High-speed police chases are not only dangerous but, as recent events have tragically shown, they can be deadly. The case of Monica in Ulster County serves as a grim reminder of the irreversible consequences these encounters can have. We, the people of Ulster County and New York State, cannot sit idly by as another family mourns the unnecessary loss of a loved one.

Statistics reveal that thousands of crashes occur each year as a result of high-speed police pursuits. Studies indicate that these chases end in crashes 20-40% of the time; one out of every three of these cases results in injury or death to an innocent bystander. While catching offenders is important, it should not come at the expense of innocent lives.

We urge New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, Congressman Pat Ryan, Senator Michelle Hinchey, and Assemblyperson Sarahana Shrestha to take immediate and decisive action. Implementing stricter policies for initiation and suspension of high-speed pursuits, enhancing officer training on alternative apprehension methods, and investing in technology that aids law enforcement in tracking suspects without the need for high-risk chases are essential steps 
This is a call for leadership, compassion, and responsibility. Let Monica's tragic story become the catalyst for policy change. We cannot tolerate another life lost due to unnecessary high-speed encounters. Sign this petition to demand that safety measures prioritize the lives of all New Yorkers. Your signature can help prevent future tragedies and create safer communities for everyone. Please sign and share this petition today.

We failed to protect 11-year-old Monica Goods, whose life was cut short during a traffic stop gone horribly wrong on December 22, 2020. She was killed when a New York State Trooper, traveling at over 130 miles per hour, purposefully rammed her family’s minivan twice. The officer involved, Christopher Baldner, now faces a second-degree murder trial after years of legal struggle led by Attorney General Letitia James. Monica’s death was not an accident, it was a preventable act of reckless force, one that exposed a systemic failure to protect the public from unnecessary danger.
Ulster County has seen this tragedy before. In 2018, Danielle M. Pecoraro, a 39-year-old woman, was killed on Route 299 when her truck was struck by a fleeing suspect during another high-speed police chase related to a traffic “safety” stop. These are not isolated incidents, they are part of a deadly pattern that demands reform. 
 
The Evidence Is Clear: High-Speed Chases Kill Innocent People
Across the United States, the evidence is overwhelming:
Over 3,300 people were killed in police pursuits between 2017 and 2022—most for traffic violations or nonviolent offenses (San Francisco Chronicle investigation, 2023).

More than half of those killed were innocent passengers or bystanders.

Black Americans are killed at four times the rate of white Americans in these incidents.

Milwaukee saw pursuits soar from 68 in 2010 to 1,028 in 2022 after loosening its chase restrictions yet arrests fell and injuries rose (Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission, 2022).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 483 fatal crashes from pursuits in 2022. 

Attorney General Letitia James’ 2025 report, “Improving Policing and Public Safety: Problems Presented by Police Vehicle Pursuits,” concluded that chases for nonviolent offenses endanger everyone, drivers, officers, and the public and called for statewide reform to ban high-speed pursuits except in cases of imminent threat or violent felony.
 
A Better Way Is Possible
Cities and states that have restricted or banned high-speed chases have seen safer outcomes:
New York City and Buffalo prohibit pursuits for traffic infractions or misdemeanors.

Albany requires officers to weigh the seriousness of the offense against the risk to the public before pursuing.

Milwaukee and San Francisco have adopted reforms limiting pursuits to violent felonies after deadly spikes in chase-related deaths.

Technology like license plate readers, dash & body cameras, and vehicle tracking systems make physical pursuit unnecessary. These tools allow police to identify and safely apprehend suspects without resorting to reckless stress driven encounters which too often result in tragedy.  
 
Our Demands
We, the undersigned residents of Ulster County and New York State, call for the adoption of statewide and county-level legislation to:
Ban all high-speed police chases for nonviolent offenses, misdemeanors, and traffic infractions.

Mandate that police may never engage in a high-speed pursuit of a vehicle known to contain minors.

Require immediate pursuit termination if risk to the public outweighs the need for arrest.

Establish full transparency and data reporting on all police pursuits statewide.

Support Attorney General Letitia James’ initiative to create uniform pursuit standards across New York State.

 
For Monica—Not One More
No child should die on a highway in the name of a traffic “safety” stop.
No family should face the loss the Goods family endured.
We call on our elected officials -Governor Kathy Hochul, District Attorney of Ulster County, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, and Congressman Pat Ryan and others named to act immediately.
Let Ulster County lead the way in creating laws that value life over pursuit, justice over recklessness, and protection over punishment.
We stand together for Monica, and every life lost to this senseless violence.
Not one more.
 
(Prepared by residents of Ulster County, NY, in collaboration with advocates for police accountability and roadway and community safety.)