immediate and serious threat to another person, (2) the pursuit is necessary to prevent that threat and is not likely to result in death or serious injury to any person, and (3) all other options have been exhausted or are unreasonable given the circumstances. The bill repeals these restrictions and instead requires law enforcement officers to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles unless the officer or a higher-ranking officer reasonably believes that (1) such pursuit would be futile, (2) the pursuit…

Latest action

Sep 18, 2025: Received in the Senate.

Committee: House Oversight and Government Reform