WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — WPTV is examining the West Palm Beach Police Department's vehicle pursuit policy following the arrest of seven officers charged in connection with a crash last summer that killed a mother and her pregnant daughter.
The deaths of Jenice Woods and her mother, Marcia Pochette, are allegedly the result of a suspect crashing into them while speeding from the officers the evening of July 30, 2024.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV looks into pursuit policy allegedly violated by 7 officers
Department policy states that West Palm Beach police officers can pursue a vehicle if they reasonably believe someone inside that vehicle has committed what's known as a forcible felony — a serious, violent crime — and poses an immediate threat to the public and/or officers.
Since the night of the deadly crash, which began in West Palm Beach and ended in Boynton Beach, it's been unclear why West Palm Beach police officers decided to chase a gray Kia Stinger up to 13 miles across jurisdictions at speeds topping 100 mph, according to court documents.
As Palm Beach County prosecutors announced charges against the seven officers, the reason behind the chase is still unclear and raises questions about whether department policy was followed.
"Many questions still remain unanswered," attorney Scott Smith, who is representing the victims' family, said. "I don't have videos yet, we don't have photographs yet. We have limited reports."
Those videos and reports are limited, at least in part, because prosecutors say they don't exist.
According to the arrest affidavit for one of the officers, "Not one of the officers activated his (body-worn) camera during the pursuit."
In the days following the crash, WPTV requested a copy of the West Palm Beach Police Department's vehicle pursuit policy, which states that officers involved in a pursuit must turn on their body-worn cameras. The policy also states that all officers involved in the pursuit must complete a report after the fact.
"None of them wrote a police report about the vehicle pursuit," the arrest affidavit said.
"You have to be able to document what happened and why it happened, and the reason or justification for taking the actions that you took for any incident," Gene Petrino, a retired Plantation police officer who now works as a law enforcement and security consultant, told WPTV.
Petrino is not familiar with the details of this case, but said comprehensive pursuit policies aren't just in place to hold officers accountable for potential misconduct.
"The cameras can provide additional evidence for your defense of why you took action the way that you did," Petrino said.
The arrest affidavit offers scant information about the motivation behind the pursuit.
A West Palm Beach officer who is not charged in this case told investigators he chose not to pursue the Kia because he felt it would be a violation of department policy. The officer also told investigators one of the officers involved in the chase had mentioned wanting to interview the driver minutes before the pursuit began, but the affidavit didn't specify why.
Speaking to reporters outside the Palm Beach County Courthouse Thursday morning, Smith said he believes the pursuit, "was precipitated and/or began with an attempt to stop the Kia Stinger for window tints that may have been too dark."
There is no mention of tinted windows in the affidavit or in the probable cause affidavit for Neoni Copeland, the driver of the Kia who faces charges for running away from the scene of the crash in Boynton Beach.
Boynton Beach police, which investigated the crash, stated in Copeland's arrest affidavit that he told officers he ran from the scene "because he was scared."
According to the affidavit involving the West Palm Beach officers, "None of the officers used a radio, their work cellular devices, or their personal cellular devices to notify a dispatcher and/or a supervisor of the pursuit," which is another violation of the department's pursuit policy.
The pursuit policy also requires dispatchers to notify departments in other jurisdictions if a pursuit enters their jurisdiction. The affidavit said Boynton Beach Police were not notified, and that West Palm Beach supervisors did not know about the pursuit until a Boynton Beach investigator called them roughly three hours after the crash.
“None of the seven officers used a radio or a phone to call EMS for the victims (of the crash). None of the officers remained at the scene to provide details to Boynton Beach investigators," the affidavit reads, stating the officers drove around and made U-turns to avoid the wreckage. "The seven officers returned to their jurisdiction and seemed to go about their normal duties, though failing to tell a supervisor about what happened."
In the days following the crash, West Palm Beach police told WPTV they were launching an internal investigation into the pursuit.
Asked Thursday about the status of the investigation, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Mayor replied, "As a matter of policy, the City of West Palm Beach does not comment on personnel matters, including the status of internal investigations. We appreciate your understanding as we uphold policies designed to protect the integrity of our internal processes."
"Until the trial comes out, you know you're not really going to probably know the answer," Petrino advised.
