As many as 40 percent of all motor vehicle police pursuits end in collisions and some of these result in nearly 300 deaths each year of police officers, offenders, or innocent third party individuals. Chief executive officers (CEO's) of law enforcement agencies must establish appropriate policies governing the actions of their personnel during such incidents. The policies should include, at a minimum, statements that officers will not continue pursuit once the risk of danger to the officer and public created by the pursuit exceeds the potential danger to the public should the suspect remain at large. Officers assessing the danger must consider the nature of the offender's violation as well as environmental conditions such as type of area, weather, and level of traffic congestion. Additionally, CEO's also must heed State statutes and State-leve1 court decisions applicable within their jurisdiction. Finally, CEO's should proactively reassess their agency's pursuit policy and provide adequate training regarding the policy and motor vehicle pursuit in general. Notes
Police Pursuits and Civil Liability
NCJ Number
189609
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 70 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2001 Pages: 16-21
Date Published
July 2001
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the need for written vehicle pursuit policies to provide clear guidance for law enforcement officers.
Abstract