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KPBS Midday Edition

Report: How Border Patrol Pursuits Are Becoming More Dangerous

Two layers of fencing, one covered in concertina wire, follow a road near the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego on Aug. 16, 2017.
Brandon Quester
Two layers of fencing, one covered in concertina wire, follow a road near the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego on Aug. 16, 2017.
A joint investigation by the Los Angeles Times and ProPublica has found that during the last four years at least 250 people have been injured and 22 others have been killed as a result of high-speed chases by Border Patrol agents.

High-speed car chases by law enforcement used to happen often in Southern California.

News helicopters would follow the chase, which sometimes ended in a major crash.

But about 10 years ago, law enforcement agencies started tightening up their pursuit policies after a rise in injuries and deaths in high-speed chases.

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One agency that hasn't followed suit is the Border Patrol.

A joint investigation by the Los Angeles Times and Pro Publica has found that during the last 4 years, at least 250 people were injured and 22 died after a Border Patrol pursuit.

The analysis also found that Border Patrol agents engaged in more than 500 pursuits and of those, one in three ended in a crash.

RELATED: 3 Killed, 8 Injured In I-8 Crash After Pickup Truck Flees Border Patrol

Brittny Mejia, who covers immigration and race for the Los Angeles Times, is one of the journalists who worked on the investigation. She joins Midday Edition to discuss the Border Patrol's pursuit policies and how the tactics used are leading to chases with increasingly dangerous consequences.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.