(WICHITA, Kan.) — A Kansas group feels the current policy Wichita Police have is partly responsible for the death of 12 year old Suhani Bhakta. Last weekend she was killed after being hit by a police car that was headed to a burglary. She was trying to cross Broadway a the time.
The officer did not have it's lights or sirens on.
Sanjay Shah, the President of the Cultural Association of India, is starting a petition to create a law requiring officers to have their lights and sirens going when in pursuit of a suspect or going to a crime scene.
"When you don't have your lights and sirens on, we don't know that you're in pursuit of a bad guy and that's all we want, it's not an accessory item on your vehicle," he said.
Currently using lights and sirens is based on a police policy. After a similar incident in 2009, we found out the policy states officers can turn their lights and sirens on when going to a call to protect lives, during a chase with a suspect or when pulling people over. Police say they review their policies every year. When asked Friday if it's been updated or revised, we were told that information could only be released by the police chief.
