vehicular pursuits refresher training

7/28/2019 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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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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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]

vehicular pursuits refresher training

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