NCJ Number
213959
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 56-60
Date Published
April 2006
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article provides guidelines for officers to help them avoid being struck by a suspect wielding his/her car as a weapon while an officer is on foot in the course of a traffic stop.
Abstract
Since 2001, there have been at least 17 officers injured and 2 officers killed after being struck by vehicles driven by suspects. Five officers have been criminally prosecuted for their involvement in "vehicle shootings." The outcomes of many of these incidents were the result of poor police tactics and training; for example, many of the officers had positioned themselves in the path of a motor vehicle in the early stages of an incident, presumably in an attempt to prevent the suspect from moving the vehicle. This is an ineffective strategy both from a deterrence and safety perspective. Determined suspects will simply accelerate the vehicle with the intent of hitting the officer to prevent him/her from blocking the vehicle. If the officer shoots the suspect, the shot may not prevent the continued movement of the vehicle toward the officer. The shot may also wound the suspect, impairing his/her driving without preventing the escape, thus endangering other drivers on the road. Officers should never position themselves immediately in front of or behind vehicles when making a stop. Positioning should be alongside the vehicle at some point from the rear window on either side of the vehicle to just behind the driver or front passenger window. Officers should not shoot a fleeing vehicle unless there is no other means of escaping contact with the moving vehicle or the suspect is using a weapon, other than the vehicle, against an officer or someone else.