HB 1011: Daren Lewis Saving Lives Act; enact

Georgia law already requires police agencies to have written policies for vehicle pursuits, but this bill rewrites those rules with much more detail, especially for chases in residential neighborhoods. Agencies could only start a pursuit in a residential area if there is an immediate public safety risk and probable cause that the suspect committed a serious violent felony. Chases that start elsewhere would have to stop once they enter a residential area if the risk outweighs the benefit or safer options exist. The bill also requires every state, county, and local law enforcement agency that conducts pursuits to set up a pursuit review committee to evaluate each chase, and to publish an annual report on pursuit numbers, injuries, deaths, property damage, demographics, and any resulting discipline or policy changes. A new training requirement starting in 2027 covers de-escalation, safe driving, and intervening when a fellow officer acts unsafely. The bill is named the 'Daren Lewis Saving Lives Act.'

• Restricts when officers can start a vehicle pursuit inside a residential area, requiring both an immediate safety risk and probable cause of a serious violent felony.
• Requires officers to end a pursuit once it enters a residential neighborhood if the danger outweighs the benefit or a safer way to catch the suspect exists.
• Creates a mandatory pursuit review committee at every state, county, and local law enforcement agency to assess each chase using body camera footage, statements, and other evidence.
• Requires agencies to publish pursuit policies online and issue annual public reports on pursuit outcomes, injuries, deaths, demographics, and discipline.
• Adds a new statewide training requirement, starting in 2027, on high-risk driving, de-escalation, and intervening when a fellow officer breaks policy.

State, county, and local law enforcement agencies and officers in Georgia who conduct vehicle pursuits; residents of neighborhoods where chases might occur; suspects fleeing police; and agencies' training programs, which must add new curriculum starting in 2027.

Car chases through neighborhoods can put bystanders, drivers, and suspects at risk of injury or death. By limiting when chases can start or continue near homes and requiring review committees and public reporting, the bill changes how much latitude officers have and creates new accountability records for the public.

• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 35-1-14, defining 'pursuit' and 'residential area' and updating the compliance date from 2004 to January 1, 2026.
• Section 2 requires agencies to prohibit initiating a residential-area pursuit unless there is immediate risk to public safety and probable cause of a serious violent felony under O.C.G.A. § 17-10-6.1.
• Section 2 requires termination of pursuits entering residential areas when risk outweighs benefit, a safer capture method exists, or pedestrian danger rises.
• Section 2 requires each agency to publish its pursuit policy online and establish a pursuit review committee with authority to review evidence and recommend discipline or policy changes.
• Section 2 requires an annual public report covering pursuit counts, outcomes, injuries, fatalities, property damage, demographics, and discipline or policy changes.
• Section 3 adds new O.C.G.A. § 35-8-28, requiring annual training starting in 2027 on high-risk driving, de-escalation, road hazard recognition, and intervening against unsafe officer conduct.
• Section 4 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-28House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-01-27House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-01-16House Hopper (House)

• Carl Gilliard (D, HD-162)Primary sponsor
• Mack Jackson (D, HD-128)
• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)

• police pursuits
• law enforcement policy
• public safety
• police training
• residential neighborhoods