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CHARLOTTE – About one in four police pursuits end in a crash, according to the latest statistics coming from a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department report on pursuits between 2004 and 2008.

CMPD said there were 220 chases in that time period, but in the past few years, the number of police chases has been on the decline.

"We have changed the policy. What we have done is look at the kinds of offenses that are occurring in the jurisdiction that are creating fear," CMPD Deputy Chief Ken Miller said.

But Miller pointed out that chases don't start with the officer.

"CMPD, and any police agency, they don't initiate a pursuit. The suspect does. They refuse to stop," CMPD Deputy Chief Ken Miller said.

Grassroots watchdog organizations advocating for safer pursuit policies remain concerned. John Phillips, president of Pursuitwatch.org said the organization isn't against all police chases, but feels there should be tighter restrictions.

"Sometimes it's forgotten that the job isn't necessarily to catch the bad guy, but to protect the public," John Phillips, president of Pursuitwatch.org, said.

Sixty-seven percent of the pursuits were initiated to catch robbery suspects.

CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe has said in past interviews he would like to see some changes to the current pursuit policy. He'd also like to consider a regional pursuit policy.