Jennifer Myrick, the mother of Alecia Garcia, has decided to speak out about her views on police-pursuit policies.

Alecia Garcia was in a car involved in a pursuit with Iowa State Troopers on Sept. 21. Garcia died at the end of that police chase in Davenport.

Iowa State Police say the chase started because they spotted the car without registration.

After a quick chase, the car eventually hit an embankment on Eastern Avenue and rolled several times. Besides Garcia, there was another person in the vehicle. Both were transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

“These officers are allowed to chase these, you know, individuals through residential neighborhoods,” Myrick told Local 4 News. “And more than not it’s innocent people who are getting injured and killed.”

After Myrick learned the news about her daughter, life has been a “bad dream,” she says. She now asked law enforcement to reconsider their pursuit policies.

“When is enough, enough? When are these people going to be held accountable for what is going on with these high-speed chases?” she asked.

Myrick says it has been a process trying to pick up the pieces after losing her daughter. Still, she does not hold any animosity toward law enforcement.

She hopes changes in the pursuit process are made soon.

“These high-speed chases are detrimental to people’s safety out here. I’m not justifying or saying that running from the police or law enforcement is okay. But it still does not constitute what happened on September 21st,” she said.

Myrick believes people should not be so quick to judge, because these types of situations can happen to anyone. She also believes more deaths like her daughter’s will happen if pursuit policies remain what they are.

“Nothing justifies a person’s life being taken like this,” she said. “Yes of course it is a bad decision by an offender to run to begin with. But it is a double bad decision for a police officer, or Iowa State Trooper, to pursue these people. Because ultimately it never ends good.”

Myrick says, she has attempted to contact Iowa State Patrol for more information about the case but has had no response so far.

Iowa State Police say they do have jurisdiction anywhere in the state and can make stops or pursuits at their discretion. There are certain reasons a chase may be called off – for example, if the chase is close to a school zone or residential area. Other factors, such as time of day and traffic in the area, are involved in whether to continue a chase.

The chase and crash that ended in Alecia Garcia’s death were both near a school zone and a residential area.

“Enough is enough already,” Myrick said. “Like, how many people have to lose their lives? How many people have to be injured? And innocent people at that.” 

To see Alecia Garcia’s obituary, visit here.