AUGUSTA – A Lisbon woman whose grandson died in a fiery crash that ended a high-speed police chase spoke in favor of a bill Wednesday that calls into question the need for those pursuits.

Dorothy Fitzgerald told the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee that her grandson, then 21, was a passenger in a car that was being pursued. Investigation following the crash showed that the only reason police had to commence the chase was a license plate light was out.

“How many more people have to die because of high-speed police chases?” Fitzgerald asked the committee.

Rep. Paulette Beaudoin, D-Biddeford, submitted the proposal after a constituent who wasn’t involved in a chase was struck and injured as a result of a police chase.

Beaudoin’s bill is not yet drafted, so many police became alarmed that she was trying to prohibit the tactic altogether. But it turned out Wednesday that’s not the case at all.

Beaudoin acknowledged that pursuits at high rates of speed may be appropriate in some cases, such as after a homicide or kidnapping. The lawmaker said her intention was to prompt a discussion between lawmakers and law enforcement on what rules should be followed and when.

“I do not want high speed chases stopped in all cases,” she said. Beaudoin added that state, county and municipal police must have written policies on high-speed pursuits.

Police who came to the hearing said they were sympathetic to victims of high speed chases, but said the option to use the tactic in some cases must be left open.

“No police officer wants to be in pursuit in the first place because we know what can happen,” Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion told the committee.

Lt. Christopher Grotton of the state police also acknowledged that chases are “inherently dangerous.” He said that typically, pursuits are supervised by radio by a senior officer who is not involved in the chase. Grotton also said a pursuing officer must consider numerous factors, such as weather and road conditions, and traffic levels in the area.