NCJ Number
164743
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 15 Issue: 4 Dated: (1996) Pages: 95-116
Date Published
1996
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Police pursuits in Michigan were analyzed with respect to the injuries and fatalities that occurred in accidents and their rates compared to those for the general population and for police accidents unrelated to pursuits.
Abstract
Study data came from Phase II of the Michigan Emergency Response Study (MERS) and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. MERS Phase II gathered information from the Michigan State Police (MSP) from June 23, 1991 through May 31, 1992. Results revealed that pursuit accident injuries occurred at significantly higher rates than in the general population or in police nonpursuit accidents. The MERS fatal accident rate was higher than that reported for the MSP overall, but not significantly higher than the general Michigan population rate. Findings suggested that injury reduction interventions should focus on the critical factors involved in the accidents under study and that analysis of pursuit accident reports and debriefings after pursuits may be useful to police administrators who contemplate changing the level of policy restrictiveness. The findings may not be applicable to other police agencies or states; further research is recommended. Tables and 43 references