NCJ Number
141993
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Dated: (1992) Pages: 89-96
Date Published
1992
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Data from hot pursuit reports filed by police officers in Houston were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the department's Computer Aided Dispatch System, implemented in January 1987. A total of 1,584 incidents of pursuit were included in this data base; 998 occurred before the revision of the policy and 586 after.
Abstract
The Houston police department adopted a judgmental and management strategy in which individual officers were provided with information about the risks involved in hot pursuit and were required to consider those factors before deciding to engage in a pursuit. While the policy did not explicitly discourage police from engaging in pursuits, its effect was a significant reduction in the number of incidents of hot pursuit. During the two periods studied here, the incidence of reported pursuits dropped by 40 percent. Under this type of policy, officers may reduce their efforts to chase suspects except under ideal circumstances, thereby eliminating many unnecessary pursuits in which the risks outweigh the benefits. Nonetheless, law enforcement personnel retain their discretion to pursue. 1 figure and 4 references