NCJ Number
176046
Date Published
1998
Length
129 pages
Annotation
This volume defines law enforcement emergency vehicle operations such as police pursuits; examines the liability concerns; and provides guidelines for the development of policies, procedures, and rules.
Abstract
The text emphasizes that answering emergency calls and engaging in pursuit requires that the police officer be adequately trained and properly supervised, directed, and restricted by policies, procedures, and rules. The discussion analyzes police pursuit from the perspective that only well-regulated pursuits should be allowed when the danger to the public of the violator remaining at large outweighs the danger to the public created by the pursuit. It notes that the cost-benefit analysis for every pursuit is reached by answering three questions that guide every pursuit: when to pursue, what to do during a pursuit, and when to abandon a pursuit. The beginning and ending chapters present two scenarios depicting a pursuit by a rookie police officer and the officer's dialogue on the police radio. Index; appended model pursuit policy, text of legislation, and U.S. Supreme Court decisions; and 36 references