NCJ Number
175223
Date Published
1995
Length
64 pages
Annotation
To examine the relationship between the initial violation with which a police pursuit began and the final charge in California, data were collected from a statewide pursuit information database and through a police agency survey.
Abstract
Survey responses were received from 94 California Highway Patrol offices, 113 police departments, and 12 county sheriff offices. In 1994, 5,339 police pursuits were initiated in California; 52 percent began when a police officer attempted to make an enforcement stop for a minor violation and the violator fled. In the same year, 73 percent of those apprehended in police pursuits were charged with felony violations and about two-thirds of felony arrests were for charges other than evading a police officer. The data indicate that police training and supervision in emergency pursuit driving are crucial, that police pursuits are necessary but should be conducted in a responsible manner, and that the initiating event of a pursuit is the overriding consideration in whether the pursuit should be continued. The survey form is contained in an annex. 20 references, 7 tables, and 18 figures