NCJ Number
171254
Journal
Policing Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: (1997) Pages: 256-269
Date Published
1997
Length
14 pages
Annotation
A 10-question direct mail follow-up survey was administered to Michigan State Police (MSP) personnel in April 1993 to verify the pursuit portion of Phase I of the Michigan Emergency Response Study (MERS) conducted in June 1991 and May 1992.
Abstract
The first phase of MERS involved a 64-question survey instrument administered to 2,220 sworn MSP officers that focused on pursuit policies and operational issues. Of 1,180 police officers in the follow-up survey, 71 percent reported one or more pursuits. When respondents were asked to provide their best estimates of the actual number of pursuits they conducted as drivers between June 1991 and May 1992, 424 of 472 respondents (90 percent) reported 2,848 pursuits, and 718 did not respond. Pursuits police officers failed to report were those with no visible negative outcomes such as injuries, accidents, and fatalities. Slightly more than half of respondents opposed police agency collection of monthly data on pursuit activities. MERS data showed police officers attributed 65 accidents to pursuits over a 1-year period; 37 accidents were accidental and 28 accidents resulted from a conscious decision to collide. Among 43 injuries, 35 percent involved police officers, 47 percent involved suspects, and 19 percent involved third parties. Recommendations are offered to encourage police officers to report pursuits. 12 references and 8 tables