Download - Vehicular Pursuits Refresher Training
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University of North TexasHealth Science Center
Police Department
Vehicular Pursuits
General Order: Number 511.01
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I. POLICY [41.2.2a,g]
A pursuit is justified only when the
officer knows or has reasonable
grounds to believe the suspect has
committed or attempted to commit a
felony and/or the use of deadly force isjustified in apprehending the suspect.
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Factors to be considered when evaluating
whether or not to continue or terminate the
pursuit shall include, but not be limited to:
- the likelihood of personal injury or property
damage
- knowledge of the identity of the suspect- pedestrian or vehicle encounters
- the time of day and weather conditions
- the probability of apprehension- and the condition of the vehicle the officer is
driving and the reason for pursuit.
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It is often better to discontinue pursuit
than to continue and risk human life orproperty. When a pursuit is initiated by an
outside agency, officers from this
Department shall not attempt toassist with the pursuit unless specifically
requested to do so by the pursuing agency.
[41.2.2h]All other Departmental guidelines will be
met.
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II. DEFINITIONS
Pursuit As used in this General Order, a
pursuit is a situation in which an officer isattempting to catch or stop a fleeing
vehicle, as opposed to an attempt to
overtake a vehicle that is not fleeing theofficer or other officers.
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III. PROCEDURE
A. Pursuing Officer [41.2.2b]
1. Notify the dispatcher as soon as possible
after the pursuit begins and specify the
reason for the pursuit.
2. Broadcast a detailed description of the car,
license plate and number of occupants,
location and direction of the travel. Officershould continually update this information, if
possible, as conditions change.
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III. PROCEDURE (Continued)
3. Emergency lights and siren will be used forthe duration of the pursuit and will be
used to signal or warn other motorists that an
emergency situation exists and the right ofway should be relinquished to authorized
emergency vehicles. Only marked police
vehicles will be involved in a pursuit. [41.2.2d]4. Maintain a safe distance between the
vehicles.
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III. PROCEDURE (Continued)
5. At no time shall more than one unit bedirectly involved in the pursuit (i.e. a police
unit chasing a police unit chasing a suspect.
This scenario is inappropriate).6. The pursuing officer shall continue to weigh
the need to immediately apprehend the
suspect with the risk of harm to the public if
the pursuit continues.
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III. PROCEDURE A.6.(Continued)
The courts have held that a police officer mustprove that a reasonably prudent officer, under
the same or similar circumstances could have
believed that there was a need to continue thepursuit. When the risk to the public outweighs
the need to immediately apprehend the
suspect, the officer shall immediatelyterminate the pursuit. [41.2.2g]
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III. PROCEDURE B. Second Unit [41.2.2c]
At the supervisors discretion a second unit
can be assigned as a backup officer in apursuit. The backup unit should attempt to
parallel the actual pursuit path to gain an
advantage should the fleeing suspect turn offcourse. In this situation, the second unit
would likely be in a position to intercept the
suspect vehicle. Under no circumstancesshall the backup officer operate his/her unit
in a pursuit manner (i.e. run hot) directly
behind the primary pursuing unit.
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III. PROCEDURE C. Supervisor [41.2.2 f,g]
The on-duty supervisor shall monitor the
pursuit while evaluating the circumstances
and factors involved. When, in the
supervisors opinion, the risks outweigh the
benefits of continuing pursuit, or the pursuit
does not fall within the guidelines of this
policy, he/she should order discontinuation ofthe pursuit.
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III. PROCEDURE D. Dispatcher [41.2.2e]
The dispatcher is responsible for allcommunications during the pursuit. He/she is
the primary lifeline to the pursuing officer. The
dispatcher must maintain control of the radiotraffic during a pursuit. Only the dispatcher, the
on-duty supervisor and the pursuing unit should
initiate radio traffic during a pursuit. Other unitsshould maintain radio silence except in case of
emergency or in response to communication
from the dispatcher or the on-duty supervisor.
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IV. REGULATIONS
A. Only sworn officers shall occupy a pursuing
unit. Citizens or noncommissioned employees
shall be let out of the unit prior to pursuit.
B. In case of a crash, an official report will be
made on the scene, by a UNTHSC PD
supervisor or by the Fort Worth Police
Department Accident Investigation Unit.
[41.2.2f]
C. The use of roadblocks and forcible stopping
is prohibited. [41.2.3ae]
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IV. REGULATIONS (Continued)
D. The temperature gauge, oil pressure, etc.,
will be checked periodically. The pursuing
unit will not be pushed beyond its limits.
E. Under no circumstances shall a firearm be
discharged from a moving vehicle during apursuit.
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IV. REGULATIONS (Continued)
F. A written report of the pursuit will be made by each officer
involved, as soon as possible, following the pursuit. This report
shall be turned into the supervisor who was on duty at the time
of the pursuit. That supervisor shall see that the proper
command officers are briefed on the pursuit. If an arrest reportor offense report results from the pursuit and it contains details
of the pursuit, a separate report may not be necessary. In all
cases the officers should be prepared to justify the pursuit. The
Chief of Police or his designee will conduct an administrative
review of each pursuit after receiving the written report and
briefing from the supervisor who was on duty at the time of the
pursuit. [41.2.2i]
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IV. REGULATIONS Section F (Continued)
In all cases the officers should be
prepared to justify the pursuit. The Chief of
Police or his designee will conduct anadministrative review of each pursuit after
receiving the written report and briefing
from the supervisor who was on duty at the
time of the pursuit. [41.2.2i]
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IV. REGULATIONS (Continued)
G. The Chief of Police or his designee will
conduct an annual, documented analysis of
pursuit reports for the previous year.[41.2.2 j]